Mile High Pollster: Fans fear Dallas the most heading into the playoffs
Photo by Derek Cain/Getty Images
Mikko’s new club looks like the likely 1st round matchup! It's another installment of Mile High Pollster! Adrian Hernandez took to X this week to get the Colorado Avalanche fan perspective, and some interesting results have come back. Let's take a look!
How'd we do at the deadline?
Let's start questioning whether this Avs team is better now than before the trade deadline. It appears that fans are extra confident now, with 96% of the vote going to 'Yes.' People like to see their favorite team making a real effort to position themselves as contenders again. Whether or not it works out, if hockey is entertainment, this Avalanche franchise provides plenty of that with all the moves they have made this season. Sometimes numbers are ironic, though, with that 96 making an appearance!
Are you more confident in this #Avs lineup compared to the roster before the deadline? #GoAvsGo | @MileHighHockey | @MHH_LAB— Adrian Hernandez (@AdoHernandez27) March 10, 2025
Look at that. 96%.— justgigiontario (@justgigi2021) March 10, 2025
The Wild Wild West
We are less than a month away from the start of the 2025 NHL Playoffs, and playoff matchups are starting to get more easily speculated. With that, let's look at the powerhouse teams of the West and weigh our worries!
Who do you fear in the West? #GoAvsGo— Adrian Hernandez (@AdoHernandez27) March 11, 2025
I'm with AJ; all these squads will be tough out in the playoffs. I agree with the poll, with Dallas seemingly stacked for a real run at the cup. The Avalanche will have to face at least two teams on this list if they plan on making a run themselves. I am surprised that Winnipeg didn't get more of the vote with their dominance in the regular season.
All of them?— AJ Haefele (@returnofaj) March 11, 2025
'Boo' or 'Moose'
Ah yes, Mikko Rantanen is set to return to Colorado, but this time wearing victory green. Yuck. How exactly will the Avalanche welcome the man who was traded to Carolina and subsequently okayed a move to a Division Rival? We have a 50/50 split on booing or not boing Moose this Sunday. Either way, he will think you are saying 'MOOOSE."
Will you boo Mikko Rantanen?#GoAvsGo— Adrian Hernandez (@AdoHernandez27) March 11, 2025
He’s just gonna think you are saying “moose” lol #GoAvsGo https://t.co/2vpYCzchWE— Mile High Hockey (@MileHighHockey) March 11, 2025
Grading McFarland's season of moves
How do fans grade Chris MacFarland's work this season? At a minimum, it feels like the consensus is B to B+. That's a darn good grade for a GM who traded away his most promising prospect and 50-goal/100-point & Stanley Cup-winning winger. Don't take that last line as criticism (ultimately), as it says a lot about how pleased fans are with what the roster looks like due to those moves. Now, what will it take to deem them a success?
What letter grade would you give #Avs GM Chris MacFarland for his work this season?If you give him an F, you must write in and tell us why!#GoAvsGo— Adrian Hernandez (@AdoHernandez27) March 11, 2025
B+he fixed the goalie problem...Fixed some holes im the lineup...Final grade to be given after the playoffs— Anthony Pacino (@AnthonyPacino11) March 11, 2025
Cup or Bust?
The Avalanche are sitting at the table, looking at 16, and have said, "Hit me." They have weighed the risk and the reward and have decided this squad is close enough to take the leap. It's officially "plan the parade or else" around here, and that's an exciting but dangerous mindset. Will the deadline moves be enough to push this team over the edge and back into the history books and on Lord Stanley?
How do the #Avs have to finish in order for you to deem this season and its transactions a success? #GoAvsGo— Adrian Hernandez (@AdoHernandez27) March 11, 2025
They’re shoving all their chips in. It’s Stanley Cup or bust— Buck (@bucky620) March 11, 2025
Rival up!
The Avalanche have a game to play on Friday, but it feels like all eyes are already fixed on Sunday's showdown with the Dallas Stars. Dallas already has Matt Duchene, who pimped a heartbreak celly in last year's playoff series, they already eliminated the Avs after a questionable 'too-many-men' call, and Jamie Benn has Jamie Benned through all of that. It's safe to say the rivalry was already there, but does the Mikko Rantanen saga add to that? Can you fill what's already overflowing?
Do you sports hate Dallas even more than before? Or have you been at a 10/10 sports hate before then Mikko madness?#GoAvsGo— Adrian Hernandez (@AdoHernandez27) March 12, 2025
For some fans, it goes even deeper than what the Avalanche and Stars have been through together:
They stole my team from the heartland of hockey in the 1990s, and now they have taken my boy.— Avaholic (@BlaisHunter) March 12, 2025
This poll segment will be a weekly installment, and if you want in on the voting, head over to X and follow Mile High Hockey.
Thank you to all who participated and wrote in on the polls. You make this installment possible and fun. Keep it up!
If you have more to say, join the Mile High Hockey Lab today at 3:30 p.m. MT and be heard via the live comments!
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