Strike 3: This weekend’s NHL Draft will provide the Colorado Avalanche with a chance to get back to what has made them great: Hitting it big with a first-round draft pick.

While notable free agent signings make a splash, and can certainly help complete a team that is already a strong Stanley Cup contender, the core of the squad and the players that still remain critical to another run at the cup are guys that the Avalanche have selected on draft night.

Can they add another core piece in this year’s draft?

Starting back in the first round of the 2011 Draft, when the Avs drafted future captain Gabe Landeskog, Colorado has selected three of their current biggest star players in Round 1: Nathan MacKinnon in 2013, Mikko Rantanen in 2015 and Cale Makar in 2017. They also added their apparent netminder of the future in Justus Annunen in the third round in 2018.

But since then, the draft hasn’t been all that productive for Colorado to date (with the most recent picks still on a developmental path.)

In recent years, the Avs have traded several draft picks in the attempt to fill holes more quickly. It’s a common path to follow. A similar plan was used by former Avs general manager Pierre LaCroix back in the late (pre-salary cap) 1990’s, when trades brought in pillars like Patrick Roy, Rob Blake and Ray Bourque to bolster a roster that already had stars like Joe Sakic and Peter Forsberg on it. That netted Colorado two Stanley Cups.

While that strategy is fine when you’re just a player or two away from hoisting the cup again, eventually the farm system has to produce something for the longer term. There was a drafting drought that coincided with some lean years for the Avalanche between the Cup champs of 2000 and the current squad. The only other draft choices of note during those in-between years were guys like Paul Stastny (2005), Matt Duchene and Ryan O’Reilly in 2009. Otherwise, there were first round whiffs like Martin Kaut and Justin Barron.

Will there be anyone available at No. 24 this year that can become the next MacKinnon or Makar?

The names to watch include Jett Luchanko, Cole Beaudroin, Emil Hemming and Andrew Basha. Luchanko is a center who reports say has great upside at just 17 years old, a two-way player with great scoring potential. Beaudroin is a grinder who likes to mix it up in the corners and wins a lot of puck battles. Hemming is a Finnish professional with a powerful shot who reminds scouts of Rantanen. And Basha is a player who uses his speed to create scoring chances for himself and his teammates. Sounds a lot like someone we already know around here.

If you know a lot more than this about any of these guys, then you’ve got a leg up on probably at least 90% of Avalanche followers. The hope is of course that one of these players – or whomever else the Avs can draft – becomes a household name, someone who can help keep the Avs cup window open for several more seasons.