Colorado
“Uncertainty” colors Colorado economic forecast as lawmakers begin to finalize budget
State economists confirmed Colorado’s brutal budgetary situation Monday, kicking off lawmakers’ mad dash to fill a $1.2 billion hole in the budget.
The March economic forecasts from the governor’s office and legislative staff solidify the numbers lawmakers will use to set the final state budget. Lawmakers had been aware — and raising alarms — about the massive hole since last year, and have already set in motion some cuts to fill it.
How close lawmakers are to filling the hole should become clearer Tuesday during a planned hearing on how cuts proposed so far square with the forecasts. They will then need to finalize the budget — including any additional cuts — before the budget is heard by the entire Senate next week.
It needs to be approved by the legislature in the next month and will dictate state spending for the next fiscal year, which begins July 1.
“We have worked so hard to find ways to have the least possible impact on Coloradans,” Sen. Jeff Bridges, a Democrat and chair of the Joint Budget Committee, said following the forecasts.
He added that he’s optimistic “that those really painful, difficult decisions have led to a place where we are very close to closing this budget in a way that creates the least amount of pain possible for the people of Colorado.”
Lawmakers have grappled with how to pay for — or cut — services like Medicaid, child care for the poorest Coloradans, and school meals, as well as core functions like education. Rocketing Medicaid costs in particular have blown open the state budget, while lawmakers are also trying to find ways to pay for Proposition 130, the voter-approved measure forcing the state to pay $350 million to bolster law enforcement.
Lawmakers from both parties agree the state faces a structural spending problem, but disagree on the blame.
Bridges faults the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights, or TABOR, for forcing “rationing” because it limits state spending, regardless of economic conditions or needs. Republicans, including budget committee member Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer, blame state spending that they say outpaces the voter-approved constitutional amendment. She points to charts from 2021 showing general fund spending on a trajectory to outpace the TABOR cap.
“We’re still in a structural deficit,” Kirkmeyer, a Brighton Republican, said. “We cannot just expect to sweep cash funds and not reduce, not stop our spending of ongoing general funders and think we’re going to be OK the following year.”
She was less optimistic than Bridges on how close the budget committee was to filling the gap. She estimated they still needed to find about $500 million in cuts, while Bridges predicted the committee was closer by “several hundred million” dollars.
Despite the cuts hanging over lawmakers’ heads, economists still predict state tax collections will outpace the cap set by TABOR — though refunds will be far from the recent windfalls taxpayers have received in recent years. This upcoming year’s TABOR surplus may be particularly slim, nonpartisan legislative economists predicted.
That expected $108 million surplus, versus the $1.3 billion surplus from last year, may even force lawmakers next year to dip into the general fund to pay for recently passed property tax cuts.
Economists for lawmakers and from Gov. Jared Polis’ office both pointed to uncertain national policy as rippling through their forecasts. Both camps, independent of each other, predicted a higher risk of recession as the Trump administration’s tariff and tax policies materialize.
“I think the word of the day is uncertainty,” said Mark Ferrandino, Polis’ budget director.
Stay up-to-date with Colorado Politics by signing up for our weekly newsletter, The Spot.
Former Colorado Buffaloes stars Sebastian Rancik and Bangot Dak announced their transfer portal decisions on Sunday with Rancik committing to Florida State and Dak committing to Vanderbilt, per On3’s Joe Tipton. They join former Buffs guard Isaiah Johnson (now at Texas) as the third former Colorado player to leave the Big 12 conference as Rancik opts for the ACC and Dak heads to the SEC.
The trio of Johnson, Rancik, and Dak make up three of Colorado’s four most productive players with rising senior guard Barrington Hargress, and the Buffs are now tasked with replacing such production with Hargress as the only returner.
Rancik’s season ended prematurely with an injury, but he averaged 12.3 points and 5.6 rebounds per game for the Buffs. Dak was Colorado’s leading rebounder with 6.5 boards per game, scoring 11.5 points per contest as well.
