The Colorado Avalanche had a 2016-17 season to forget, recording a league-worst 48 points (22-56-4) under first-year head coach Jared Bednar.
Since the shootout was adopted following the 2004-05 lockout, no team has finished with fewer points in a full season. Colorado's .296 point percentage ranks dead last even including the lockout-shortened 2013 campaign.
To make matters worse, Colorado missed out on a top-three draft pick, settling for defenseman Cale Makar fourth overall, a player who won't make the kind of immediate impact expected from Nico Hischier (New Jersey) or Nolan Patrick (Philadelphia).
So how can the Avs turn things around? Here are three ways they can avoid another disastrous season:
Resolve the Matt Duchene situation
Questions surrounding Matt Duchene's future in Colorado date back almost two years, and even he believed there was a good chance he'd be traded at some point this summer.
But general manager Joe Sakic appears to be asking for the moon. He is dealing with a player who's averaging 25 goals for every 82 games played over the course of his career, and should fetch a nice package of players, prospects and/or picks, with Columbus, Nashville and Ottawa believed to be the most interested parties.
For everyone to move forward, a split here is necessary. Duchene could use a change of scenery, and the rest of the team - both on and off the ice - doesn't need that cloud hanging over its head any longer.
Receive steadier goaltending
A Vezina Trophy finalist in 2014, Semyon Varlamov has been hindered by a steady stream of injuries in recent years, culminating in career-worsts across the board last season.
Varlamov underwent offseason surgery meant to repair these nagging issues, and has looked good in the preseason. If he can maintain his .916 career save percentage, the Avalanche will have a fighting chance.
Jonathan Bernier was brought in to replace Calvin Pickard as backup. He filled in admirably for an injured John Gibson in Anaheim last season, and has shown an ability to carry a team at times in his career.
Between the two of them, Colorado's goaltending should perform better than the lowly .894 team save percentage Bednar had to work with a year ago.
Develop the young core
On paper, Colorado has a decent core of young talent to build around.
Gabriel Landeskog, Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen, and Tyson Jost are the key players up front, while Sven Andrighetto, J.T. Compher, Alex Kerfoot, and Nail Yakupov (really!) round out a nice group of guys 25 and under.
Granted, there are major questions on the blue line, but if Nikita Zadorov can make strides, and rookies Andrei Mironov, Chris Bigras, and Nicolas Meloche make the jump at some point, the future could be bright.
This team likely won't make a push for a playoff spot at the end of the day, but Colorado can't possibly be as bad as last season - right?
If they can move on from Duchene, get a boost in net, and develop the youth movement - while adding another lottery pick - the Avs should see both short-and long-term improvement.
(Photos courtesy: Action Images)
Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.