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Avalanche Land Five Players on the Athletic’s Annual NHL Player Tiers
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- Avalanche Land Five Players on the Athletic’s Annual NHL Player Tiers
IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The Colorado Avalanche have one of the NHL's most talented rosters, and that was reflected in The Athletic's annual player tiers, which rank the league's top players across five tiers ranging from MVP-caliber cornerstones to elite supporting pieces.
The 2026-27 edition features 150 players, with five members of the Avalanche making the cut.
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The full player tiers can be found here .
Nathan MacKinnon leads the way for Colorado, landing in the top tier of the rankings.
Each of the tiers are divided into three sections, A, B, and C, with only three players receiving the 1A designation. MacKinnon is among that group, giving the Avalanche one of the three highest-ranked players in the entire league.
Cale Makar isn't far behind.
The Avalanche defenseman lands in the 1B portion of the top tier alongside two other players. That means Colorado has two players among the six highest-ranked players in the NHL according to The Athletic's rankings, which is hardly a surprise.
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The Avalanche don't have anyone represented in Tier 2, which is reserved for franchise players, although it's worth noting that this is where former Avalanche star Mikko Rantanen is listed.
Colorado's next representative comes in Tier 3, which features All-Star candidates.
Martin Necas lands in the 3C category after breaking out offensively in his first full season with the Avalanche. Necas set career highs across the board in 2025-26, finishing with 100 points while spending much of the season alongside MacKinnon.
Two more Avalanche players round out Colorado's representation.
Devon Toews is listed in Tier 4A, while Brock Nelson lands in Tier 5B.
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