The Avalanche are four months removed from their stunning loss to the Dallas Stars in the opening round of the postseason and no one has forgotten. Not the fans, not management, and not the players. Even after the first round loss, expectations are sky high in Colorado, which opens training camp Thursday.

Here are 10 key storylines to watch:

How will Gabriel Landeskog hold up?

The captain is back and ready to go, but it’s fair to wonder how he’s going to hold up over the course of an entire season, something he hasn’t completed since the 2021-22 campaign. “Load management” has never been a thing in the NHL. Players don’t want to take a night off if they don’t feel they have to. Could this be the year it changes? It’s a unique situation, after all.

Is a Martin Necas extension going to get done?

Connor McDavid and Kirill Kaprizov are taking up all the headlines, but there are a handful of high-end NHL players entering the final year of their contracts. None have signed contract extensions and everyone around the league is stuck waiting for the first shoe to drop. The Avalanche were as patient as they felt they could be with Mikko Rantanen last year before dealing him in late January. Past behavior is indicative of future behavior, so if a similar situation plays out with Necas, will the front office be forced to do the same thing? Necas is young, talented and fits the system very well. You’d think they want to get a deal done to keep him around.

Is everyone healthy?

We know Logan O’Connor won’t be ready for camp and will miss the first month of the season, give or take a few days. Is everyone else healthy? It sounds like Samuel Girard has been dealing with something and it seems unlikely he’ll be ready when training camp opens. From what we’ve been told, it’s not believed to be serious.

Jared Bednar gives injury updates on media day, which will take place on Wednesday, so we’ll learn more then. I don’t get concerned about a veteran missing the first bit of camp as they’ve gone through this many times before. If it lingers, you start to worry.

How will the center depth hold up?

There’s a Charlie Coyle-sized hole down the middle of the lineup at the moment. The Avalanche dealt the veteran to Columbus to create flexibility under the cap. They made no additional moves to replace him, so it looks like Jack Drury will start the year as the third-line center. Bednar has other options if he wants to get creative. Ross Colton has played down the middle in the past and youngsters like Zakhar Bardakov and Ivan Ivan will be looking to crack the lineup full-time.

How much does Brent Burns have left in the tank?

Colorado’s big offseason addition is indeed large, standing at 6-foot-5 and weighing over 220 pounds. The former Norris Trophy winner won’t be asked to play as big a role on the Avalanche blue line as he did in Carolina, but they still expect him to eat up valuable minutes, particularly on the penalty kill. His underlying metrics have continued to be strong so Colorado should be in good shape, but declines can sometimes come out of nowhere. The Avalanche are hoping that decline doesn’t happen for at least another year.

Is there another level that Brock Nelson can hit?

Retaining Nelson was key, especially given the sub-par market for centers over the summer. Now it’s up to him to live up to his new contract. It’s not that he was bad; but you were left wanting a bit more at times after the Avalanche acquired him. With his family now in town and some stability, he should be more comfortable this season.

What will be interesting to watch is if that leads to Bednar giving him more responsibility. The veteran center killed penalties on Long Island and played a key role on their power play. Can he do that in Colorado?

Will the power play look any different?

This will be the first time in over eight years that Bednar will have a new face on the bench with him. Ray Bennett is out and Dave Hakstol is in. One would assume Hakstol will take over power play duties but we’ll find out if that’s the case when Bednar talks on Wednesday.

Regardless of who is running the power play, some creativity would be nice to see. Take a page out of Edmonton’s playbook and move your two best players around the ice to keep the opponents on their toes. A healthy Landeskog will give the Avalanche another weapon in front of the net with the man advantage. Newcomer Victor Olofsson has a wicked shot and could be a weapon on the half-wall.

Is 100 points for Cale Makar a possibility?

Makar became just the second defenseman in 32 years to break the 30-goal barrier last season. A 100-point season doesn’t seem out of the realm of possibility given he has a few 90-point campaigns under his belt. Only six defensemen in NHL history have scored 100 points in a single season. Makar pulling it off would all but lock up a third Norris Trophy for the 26-year-old.

What can Valeri Nichushkin accomplish after a normal summer?

When the Avalanche arrived for camp each of the last two seasons, there were nothing but question marks surrounding Valeri Nichushkin. Those question marks don’t exist at the moment. He’s had a normal summer for what feels like the first time in forever and appears to be in good spirits, as he was a chatty guy at Monday’s charity golf tournament. If he’s healthy and in a good place, his first 30-goal campaign is a possibility.

Does this team have the goods to go on another Cup run?

As they’re structured, the Avalanche aren’t a perfect team. But they are pretty darn good. Chris MacFarland has shown he’s not afraid to tinker when necessary, so you can’t consider this team a finished product, but it is in a good spot right now. Expectations should be high, as this team is very capable of going on a run.

Another early exit in the spring may mean big changes are needed.