#colorado-avalanche

#colorado-avalanche

Beyond No. 1, there were some major swings this week, with the Tampa Bay Lightning, Minnesota Wild and Los Angeles Kings making a jump, while the Pittsburgh Penguins, Winnipeg Jets and Chicago Blackhawks fell. How we rank: A panel of ESPN hockey commentators, analysts, reporters and editors sends in a 1-32 poll based on the games through Wednesday. Note: Previous ranking for each team refers to the previous edition, published Nov. 21. Points percentages are through Thursday's games.

"I think it's a good confidence piece for us right now to be able to win these games," Makar said. "Being able to win in all these different ways is good for us. But again, we want to keep building it at this point of the season."

With the Colorado Avalanche, the main stars of the show are Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar. However, a new young star has made his presence known and he is making big plays. Forward Gavin Brindley is in his first year with the Colorado Avalanche but he is already fitting in nicely. A player with relentless energy, he is showing that he can be a reliable bottom-six player who shows up in big games. While he is still young, he is proving he belongs in Colorado.

Getting a new deal done for Necas was a priority with the 26-year-old in the second season of a two-year bridge deal that was worth $6.5 million annually. Necas' new contract, which starts next season, will see him earn $11.5 million annually, a source told ESPN's Emily Kaplan. The source also said that Necas will have $60.4 million in signing bonuses while having a full no-trade clause in the first seven years of the deal.

A hipster picker's nightmare, indeed. As is tradition, I revealed my Stanley Cup selection to a member of that team while at the player media tour in Las Vegas: Me: I wanted to inform you that I'm picking you guys to win the Stanley Cup. Avalanche star Cale Makar: I appreciate that. Me: I also wanted to inform you that I'm not good at making Stanley Cup predictions. Makar: Well, we'll prove that wrong, hopefully.

Oskar Olausson was traded from the Colorado Avalanche to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for two-way forward Danil Gushchin on Friday.