2012–13 Colorado Avalanche season

The 2012–13 Colorado Avalanche season was the 41st overall season for the franchise, 34th season in the National Hockey League (NHL), since June 22, 1979, and 18th season since the franchise relocated to Colorado to start the 1995–96 NHL season. The regular season was reduced from its usual 82 games to 48 due to the 2012–13 NHL lockout.

Off-season
On September 4, 2012, the Avalanche named Gabriel Landeskog as the fourth team captain in Avalanche history, after Milan Hejduk resigned from the role. Landeskog became the youngest captain in NHL history, being 11 days younger than Sidney Crosby was when Crosby was named captain of the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2007.

Regular season
The Avalanche finished the season with the worst record in the Western Conference and second-worst record in the league. As a result, head coach Joe Sacco was fired the day after Colorado's regular season ended. Former Avalanche goaltender Patrick Roy was hired as the new head coach on May 23, 2013.

Playoffs
The Colorado Avalanche failed to qualify for the 2013 Stanley Cup playoffs.

Player statistics
Final stats
 * Skaters

†Denotes player spent time with another team before joining the Avalanche. Stats reflect time with the Avalanche only.
 * Goaltenders

‡Traded mid-season

Bold/italics denotes franchise record

Transactions
The Avalanche have been involved in the following transactions during the 2012–13 season.

Trades

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Draft picks
Colorado's picks at the 2012 NHL Entry Draft in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
 * Draft notes
 * The Avalanche's first-round pick (#11) and second-round pick (#54) went to the Washington Capitals as the result of a July 1, 2011, trade that sent the rights for Semyon Varlamov to the Avalanche in exchange for these picks.
 * The Avalanche's fourth-round pick went to the Phoenix Coyotes as the result of a June 28, 2010, trade that sent Daniel Winnik to the Avalanche in exchange for this pick.