Salary Cap Deep Dive: Colorado Avalanche
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 2018-19 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: $67,318,095 (under the $79.5MM Upper Limit)
Entry-Level Contracts
F Alexander Kerfoot (one year, $925K)
F Dominic Toninato (one year, $925K)
F J.T. Compher (one year, $925K)
F Mikko Rantanen (one year, $894K)
F Tyson Jost (two years, $886K)
F Vladislav Kamenev (one year, $833K)
F A.J. Greer (one year, $741K)
D Samuel Girard (two years, $728K)
D Anton Lindholm (one year, $718K)
Potential Bonuses:
Rantanen: $850K
Jost: $850K
Kerfoot: $213K
Girard: $183K
Lindholm: $183K
Compher: $100K
Greer: $75K
Total: $2.47MM
For a successful team that made it into the playoffs and gave the Nashville Predators a run for their money, it’s a bit surprising that the team got quite a bit of contributions from entry-level players, with Rantanen probably at the top of the list of contributors. After a 20-goal season in his first full season on the team, the 21-year-old took that next step and benefitted from playing with Nathan MacKinnon on the first line, breaking out with a 29-goal, 84-point season. With the top line expected to return this season, don’t be surprised if the winger puts up another big season right before he becomes a restricted free agent and could get rewarded with a long-term contract.
The team expects similar success from Kerfoot, who arrived in Colorado as a four-year college free agent from Harvard University. The 24-year-old posted a 19-goal, 43-point rookie campaign last year as a member of the team’s third line and now is expected to move up a notch and battle Jost for the second-line center position, with the loser moving to right wing on the same line. Jost, scored 12 goals last season in his rookie season, but the 2016 first-rounder is expected to break out if he can earn a spot on that second line as well. Both are likely to have promising seasons.
The 23-year-old Compher is another young talent who will be given every chance to fight for a spot as the left wing on the second line. In his first full season, Compher posted 13 goals and could be in line for a bigger season next year. The team also has high expectations for Girard on the defense. One of the key pieces of the Matt Duchene trade, the then 19-year-old defenseman was able to stay in the NHL, averaging 17:39 ATOI once he was traded from Nashville and posted 20 points in his rookie season and should be able to improve on that as he will likely assume a top-four role already next season.
One interesting prospect is Kamenev, who also came over with Girard in the Duchene deal, but the 22-year-old center was injured one game into his Colorado career, and he missed most of the season. Now healthy, Kamenev has a good chance to earn a role on the team’s third line in hopes of putting up good numbers next year. Toninato may also be an interesting addition as he has a chance to pick up the fourth-line center spot after signing last season out of the University of Minnesota-Duluth.
One Year Remaining, Non-Entry-Level
G Semyon Varlamov ($5.9MM, UFA)
F Colin Wilson ($3.94MM, UFA)
D Patrik Nemeth ($2.5MM, UFA)
D Nikita Zadorov ($2.15MM, RFA)
F Sven Andrighetto ($1.4MM, RFA)
F Gabriel Bourque ($950K, UFA)
With cap room at a premium, general manager Joe Sakic had the opportunity to use that to his advantage as he was able to acquire the bloated contract of Brooks Orpik from Washington to acquire their future goaltender in Grubauer, who has posted two straight seasons of .923 save percentages or higher. The Capitals’ backup goalie looks ready for a chance to take a starting role and while he might split time with Varlamov early on, the team’s hopes is that Grubauer steals the job away from him. Varlamov and his $5.9MM contract is set to expire next year, meaning the Avalanche are likely going to allow him to walk.
The team has a pair of defensive players in Zadorov and Nemeth, who will be fighting for contract extensions next season. Zadorov has been a key defensive player for the team, posting 278 hits as well as blocking 106 shots. He even posted a career high in both goals (7) and points (20). Nemeth came over to Colorado from Dallas and immediately jumped into the rotation and led the team with a plus-27 rating and was crucial to the team’s penalty kill and likely will take a third-pairing role once again.
Wilson could be pushed down to the team’s third line or provide a veteran presence on the second line depending if one of the youngsters fails to impress in camp. However, the 28-year-old is coming off of one of his worst-ever seasons as he posted just six goals and 18 points last season. Andrighetto will be another youngster who should get some time in the team’s bottom-six.