While each player has his respective reasons for transferring, the most expected ones are for seeking better NIL deals or more development on a better team in a better league. The Buffs finished 12th in the Big 12, and the allure of the SEC was too strong for the program to hold onto key talent like Johnson and Dak.
Still, Colorado coach Tad Boyle proved his ability to recruit and build up a solid core, one that saw its headliners of Johnson, Dak, and Rancik all depart in the portal. Can he do it again?
Colorado Buffaloes Roster Outlook
Boyle and the Buffaloes did retain Hargress as well as three freshmen guards: Jalin Holland, Ian Inman, and Josiah Sanders.
As a freshman, Holland averaged 4.9 points and 2.7 rebounds per game as one of Colorado’s key pieces coming off of the bench. Meanwhile, Sanders appeared in 33 games as a constant presence in the Buffs backcourt, averaging 4.4 points and 1.7 assists per game.
Inman played the fewest minutes of the returning trio, but he flashed with a couple of double-digit scoring performances as a true freshman.
“When I think of those three together, I think of toughness. I think of the improvement they made over the course of the season and the togetherness they have. They’re great friends and have formed a bond during their freshman year. Their toughness, energy and work ethic, when you have those attributes to go along with talent, which they all have, you get a chance to have three really good sophomores next year that will take the next step,” Boyle said in a release announcing the return of the three freshmen.
With eight outgoing transfers to replace, the Buffaloes will certainly have a new look to them for the 2026-27 season.
Colorado has landed one transfer portal prospect so far in former North Dakota State foward Noah Feddersen. On the recruiting trail, Boyle and company are bringing in four-star forward Rider Portela as well as two prospects from the NBL in Australia: forward Goc Malual and guard Alex Dickeson.
The transfer portal for men’s college basketball closes on Tuesday, April 21, meaning players have to enter their names by then. Transfer athletes do not have to commit before the portal closes, though, so Colorado is expected to continue hosting prospects on visits while building out the roster.
Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook for the latest news.
Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow
ColoradoAvalanche.com is the official Web site of the Colorado Avalanche. Colorado Avalanche and ColoradoAvalanche.com are trademarks of Colorado Avalanche, LLC. NHL, the NHL Shield, the word mark and image of the Stanley Cup and NHL Conference logos are registered trademarks of the National Hockey League. All NHL logos and marks and NHL team logos and marks as well as all other proprietary materials depicted herein are the property of the NHL and the respective NHL teams and may not be reproduced without the prior written consent of NHL Enterprises, L.P. Copyright © 1999-2025 Colorado Avalanche Hockey Team, Inc. and the National Hockey League. All Rights Reserved. NHL Stadium Series name and logo are trademarks of the National Hockey League.
Colorado
Colorado faces LA in first round as Kings captain Anze Kopitar embarks on final Stanley Cup chase
DENVER — Anze Kopitar wrapped up the last regular season of his storied career. The Los Angeles Kings captain wants to prolong his final playoff run for as long as possible.
Kopitar, who announced in September his plans to retire, instantly becomes a postseason rallying point for the Kings. They have a tall task ahead of them against the Colorado Avalanche, the top team in the league, with the top goal scorer in Nathan MacKinnon and one of the best defensemen in the game in Cale Makar. Game 1 is Sunday at Ball Arena, where the Avalanche are 26-9-6.
“Playoffs,” said the 38-year-old Kopitar, a two-time Stanley Cup winner with the Kings. “I’m not going to say anything can happen, but we’ll go in and we’ll play hard and we’ll see where that takes us.”
This will be the third postseason series between the two teams and the first in 24 years. Colorado won in seven games during both the 2002 conference quarterfinals and the 2001 conference semifinals.
It’s been a record season for the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Avalanche as they amassed the most points (121) in franchise history. That broke the mark set by the 2022 team, which went on to win the Stanley Cup title. MacKinnon had a career-best 53 goals.
