In the second part of this latest mailbag series for The Athletic, Avalanche beat reporter Peter Baugh commented on many of the pressing issues surrounding the 2022 Stanley Cup champions over the coming months.
One such question is the future of standout defender Devon Toews, whose team-friendly four-year contract earning him $4.1MM per season expires in 2024. While Colorado will have some extra cap space for the 2023-24 campaign due to Gabriel Landeskog’s injury, Toews is due a gigantic raise that may complicate the long-term financial picture, especially with the trajectory of the salary cap uncertain.
Some would entertain the idea of trading the player behind him on the Avalanche depth chart, Samuel Girard, to create cap space, but Baugh says that’s not likely without an extension for Toews already in place. Given Girard’s cost certainty at a $5MM cap hit through 2027, Baugh even went so far as to suggest Toews being a potential trade candidate himself if an extension appears unlikely to materialize late into next season.
- Baugh also said he believes defender Erik Johnson, the team’s longest-tenured player, is interested in returning to the team next season. The 35-year-old is a pending free agent upon expiration of his seven-year, $6MM cap hit extension signed in 2015 and likely wouldn’t command much above the league minimum on a one-year deal. Johnson registered just eight assists in 63 games last season while again dealing with some injuries.
- Despite a lack of development this season, Baugh doesn’t think the Avalanche have lost faith in young center Alex Newhook. Expected to step into the vacated second-line center spot to begin the season, Newhook quickly slipped back into a bottom-six role and ended his regular season with 30 points in 82 games. While Colorado will likely use their additional cap flexibility this summer to add higher-end depth at center, the organization still needs more out of important young players like Newhook to maintain Cup contention.
The idea of losing Toews due to cap cramp, and still be stuck with Sammy-Spin-O-Rama, is past unappetizing.
Yeah, I couldn’t believe it was even a thought. I don’t see why they’d have any double reaching a deal with Toews aside from cap considerations. Seems like a situation where he’d take a little less to stay with a contending team.
@Josh – I’d like to see them be one of the first to build a dominant D-core, top-to-bottom, even with a horse-bleep cap situation. That’s a tall ask, of course, and with 32 teams, the talent pool is more diluted, making things more difficult. I understand guys wanting to get paid and why they chase the $$$, but one of these times a guy will stay put to be in contention, more often than not. I really felt for Kadri having to constantly butt heads with Darryl, and it never seemed that he and Huberdeau clicked. I’d hate to see Toews leave and end up in a similar position.
I see extending Toews as an organizational priority this off season. The Avs need to keep the D core of Makar, Toews, Byram and Manson together. Trade Girard for prospects or draft picks to help ease the cap constraints. Sign Bryam to a 4 or 5 year deal. Pick up a UFA D to help this D core together for a few years to come.