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Salary Cap Deep Dive: Colorado Avalanche

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Navigating the Salary Cap is probably one of the more important tasks for any general manager to have. Teams that can avert total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful. Those that don’t see struggles and front office changes.

PHR will look at every NHL team and give a thorough look at their cap situation heading into the 2017-18 season. This will focus more on those players who are integral parts of the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL. All cap figures are courtesy of CapFriendly.

Colorado Avalanche

Current Cap Hit: $63,272,262 (under the $75MM Upper Limit)

Entry-Level Contracts

D Chris Bigras (One year remaining, $843K)
F J.T. Compher (Two years remaining, $925K)
F Tyson Jost (Three years remaining, $885K)
D Andrei Mironov (Two years remaining, $925K)
F Mikko Rantanen (Two years remaining, $894K)

Potential Bonuses

Compher: $75K
Jost: $663K
Rantanen: $850K

Total: $1.588MM

Rantanen’s first full season was a bumpy one but he still projects as a top forward at the very least for the foreseeable future.  Depending on how he fares in his sophomore campaign, it will be interesting to see if the team ponders signing him to an early extension, particularly with the recent inflation of RFA contracts we’ve seen this summer.  Jost was lured away from North Dakota late in the season and they didn’t do that to turn around and play him in the AHL this year.  They expect he’ll be a top-two center before too long and if he gets to that level within the next three years, his second deal will be a significant one.  Compher spent the bulk of last year in the minors and should slide into a regular role for 2017-18.  He’s more of a middle-six option and his next contract shouldn’t be anywhere as big of a jump as the other two.

With their complete lack of depth on the back end, quite a few rookies will be given the opportunity to play big minutes pretty quickly.  Mironov was signed out of the KHL and has a European Assignment clause in his contract so he figures to get a long look at training camp.  Bigras spent quite a bit of time with Colorado in his rookie season but none last year.  As he gets set to finish his ELC, this will be a critical year for him – can he earn a bigger second deal or will he be looking at a one-year deal at potentially a lower NHL salary (with a higher AHL guarantee)?

One Year Remaining, Non-Entry-Level

G Jonathan Bernier ($2.75MM, UFA)
D Mark Barberio ($750K, UFA)
F Joe Colborne ($2.5MM, UFA)
F Blake Comeau ($2.4MM, UFA)
F Matt Nieto ($1MM, RFA)
F Nail Yakupov ($875K, RFA)

Comeau was one of many to have a rough year but after putting up better than 30 points the past two seasons, he could easily rebound.  If that happens, he should be able to land a contract similar to his current one on the open market next summer.  Colborne had an absolutely disastrous season to the point where he was a frequent scratch.  Barring a notable turnaround, he’s setting himself up to be shopping for a PTO at this time next offseason.  Yakupov has failed to live up to his first overall pedigree but the skill is there and he should have the opportunity to secure a more regular role.  If that happens, he’ll set himself up for a nicer contract next summer but if not, he could be out of an NHL job entirely.  Nieto should have a regular role in the bottom six but will need to produce more if he wants to garner any sort of raise a year from now.

Barberio joined Colorado via waivers midseason and he wound up with a bigger role than he had ever had before.  Given their lack of depth at that position, that could very well happen again.  If that is the case, Barberio could position himself for a big increase in salary if he can even satisfactorily hold down a top-four role during the season.

Bernier hasn’t been able to secure a true number one starting job between the pipes since the Kings dealt him back in 2013.  Instead, he has been in platoons the last couple of years and is likely to be in one again.  If that does indeed happen, a comparable deal to this one would be expected next summer as it’s doubtful that a team would be willing to give him a multi-year contract at number one money.

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Latest On Matt Duchene & Colorado Avalanche Camp

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The hockey world perked up their ears again yesterday when they heard that Matt Duchene was not at the first voluntary on-ice session for the Colorado Avalanche, the only missing forward outside of Nathan MacKinnon (who is on a press tour with the NHLPA). Frank Seravalli of TSN spoke with Duchene’s agent Pat Brisson, who said that Duchene was still skating in Toronto but would not comment on whether he would report to training camp when it opens in just over a week.

Duchene was also a topic when Elliotte Friedman joined Sportsnet 590 this morning in Toronto, saying that he believes there is some renewed interest in trading the forward, mentioning Columbus and Carolina as possible destinations. Friedman doesn’t know of anything that is pressing, but we’ve heard the Blue Jackets and Hurricanes in connection to Duchene before. Both could use some help down the middle, and both have young defensemen who would be of interest to the Avalanche.

While nothing seems to be about to break in Colorado, the continued rift between the two sides seems like something that can only end poorly. If Duchene doesn’t report, it takes even less leverage away from Avalanche GM Joe Sakic, and might force him to just sit on his hands until the player returns to the ice. The worst thing that could happen is Duchene sitting out a large portion of the season because something couldn’t get done, especially with only two years left on his contract. Every game that ticks by his value is reduced, as a buying team wouldn’t have any guarantee he’d be around past the 2018-19 season. For a player who was once seen as a potential franchise piece, it has quickly turned.