Two Years Remaining
D Tyson Barrie ($5.5MM, UFA)
F Carl Soderberg ($4.75MM, UFA)
F Matthew Nieto ($1.98MM, UFA)
D Mark Barberio ($1.45MM, UFA)
D Mark Alt ($725K, UFA)
The 27-year-old took that next step for the Avalanche, putting up career numbers in both goals and points as he posted 14 goals and 57 points last season as he’s proven to be a No. 1 defenseman that the franchise really needs. The team must find a way to lock him up to an extension in July next year.
Soderberg doesn’t post big offensive numbers, but is viewed as a critical shutdown defender, who the Avalanche put up against other teams’ top players. The 32-year-old did put up 16 goals and 37 points last year, but his main responsibility is to center the team’s third line. Nieto will likely end up there with him, who also produced at a career-high as he posted a 15-goal season last year.
Three Years Remaining
F Gabriel Landeskog ($5.57MM, UFA)
D Ian Cole ($4.25MM, UFA)
G Philipp Grubauer ($3.33MM, UFA)
F Matt Calvert ($2.85MM, UFA)
Landeskog has become an integral part of the Avalance’s top line as he posted numbers that are comparable to his best seasons of his career as he posted 25 goals and 62 points. The 25-year-old has added excellent balance to that top line since the team moved on from Duchene. The second-overall pick in 2011 might be able to start meeting the high expectations of his draft status if the chemistry between Rantanen and MacKinnon continue.
Cole, Grubauer and Calvert were all recent additions this offseason with Grubauer having already been discussed. However, the team hopes to get some solid value out of both Cole and Calvert at their respective positions. Cole should provide veteran depth to developing defense and if he plays well enough could beat out Girard or Zadorov for a top-four spot, but is more likely to settle into a third-line pairing. Calvert should be able to provide third or fourth-line depth since his lack of offensive skills would likely prevent him from earning a second-line role.
Four Or More Years Remaining
F Nathan MacKinnon ($6.3MM through 2022-23)
D Erik Johnson ($6MM through 2022-23)
The amazing thing is that Colorado only has two players locked up long-term and considering that MacKinnon was one of the top vote-getters for the Hart Trophy last season after the 23-year-old posted 39 goals and 97 points, the team has a steal of a deal with him. With the rising salaries of star players, the fact that Colorado has MacKinnon locked up for five more years at just $6.3MM only makes their situation better and should allow the team to add even more talent over the next couple of years.
The team also has five more years of Johnson at $6MM, which isn’t as good. While Johnson is a solid defensive defenseman, the 30-year-old is injury-prone and hasn’t been able to play 80 games just once in his 10 NHL seasons. He managed nine goals and 25 points in 62 games last season and still remains the team’s second-best defenseman.
Buyouts
D Brooks Orpik ($2.5MM in 2018-19; $1.5MM in 2019-20)
Retained Salary Transactions
None
Still To Sign
None
Best Value: MacKinnon
Worst Value: Johnson
(Excluding entry-level contracts)
Looking Ahead
The Avalanche is a young team that just a year ago many considered to be one of the worst in the NHL. Thanks to the superb play of many of their young players, the team should be in good hands. Colorado has plenty of cap space to handle long-term deals that will need to be given to their many youngsters with Rantanen the most likely to be handed a long-term extension and the team may even have the ability to go after a big-name free agent in a year or two if they continue to improve and show they are the most intriguing team in the Central Division.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Poll: Early Hart Trophy Favorite?
It may be the slowest stretch of the off-season, but the odds-makers at Bovada are staying busy. As Sports Illustrated’s Michael Blinn writes, the first odds for the NHL’s MVP Award, the Hart Trophy, for the 2018-19 season are out. Very few could have predicted that the New Jersey Devils’ Taylor Hall would have taken home the title this past season at this point last year. Is next year’s winner even on the board? Or will it be one of the heavy favorites?
To no surprise, Edmonton Oilers phenom Connor McDavid has the best odds to win the Hart for the second time in three years after being crowned in 2017. McDavid has 10/3 odds to win the award and those are actually pretty fair odds. Even last season, when McDavid was not even a finalist for the Hart, he nevertheless was the league’s leading scorer with 108 points, six more than the next-best player. It was the second season in a row that McDavid won the scoring title and that trend seems unlikely to change if he remains healthy. However, there are some who will say that McDavid’s Hart chances are tied to the success of the Oilers. The argument this past season was that he could not truly be the most valuable player in the league when his contributions still left Edmonton far from a playoff spot. With a roster that has been largely unimproved this off-season, another regular season disappointment for the Oilers could make it hard for McDavid to get back on top.
