When you think of the Colorado Avalanche, you typically think of Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, or Martin Necas. Yet through 20 games of the 2026-27 season, an argument can be made that Devon Toews has been Colorado’s most valuable asset. Toews just recently passed John-Michael Liles on the franchise points leaderboard and is now 22nd all time.
As Stefano Rubino of Colorado Avalanche On SI noted, Toews is on track for a massive offensive resurgence after a frustrating 2025-26 campaign. In 2025-26, Toews battled nagging injuries across 68 games and dipped to just three goals and 24 points—a sharp drop-off for a blueliner who cleared 50 points three straight seasons between 2021 and 2024.
Fast forward to November 2026, and the old Toews is back. He has already doubled last season’s goal total, piling up six goals and 13 assists for 19 points. That production ties him for fourth in team scoring and ranks him among the top ten offensive defensemen in the NHL.
When asked in late October about how his offense has come back, head coach Jared Bednar said:
“It’s just him getting assertive. We talked about that last year at times. I think the game can come really easy to Devon. I hate to say that but it’s because of his brain, his skating, his stick, his sense. Then it’s just pushing him to stay involved on the offensive side of it…he has to stay in that mode. It’s a little bit about us reminding him to make sure he’s jumping and joining and not just deferring to Cale to do it.”
He Is Thriving, Even Without Makar
Colorado sits at a respectable 11-6-3 record, but they weren’t playing their best hockey. Bednar recently made a bold move to split up his longtime top pairing—slotting Makar alongside Brett Kulak and moving Toews to a second unit with young defender Sam Malinski. The idea was to plug early defensive leaks and better round out the quartet.
Moving anyone off a pairing with Makar could have been disastrous. Toews has thrived. Toews leads the entire Avalanche roster in expected goals share (57.64% xGF%) and boasts a staggering 68.1% on-ice goals share, outscoring opponents 24-9 during his shifts.
That tells you two critical things about where Toews stands right now. First, he isn’t just riding Makar’s coattails. Driving a +17 on-ice goal differential while insulating younger defensemen proves Toews is dictating transition play on his own terms. Second, he is masking special-teams growing pains. When Colorado’s top power-play unit stalls, having a rejuvenated Toews capable of quarterbacking the second wave gives Bednar a reliable safety valve.
What’s Next for Colorado?
For a team that has poured in 78 goals—tying for the league’s highest mark—offensive firepower was never going to be the issue in Denver. Championship runs, however, are built on puck control and two-way reliability when games tighten up.
Colorado doesn’t need Toews to outscore Nathan MacKinnon over an 82-game grind. They simply need him to keep driving possession, stabilizing the second pairing, and punishing teams when they overcommit to stopping the top line. If Toews maintains anything close to this 70-plus-point pace while keeping his defensive metrics locked down, the Avalanche won’t just iron out their early quirks—they will look every bit like a legitimate Stanley Cup threat again.
Devon Toews Is Back: Avalanche Recent Move Might Be Best of the Season