Francois Allaire Retires From Coaching

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Now, after more than three decades in the game Allaire has decided to retire according to Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports. The Colorado Avalanche, his last stop, hired Semyon Varlamov’s personal goaltending coach this summer to replace him. The goaltending position (and because of it, the game in general) looks much different in 2017, and much of that has to do with Allaire and his disciples changing it from one of reflex to one of positioning. While he leaves the game, his legacy does not.

Colorado Has Shifted Prospect Focus To NCAA Ranks

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  • After mostly ignoring the college ranks, the Avalanche have been a lot more active in the NCAA over the past couple of years, BSN Denver’s Cole Hamilton details. Over the past two drafts, they’ve picked college-bound players four times in the first two rounds including Tyson Jost and Cale Makar as well as signing a pair of college free agents last month.  Going this route often requires more patience though as many of those players often wait longer to turn pro than their counterparts in junior (although Jost is an exception).  Accordingly, if that continues in the years to come, Colorado’s rebuilding timeline may wind up being extended a bit longer.

Duchene’s Camp Pushing For Trade Before Training Camp

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Training camp is not far away and Colorado center Matt Duchene still sits on the Avalanche’s roster, waiting. The oft-rumored trade talk that has surrounded the 26-year-old star have not stopped, but since general manager Joe Sakic is looking for an overwhelming offer, nothing has happened and its slowly looking like Duchene might have to languish for another season on one of the worst teams in the NHL until a team decides to make that “perfect” offer.

Despite that fact, TSN’s Darren Dreger said that while Duchene doesn’t want to leave Colorado on a bad note since it’s the only home he’s known since 2009, it is believed that he and his agent are now putting pressure on Sakic to get a deal done before training camp.

“We’re talking about CAA Sports here. They try to manage things as quietly as they can, as efficiently as they can, and as respectful of the team, the organization as they can,” Dreger said on WGR550 radio Saturday.

“Matt Duchene is a veteran player. He doesn’t want to leave the Colorado Avalanche with crashing waves and all kinds of bad blood. He wanted this situation remedied a long time ago and he’s still hoping that that’s the case in the days leading up to the Colorado Avalanche training camp.

So I would say that while this has seemingly been a back-burner situation for quite some time – several months, in fact over a year – I think it’s now shifted into a front-burner situation and there’ll be a some heat on Sakic and the Avs to get this done in the next 14 days.”

However, if a deal doesn’t happen, expect Duchene to be ready for training camp for one purpose, according to Yahoo Sports’ Greg Wyshynski, who writes that Duchene knows that if he wants an opportunity to play on a winning team, he needs to produce better than he did last year. After all, his numbers from a year ago might suggest that he isn’t deserving of a huge offer. He put up 18 goals and 23 assists in 77 games a year ago. Granted, he lacks the talent around him that many good players already have, but those numbers don’t spark tremendous excitement. Only a year before that, Duchene had a 30-goal season and 59 points. He may need to produce at that pace this year to find himself a new home, according to Wyshynski.

The scribe adds that this whole process is not fair to Duchene, who has invested 572 games for Colorado in his career and he deserves better than to sit and wait. However, Dreger says that Sakic believes he is worth more than last year’s numbers indicate, but he believes that a trade could easily still happen before training camp starts.

“I think it’s taking so long because Joe Sakic does, again, have a level of expectation that’s much higher from Matt Duchene than what he produced last year. And Matt Duchene himself has a higher level of expectation of his performance and I’m sure that he’s trained accordingly and vows that he’s going to have much bigger numbers this year moving forward. But if you’re an NHL general manager with interest, and there’s a handful of teams that still remain interested in Duchene, you’re trying to make a deal based on numbers from last year – not projections of what he might be moving forward, or what he’s been in the past, which is a star NHL forward,” Dreger said.

If no trade happens, it certainly will be an awkward training camp for Duchene, who could find himself shipped off at any moment, yet remains stuck playing for a struggling franchise. We’ll have to see how this one shakes out.

Jack Skille Expected To Sign In KHL

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Running out of time to find an NHL contract before the puck drops on the 2017-18 season, another veteran has taken the quiet off-season as a sign to move on. TSN’s Darren Dreger reports that free agent forward Jack Skille is expected to sign with Dinamo Minsk of the KHL in the coming days. The 30-year-old’s decision to continue his career overseas comes a decade after making his NHL debut in 2007.

Skille was selected #7 overall by the Chicago Blackhawks in 2005 and made the jump to the NHL two years later after a short stint with the University of Wisconsin. Although Skille has never lived up to his draft slot, the two-way winger has nevertheless found an NHL contract in each of the last ten seasons. After three seasons in Chicago, spent mostly with the AHL’s Rockford Ice Hogs, Skille was traded to the Florida Panthers in 2011 and there developed into a bona fide NHLer. Skille has only played in 22 AHL games since his trade to Florida, instead spending parts of three seasons with the Panthers, two seasons with the Columbus Blue Jackets, and most recently a year apiece with the Colorado Avalanche and Vancouver Canucks. Through 368 NHL games, Skille registered 84 points, including a career-high eight goals with the Avs just two years ago, but made his name not by his offense, but by his grit and toughness, his ability to win battles along the boards, and his quickness and tendency to always be in position to make a defensive play. Skille’s impressive ability to find an NHL gig as a reliable depth player is over for now, but may not be over for good, depending on his play in Europe.