Next up is two-time Hart winner Sidney Crosby at 13/5. The face of the Pittsburgh Penguins dynasty has long been considered the best player on the planet. Yet, one would think that Crosby might actually have more than two MVP titles. Crosby has scored between 84 and 120 points in every healthy season of his career, but his impressive supporting cast detracts from the impact of those unbelievable numbers. Especially last season, when Crosby was narrowly outscored by both Evgeni Malkin and Phil Kessel, it would have been close to impossible for him to win the Hart. Malkin (18/1 odds) and Kessel (75/1 odds) are still Penguins and barring injuries to one or both, Crosby would have to take his game to an even higher level to get back into Hart consideration.
Maple Leafs centers John Tavares and Auston Matthews both have 10/1 odds to win the Hart, as the odds-makers clearly expect there to be plenty of offense to go around in Toronto next season. Injuries held Matthews to 63 points last season, outside the top 50 in scoring, while a healthy Tavares only managed to tie for sixteenth with 84 points for the New York Islanders. Both players will greatly need to improve their production to be Hart – and it is certainly possible now that they are playing together – yet an improvement by both could land them in Crosby/Malkin territory where they cancel each other out in the Hart race.
Reigning Stanley Cup, Conn Smythe, and Maurice Richard winner Alex Ovechkin also has 10/1 odds to take home the Hart. Ovechkin has done it three times before, more than any other active player in the league. However, Ovechkin’s 49 goals last year only came with 38 assists, as his 87 points kept him outside the top ten in scoring. At 33 years old this season, the Washington Capitals captain will have to fight both the aging process and a potential Cup hangover to improve his production if he wants a fourth Hart. Ovechkin’s 10/1 odds seem like a stretch.
At 15/1 are both the 2018 winner Hall and finalist Nathan MacKinnon, as well as Nikita Kucherov and Mark Scheifele. This is where the value lies in these early odds. The former duo greatly benefited from both excellent seasons – 97 points for MacKinnon and 93 points for Hall – but also being far and away the best players on the New Jersey Devils and Colorado Avalanche respectively. Both should again lead the way for their clubs and if they match their previous output and again sneak into the postseason, it would be no surprise to see them both back in consideration next year. As for Kucherov, he was the favorite to win the Hart for a long stretch last season as he led the league in scoring. Although his production tailed off as the season closed out, the dynamic Tampa Bay Lightning winger still managed to finish third with 100 points. Tampa will be top contenders again and promise to light up the score board with Kucherov leading the way. Perhaps this time he can seal the deal on the Hart. Scheifele is a dark horse candidate who could be the breakout star of the coming season like Hall and MacKinnon last year. The Winnipeg Jets franchise center played in only 60 games last year, but scored 60 points and continues to show flashes of brilliance. He could be a savvy pick to take home the hardware.
Among the rest of the field are some very interesting options. Los Angeles Kings star Anze Kopitar, a Hart finalist last season, has 18/1 odds and new weapon to play with in Ilya Kovalchuk (50/1 odds). Philadelphia Flyers captain Claude Giroux has 25/1 odds despite finishing second only to McDavid at the top of the scoring charts last season with 102 points. Boston Bruins winger Brad Marchand, also 25/1 odds, was arguably the most dangerous scorer in the league last season when on the ice, finishing 13th overall in scoring with 85 points in just 68 games – the only player in the top 50 to play in less than 70 games. Bargain odds belong to Artemi Panarin at 50/1. The Columbus Blue Jackets dynamo gets better each year since coming over to the NHL and could toy with 100 points in his second year with the team. That would make for an interesting off-season, as Panarin is slated for free agency next summer.
What do you think? Does Bovada have the right names at the top? Or will the Hart winner be another unpredictable upset like Hall?
Who Is The Early Favorite To Win The 2019 Hart Trophy?
