Avalanche eliminated, championship reign ends amid injuries, depth issues

The Colorado Avalanche were eliminated from the Stanley Cup Playoffs by the Seattle Kraken, losing 2-1 in Game 7 of the Western Conference First Round on Sunday.

The Avalanche (51-24-7) won the Central Division this season. They have qualified for the playoffs for six straight seasons and won the Stanley Cup last season for the third time. This was their first loss in the first round since 2018, when they were eliminated by the Nashville Predators in six games.

The skinny

Potential unrestricted free agents: Andrew Cogliano, F; J.T. Compher, F; Lars Eller, F; Darren Helm, F; Matt Nieto, F; Evan Rodrigues, F; Erik Johnson, D; Jack Johnson, D

Potential restricted free agents: Bowen Byram, D; Denis Malgin, F; Ben Meyers, F; Alex Newhook, F

Potential 2023 draft picks: 4

Here are five reasons the Avalanche were eliminated:

1. Injuries and lack of depth

The Avalanche were not the same team they were when they won the Cup last season. They lost forwards Andre Burakovsky and Nazem Kadri in free agency, then lost forward Gabriel Landeskog, their captain, for the season to a knee injury.

They battled many other injuries through the regular season and the series. Forward Darren Helm (lower body) missed six games against Seattle. Defenseman Jack Johnson (lower body) missed four games. Forward Andrew Cogliano (upper body) missed three, defenseman Josh Manson (lower body) two.

RELATED: [Complete Avalanche vs. Kraken series coverage]

In Game 7, Colorado had to dress defenseman Brad Hunt as a forward to ice a full lineup. He played one 41-second shift.

The Avalanche's elite talent almost got them through the series. Forward Mikko Rantanen scored seven goals. Center Nathan MacKinnon scored three (and looked like he had the tying goal in Game 7 until video review showed the play was offside). But while they had nine players score a goal, the Kraken had 15.

2. Nichushkin's absence

Forward Valeri Nichushkin left the team for personal reasons before Game 3, when the Avalanche couldn't afford to lose yet another player, let alone one capable of making a difference.

Nichushkin had 15 points (nine goals, six assists) in 20 playoff games last season, including a team-leading four goals in six games against the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Stanley Cup Final.

He had 47 points (17 goals, 30 assists) in 53 games in the regular season and one goal in the first two games of the series.

Coach Jared Bednar said after Game 7 that the Avalanche could have used the size and strength of Landeskog (6-foot-1, 215 pounds) and Nichushkin (6-4, 210) against a Seattle team that took away the middle of the ice and won battles on the wall.

3. Power play

Colorado ranked sixth on the power play in the regular season (24.5 percent). Against the Kraken, who took away time and space at even strength, they needed to cash in when their elite talent had room to work on the power play.

But they were 2-for-18 (11.1 percent), including 2-for-8 in their losses. They had good looks at times but couldn't put the puck in the net.

They didn't give themselves enough power-play opportunities, either, because they were on their heels too often at even strength to draw many penalties.

4. Makar's suspension

Defenseman Cale Makar served a one-game suspension in Game 5 for interference on forward Jared McCann in Game 4.

That wasn't the only reason the Avalanche lost 3-2 in Game 5, falling behind 3-2 in the series, but it didn't help. Makar is the reigning winner of the Norris Trophy, voted as the best NHL defenseman last season, and the Conn Smythe Trophy, voted as the most valuable player in the playoffs last season. He might have made a difference in a key one-goal game.

Makar had five points (one goal, four assists) in six games.

5. Too little, too late

The Avalanche didn't play up to their ability until Games 6 and 7. Earlier in the series, they described themselves as tight, hesitant and cautious. Too often they looked like the slower team when their strengths are skating and playmaking.

Maybe they were tired after a short offseason and a long regular season. They were four points out of the second wild card in the West on Jan. 12. They pushed to win the Central Division, going 31-7-4 afterward, including 7-0-1 in their last eight games.

Maybe they felt pressure to repeat, while the Kraken were underdogs. Maybe they were pacing themselves for what they hoped would be another long, four-round run and didn't match the Kraken's intensity until too late.

They will have a longer summer this time to think about it.