Joe Sakic thinks the championship window for the Avalanche is still open

Colorado Avalanche president Joe Sakic is disappointed this season is already over.

How could he not be?

The Avs choked in Game 7 against the Dallas Stars, blowing a 2-0 third period lead, and now will have to wait until this time next year for another shot at a Stanley Cup.

And Sakic isn’t focused on Mikko Rantanen, who scored a third period hat trick for the Stars in the series deciding game, he’s focused on his team. He’s upset they came up short, but knows this won’t be the last shot at a title for this current Colorado core.

I asked Sakic at his press conference on Tuesday if he thinks the team’s championship window is still open the next two to five years, and he gave an answer that should have Avalanche fans excited for the future.

“Listen, if you’ve got Cale Makar and Nathan MacKinnon, your window’s open,” Sakic said.

That’s pretty simple and spot on. Makar and MacKinnon are both finalists for the Ted Lindsay Award, given to the best player in the league as voted on by the NHLPA. The two are the best players in the world, and both will be back for Colorado next year and beyond.

“That’s why it’s important from a management side, when it comes to trade deadlines you try and do what you can to give them the best opportunity. You’re not going to have those players forever. So when you have them, you try and surround them with as good of players as you can and give them that opportunity to do what they do best,” Sakic said.

In the playoffs, MacKinnon was at his best. Unfortunately, Makar was not. MacKinnon led the Avalanche in goals with seven and points with 11. However, Makar scored just one goal (which was an empty-netter) while adding four assists. It wasn’t for lack of effort, as Makar’s 26 shots were second on the team, trailing only MacKinnon who had 39.

Still, one bad series doesn’t define Makar and Sakic knows that. His answer was pretty clear that as long as No. 8 is on the squad, the Avalanche are a Stanley Cup contender.

It’s probably not what fans want to hear on May 6. They wish Colorado was still playing this season.

But that’s not happening, so the future will eventually be the focus. And the greatest player in Avalanche history in Sakic thinks this title window isn’t shutting anytime soon.

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