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Connor McDavid 32% (273)
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Sidney Crosby 12% (102)
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The Field - comment below 11% (96)
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Nathan MacKinnon 11% (94)
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Nikita Kucherov 8% (64)
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John Tavares 7% (58)
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Taylor Hall 5% (43)
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Mark Scheifele 5% (43)
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Auston Matthews 5% (40)
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Alex Ovechkin 4% (31)
Total votes: 844
Poll: Can Connor McDavid Win The Art Ross Trophy For A Third-Straight Year?
The Edmonton Oilers went from a top performing playoff team in 2016-17 to a struggling franchise that didn’t even come close to earning a playoff spot last year. Quite a difference in years. Yet among all that went wrong last season, the team got the most out of their star player Connor McDavid, who captured the Art Ross Trophy for a second year in a row.
McDavid, who enters his fourth NHL season and first as the highest paid player in the league, posted 30 goals and 70 assists in the 2016-17 season for 100 points. He easily walked away with the Art Ross Trophy as the next closest were Chicago’s Patrick Kane and Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby with 89 points. Behind them was Washington’s Nicklas Backstrom with 86, as well as Boston’s Brad Marchand and Tampa Bay’s Nikita Kucherov who both had 85 points.
In 2017-18, despite a lesser team that struggled, McDavid’s numbers only got better as he posted 41 goals, 67 assists and 108 points, but the competition only increased as two other players broke the 100-point barrier, including Philadelphia’s Claude Giroux who had 102 points and Kucherov who went from 85 points to 100. Pittsburgh’s Evgeni Malkin (98 points) and Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon (97 points) rounded out the top five. However, while five players in 2016-17 had 85 points or more, that number altered quite a bit last year as 15 players had 85 points or more, giving McDavid even more competition.
There are several players who could compete with McDavid this year, including Kucherov who continues to improve at 24. Hart Trophy winner Taylor Hall finished the season with 93 points, while MacKinnon, who is just 22, is also a young player who can still take his game to the higher level. Or could someone else take that next step?
So the question is, can Connor McDavid lead the league in points again?
Will Connor McDavid win the Art Ross Trophy (for most points in an NHL season) for a third-straight year?
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Yes 70% (385)
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No 18% (99)
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Only if the Oilers get better 12% (65)
Total votes: 549
Pro Hockey Rumors app users, click here to vote.
Poll: Who Was The NHL’s Most “Outstanding” Player In 2017-18?
The release of the Hart Trophy finalists each year is always guaranteed to result in discontent. Three fan bases – and the majority of unbiased observers – are happy with the decision, while those who support the players that narrowly missed out on a nomination feel the need to criticize the process and establish why their favorite player should have been picked. This phenomenon can be attributed to just the sheer number of elite players worthy of recognition in the NHL, but more than anything it is due to the continued confusion over what the award actually represents.
The Hart Trophy is awarded to the “player judged most valuable to his team”, or in even simpler terms, it is the NHL’s MVP award. In 2017-18, it is hard to argue that any player was more “valuable” to his team than one of Nathan MacKinnon, Taylor Hall, and Anze Kopitar. Without those three, the Colorado Avalanche, New Jersey Devils, and Los Angeles Kings, respectively, would not only have missed the playoffs, but may have been among some of the worst teams in the league. Yet, the Connor McDavid supporters like to point out that he not only led the league in scoring with 108 points, but was far-and-away the best player on the Edmonton Oilers. This is undeniably true, but the Oilers also finished with just 78 points, a whole 17 points back of MacKinnon’s Avs for a playoff spot and closer to the worst record in hockey than the postseason. Was McDavid valuable to the team? Yes, but at the end of the day, his contributions really only cost his team in NHL Draft Lottery odds.
Yet, even experienced journalists like the Edmonton Journal’s David Staples continue to misinterpret the award. He specifically refers to McDavid as the league’s “overlooked most outstanding player” and breaks down the league’s scoring leaders without regard for the context, or value, of that scoring to each team. Staples’ sentiment is shared by many teams and the criteria he uses in his article to determine his Hart finalists is valid, except for the fact that it is not a “most outstanding player award”; that’s the Ted Lindsay Award, and yes McDavid is a finalist for that.
So here is a forum for all the frustrated fans who want to argue about who the best player in the NHL is. It’s hard to make a case that the PHWA got the Hart nominees for this season wrong, but there are many cases to be made for who the best player in the NHL was this season. Have at it.
Who Is The NHL's Most "Outstanding" Player?