Goaltenders Scott Wedgewood and Mackenzie Blackwood shared the net this season and surrendered a league low in goals. They earned the William M. Jennings Trophy, which is presented to the goalies who have played a minimum of 25 games — Wedgewood suited up in 45 and Blackwood 39 — for the team with the fewest goals allowed. The other goaltender to win that honor for Colorado was Hall of Famer Patrick Roy (2001-02).
“We’re in a good spot,” Colorado forward Brock Nelson said. “The mentality of this group throughout the year, right from the start of training camp, (was) set on a mission to be the best team.”
Colorado Avalanche’s Nathan MacKinnon (29) celebrates the goal against Edmonton Oilers goalie Connor Ingram (39) during shoot-out NHL action, in Edmonton on Monday, April 13, 2026. Credit: AP/JASON FRANSON
Record against each other
The Kings went 0-3 against Colorado this season and were outscored by a 13-5 margin.
“You hear the hype. They have good players,” Kings defenseman Brandt Clarke said. “We’re a scrappy team. We keep it close with everybody. That can really frustrate them.”
Leading after two
The Avalanche were 41-0-0 when leading after two periods. They’re the first squad to have a lead after two periods on 40 or more instances and capture each one, according to team research.
“Even though we’ve been smart, we’ve been committed, we’ve been relentless at times, it’s going to have to go to a whole new level now,” Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said. “I have faith in our guys.”
Los Angeles Kings’ Anze Kopitar, who is retiring after this season, acknowledges the crowd after being recognized after losing to the Vancouver Canucks during overtime NHL hockey action in Vancouver, on Tuesday, April 14, 2026. Credit: AP/DARRYL DYCK
Remember the season opener?
Six grueling months ago, the Avalanche and Kings opened the season against each other. The Avalanche won 4-1 in Los Angeles behind a pair of goals from Martin Necas, who would go on to register his first 100-point season (38 goals, 62 assists).
The two teams join an exclusive club by becoming the fifth pair since 2015-16 to open the regular season and the playoffs against each other, according to NHL Stats. The other pairs to do so were Montreal and Toronto (2020-21); Colorado and St. Louis (2020-21); St. Louis and Winnipeg (2018-19); and Los Angeles and San Jose (2015-16).
Of those teams that won the season opener only San Jose went on to win the series. It’s a trend Kopitar and the Kings wouldn’t mind joining.
Kopitar and the playoffs
Kopitar helped the Kings to the Stanley Cup title in 2011-12 and 2013-14 along with goaltender Jonathan Quick, who now is with the New York Rangers and recently said he’s retiring. Kopitar has played in 103 postseason games with 27 goals and 62 assists.
“The intensity ramps up, everything ramps up,” Kopitar said of the postseason. “Every mistake, every little play, magnifies now.”
Familiar faces
Kings goaltender Darcy Kuemper was in net for the Avalanche when they won the Stanley Cup in 2022. In addition, Kuemper and Drew Doughty were teammates with MacKinnon, Makar and Devon Toews when Canada won silver at the Milan Cortina Olympics.
-
Connecticut40 seconds agoCT Lottery Cash 5, Play3 winning numbers for April 19, 2026
-
Delaware7 minutes agoMan speeds past leading runner in photo finish at Delaware Marathon
-
Florida13 minutes ago
Florida Lottery Fantasy 5, Cash Pop results for April 19, 2026
-
Georgia19 minutes ago
Gaudette & Patel Pitch Past No. 3 UNC, 5-2
-
Hawaii25 minutes agoA Deep Dive into Hawai‘i’s Shell Jewelry Industry – Hawaii Business Magazine
-
Idaho31 minutes ago
Idaho Lottery results: See winning numbers for Pick 3, Pick 4 on April 19, 2026
-
Illinois37 minutes agoMultiple people shot in Centralia, Illinois: REPORT
-
Indiana43 minutes agoIndiana mother charged with neglect after baby’s co-sleeping death
