The Avalanche are favorites to repeat, according to FanDuel Sportsbook, but their biggest threat in the Western Conference is the team that has been what Armstrong called the “constant” amid other teams rising and falling in the standings. Only Kane and Toews remain with Chicago plunging into a long-term rebuild. The Blackhawks won it all three times in six years with two different goalies and a rotating supporting cast around Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook. Colorado most closely resembles Chicago from 12 years ago because it made the decision to keep defensemen like Josh Manson and forwards Valeri Nishushkin around and switch out goaltenders, from Darcy Kuemper to longtime Rangers backup Alexandar Georgiev. Go back as far as the 2010 Blackhawks to see a team forced by the salary cap to jettison top contributors. When you look around the league, that’s more the norm than the exception.” “We’ve been fortunate to have some really good players that have stayed here for a long time, and we’ve lost a couple too. “I don’t look at change for the sake of change or change for the sake of keeping people honest: I think change is natural in a salary cap world,” said Doug Armstrong, GM of the Blues, who won the Cup in 2019.

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