With Minsk, Skille steps into a position where he will be relied on more for offense than any other time in his pro career and could also fill a leadership role. He also won’t be alone in Belarus though; he joins a squad with several NHL veterans such as Rob Klinkhammer, Quinton Howden, Justin Fontaine, Marc-Andre Gragnani, and new starting goalie Jhonas Enroth. The team is set to make some moves this season and Skille adds yet another talented contributor to the mix. If Minsk makes a leap up the standings in 2017-18 with Skille leading the charge in all three zones, there is little doubt that he will again draw interest from NHL teams next summer and beyond as a dependable and versatile depth option.

Pressure May Be Rising To Make A Duchene Deal Before Camp Stars

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As the calendar has turned to September, TSN’s Darren Dreger suggested to WGR 550 in Buffalo (audio link) that there may be some heat on Avalanche GM Joe Sakic to get something done regarding Matt Duchene’s situation over the next two weeks.  Doing so would avoid any concerns about Duchene having to report to training camp with the team which could make for an awkward situation given how long this process has dragged out.

Dreger noted that he hasn’t heard any suggestions that Duchene or his agent Pat Brisson have told Sakic that he wouldn’t report to Avalanche training camp if he isn’t dealt by then.  However, that could change over the next couple of weeks if there is no traction made on a trade by then if Duchene feels that could help to expedite the process.

Alex Kerfoot Still Expects To Debut In NHL

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  • Alex Kerfoot was on Altitude 950 radio today and reiterated his goal of playing in the NHL right away. Noting his competitiveness and hockey sense, the young Harvard grad is ready to take the next step and help the Avalanche turn things around. It’s great to have confidence in yourself, but Colorado fans shouldn’t get ahead of themselves while projecting Kerfoot. While the undersized forward definitely comes with some offensive upside, it’s unlikely he sets the world on fire right away. Though he’s already 23, he could take some time to become accustomed to the speed and physicality of the NHL.

Potential Contract Trouble With Nikita Zadorov, Colorado Avalanche

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Last we checked, there was some uncertainty as to why the contract had not been announced for Nikita Zadorov. It seemed like it was all but signed, with a term of two years the likely outcome. Adrian Dater of BSN Denver urged patience on several occasions, but now he reports that the two sides have come apart some in negotiations. Dater writes that there is a $500K difference between the Avalanche and Zadorov, from $2MM to $2.5MM per season.

There have been reports for months that Zadorov has a contract offer in hand from CSKA Moscow of the KHL, since he told a reporter in July that he’d play there if he couldn’t come to a deal with the Avalanche. That option looms larger and larger as the season nears, even as the Avalanche have little cap worry when it comes to the next few years. Paying Zadorov another $500K won’t affect their salary structure, but it could be a sticking point for GM Joe Sakic to not give in to the demands of a young player. Being taken advantage of just because of the team’s situation is never a good precedent to set.

The Avalanche have little chance at a Stanley Cup this season (or even a playoff spot), but losing a year of development and familiarity with the young defenseman is hardly what the team wants. Zadorov was the main component in the now infamous Ryan O’Reilly trade that has apparently influenced Sakic’s trade negotiations this summer with regards to Matt Duchene. The deal is seen as a loss for the Avalanche at this time—though Zadorov and J.T. Compher both still have immense potential—and Sakic doesn’t want to get burned again. Seeing Zadorov walk for the KHL would make it even worse.

Jared Cowen Signs PTO With Colorado Avalanche

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One of the more interesting names to keep an eye on this summer was Jared Cowen, and he’ll now head to camp with the Colorado Avalanche on a professional tryout. If the 26-year old is healthy, he should stand a good chance at making the club as they by no means have depth at the position.

The question of his health does remain though, as Cowen filed a grievance against the Toronto Maple Leafs when the team tried to buy him out last summer. It would ultimately fail, but Cowen would still miss the entire 2016-17 season with hip problems, and hasn’t played in an NHL game in 18 months.

Selected ninth overall by the Ottawa Senators in 2009, Cowen showed all the signs of developing into a premiere shut down defender. His 6’5″ frame allowed him to eliminate attackers and get into passing lanes, but quickly his foot speed started to drag and he found himself chasing the play more often than not. The Senators would eventually include him in the Dion Phaneuf trade, but Cowen would never play a game for the Maple Leafs.

Still young enough to make an impact, if Cowen can show his hip is fully healthy and his skating is to an acceptable level the Avalanche could have a nice third-pairing option for extremely cheap. If not, it could spell the end to a once promising NHL career.

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