After one of the busiest trade deadlines since their run to a Stanley Cup championship in 2022, the Colorado Avalanche fell short this spring, losing in Round One to the Dallas Stars. Last week, Evan Rawal of The Denver Gazette analyzed six pending unrestricted free agents that the team could look to keep for next year’s iteration of the roster.
Despite shedding Mikko Rantanen’s $9.25MM salary and not retaining him beyond this season, Rawal correctly points out that Colorado only has $8.7MM in salary cap space heading into the summer with 18 players already signed. Given their financial flexibility, it’s unlikely the Avalanche will re-sign Brock Nelson, Jonathan Drouin, Ryan Lindgren, Joel Kiviranta, Jimmy Vesey, and Erik Johnson.
If Colorado doesn’t bring back Nelson, they’ll again peruse the trade and free agent markets for a second-line center. He performed mildly well upon joining the Avalanche, scoring six goals and 13 points in 19 games, with another four assists in seven postseason contests. However, Nelson reportedly spurned a three-year, $22.5MM offer from the New York Islanders, meaning he’d leave Colorado with very little wiggle room if he were to sign a similar contract.
Being a limited center class in the free-agent market, the Avalanche would likely turn to the trade market to fill the gap. Unfortunately, after trading away several assets at the 2024-25 trade deadline, they’ll have little to offer other teams for a true second-line middleman.
It is unlikely that Colorado will re-sign Lindgren beyond this season unless he agrees to a significantly lower salary than his current $4.5MM. Lindgren’s future with the team could tie together with the health status of defenseman Josh Manson, who missed a large chunk of the 2024-25 season due to injury. If the Avalanche are confident Manson will open the 2025-26 season on the team’s long-term injured reserve, they may be interested in retaining Lindgren and his similar playstyle.
The last player Rawal believes the Avalanche will shy away from is Kiviranta. It’s not so much that Kiviranta wasn’t valuable to Colorado during the 2024-25 season, but because it’ll be hard to predict which player they’re getting. Kiviranta exploded for 16 goals in 79 games this season with a 19.0% shooting percentage, offering the Avalanche flexibility to move him up and down the lineup. Still, it may be unwise to significantly raise Kiviranta’s salary, considering he averaged an 8.1% shooting percentage over 219 games from 2019 to 2024.
The trio Rawal believes will likely stay in Colorado for at least the next season includes Drouin, Vesey, and Johnson. Drouin spurned longer-term offers last summer to re-up on a one-year, $2.5MM deal with the Avalanche this year. There’s a good chance Drouin’s injury history will drive other teams away from offering long-term deals this summer, meaning Colorado could re-sign him again on a below-market deal.
Vesey and Johnson should be available at a low price, but they might choose to leave on their own accord. Vesey was very outspoken about his discontent with the New York Rangers for lack of playing time, and none of that changed in Denver. Meanwhile, although Johnson has spent much of his career in Colorado and has publicly shown his admiration for the organization, he’s a prime retirement candidate this offseason.
Some intricate options for the Avalanche, & their want of a 2nd line centre puts them up against the Canucks, among others. If a Zegras or Norris were available, Colorado lacks the prospects-&-picks to win that race, but will make sure Vancouver overpays…
The Avs didn’t want to lose Mikko for nothing but they commit a 1st round pick and their best prospect to rent old Brock Nelson. All time atrocious series of moves by the front office that will set them back years. Even Carolina got more for Mikko than them
Not everyone gets to make decisions after looking into the magical ball and knowing how it will work out. Windows of opportunity do not last very long, had it given them the boost they needed and lifted Lord Stanley they would be considered genius moves.
Trade Girard for picks/prospects, sign Nelson if you can to a 4yr x 25 and Lindgren to a 4yr x 17. Sign a couple low tier players (ie: Eyessimont, Kunin, Faksa, Brazeau, Rutta, Fabbri, Gaudette, Cousins, Hanley, Pacioretty, Pearson etc). Lots of depth players available in UFA.
Nelson was a non-factor in the playoffs. He’s unlikely to be resigned even though the Avs overpaid to acquire him. If they retained Calum Ritchie he might have filled that 2C spot but that ship has sailed obviously.
The Avs will, no doubt, re-tool with an assortment of rusty angle grinders and hacksaw blades that snap if you look at them sideways. In other words, they may very well go backwards instead of forward. The Rantanen situation was unacceptable mismanagement, and, as @Mtog stated above, they should dump Sammy Spin-O-Rama, the Pizza Server (a trade that I slammed the day it happened, as well as the dope extension).
I think Colorado is like several playoff contenders…is that they are, who they are. What I mean is the core (ex. MacKinnon, Makar, Necas, Lehkonen, etc) is set. Nothing is really changing from this season to next season. At this point, it’s just a matter of figuring out your depth pieces & hoping it just all gels with your core players & gets you deep in the playoffs, while being in the timeframe of the team’s championship window.
Colorado shook up their depth pieces during the trade deadline & took a shot. It didn’t work. Like many playoff contenders, you shake up the depth pieces in the offseason & hope the changes you make will benefit next season. It’s a constant give & take approach in hoping to find that right mix of ingredients to get you a potential Cup.
When the Pens are out of the playoff race by February the AVS can try to fleece Dubas for Crosby at the deadline.
I honestly have no clue how the front office is going to be able to fill out this roster! 2C should be the main priority, as it has been a catastrophe since Kadri left! I DO NOT believe Brock Nelson is the answer!!! And yes, in hindsight it was a HORRIBLE trade to acquire him!!! We gave up WAY too much!!! If we’d won the cup it would’ve been a genius move! But, it is what it is! I would LOVE to see Sam Bennett at 2C but that won’t happen because we’re cap strapped! So who knows how they fill that position?
I’m hopeful Charlie Coyle at 3C will blend with the team better next season with a full off-season under his belt! Even though I believe we again gave up too much to acquire him as well!
I honestly believe we need to bolster our defense! How we do that with very little to spend is beyond me! Manson is aging and always injured! We need a legitimate 2nd pair right shot defenseman (i.e. Aaron Ekblad! Who we can’t afford either! LOL!)! And the 3rd pairing is up in the air. No matter, there needs to be BETTER defense in front of Blackwood!!!
It is going to take a SERIOUS “Mathmagician” to figure out how to fill this roster!!! One or two guys are going to be moved, or there has to be a hole or two in the roster somewhere!
It’s going to be very interesting to say the least!