In the aftermath of the Stanley Cup victory and celebrations is the impending draft and opening of free agency with 31 other organizations asking how they can accomplish the same feat as the Colorado Avalanche just did. Some teams have either won in recent years or feel they are close while others preach patience and point to the rebuild in Colorado. But was it ever really a rebuild?
The new era of the Avalanche began in 2009 when Joe Sakic retired and handed the face of the franchise over to Matt Duchene who was just drafted at third overall.