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Taylor Hall 21% (114)
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Nathan MacKinnon 19% (99)
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Connor McDavid 18% (98)
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Anze Kopitar 13% (67)
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Claude Giroux 6% (30)
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Sidney Crosby 6% (30)
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Nikita Kucherov 5% (26)
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Evgeni Malkin 2% (12)
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Blake Wheeler 2% (11)
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Patrice Bergeron 2% (11)
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Brad Marchand 2% (10)
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Alexander Ovechkin 2% (9)
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Other - leave comment 1% (7)
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John Tavares 1% (5)
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Ryan Getzlaf 1% (3)
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Steven Stamkos 0% (1)
Total votes: 533
NHL Announces Hart Trophy Candidates
Who is the most valuable player in the NHL? In 2018, it will be one three forwards who finished in the top seven in scoring. However, it won’t be any of the names at #1-#4. Instead, the league announced that the finalists for the Hart Trophy are the Colorado Avalanche’s Nathan MacKinnon, the New Jersey Devils’ Taylor Hall, and the Los Angeles Kings’ Anze Kopitar, who finished fifth through seventh in points this season, respectively.
The three nominees, as voted on by the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association, will come as no surprise. All three were considered top candidates for the award this season after outstanding campaigns. MacKinnon and Hall each notched 39 goals en route to leading their teams back from the basement of the league last season to unlikely playoff berths. MacKinnon’s 97 points in 74 games was second only to Connor McDavid in per-game production among full-season players, while Hall’s 93 points – 41 more than the next-best player in New Jersey – was the largest proportion of team points in the league. Meanwhile in L.A., Kopitar bounced back from a down 2016-17 season personally with 92 points, while also playing Selke-caliber defense.
As always, there were deserving candidates who did not get the nod as a Hart finalist. McDavid obviously stands out as the reigning MVP and the league’s top scorer at 108 points. However, the struggles of McDavid’s Edmonton Oilers made it unlikely he would get a second consecutive shot at the award. The other top-four scorers – the Philadelphia Flyers’ Claude Giroux, the Tampa Bay Lightning’s Nikita Kucherov, and the Pittsburgh Penguins’ Evgeni Malkin – did not share those same struggles, but their Hart resumes weren’t helped by the other talented players on their teams, such as top-15 scorers Jakub Voracek, Steven Stamkos, Phil Kessel, and Sidney Crosby. Other snubs include Rocket Richard winner Alexander Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals, NHL assists leader and the captain of the upstart Winnipeg Jets, Blake Wheeler, and a player who may have pushed McDavid for the scoring title if not for injuries and suspensions, the Boston Bruins’ Brad Marchand. However, it is hard to argue that the three finalists picked by the PHWA are not the three most deserving players to be up for the Hart this season. The winner of hockey’s MVP award will be revealed at the NHL Awards on June 20th.
NHLPA Announces Finalists For Ted Lindsay Award
Though the Hart Trophy for league MVP may get more fanfare, the Ted Lindsay Award may be just as impressive. It’s given to the league’s best player as voted by his peers, an ultimate sign of respect in the NHL. This year, the NHLPA has announced that Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon and Taylor Hall are the three finalists for the award.
McDavid is used to this kind of attention, having won the award last season. He beat out Sidney Crosby and Brent Burns after scoring 100 points and winning the Hart and Art Ross. He led the league in scoring again this season with 108 points, and could very well take home the Ten Lindsay for the second consecutive year.
MacKinnon has always been an effective player for the Colorado Avalanche, but the 22-year old exploded for 97 points this season in just 74 games. The first-overall pick from 2013 was an absolute force for his team, dragging them into the playoffs just a year after finishing last in the entire NHL.
For Hall, a nomination of this magnitude is something of sweet redemption after he was traded from the Edmonton Oilers two years ago. Seen as a perimeter player on his former club, he was sent to New Jersey in exchange for Adam Larsson and admittedly struggled with the disappointment in his first season in the East. This year, he shook off any rust and threw the whole of the Devils offensive attack on his back. With 93 points he set or matched career-highs in almost every category, and outscored the next highest Devil (Nico Hischier) by 41 points.
Amazingly there were other incredible seasons that won’t even be given the distinction of a finalist for the award. Claude Giroux and Nikita Kucherov both broke the 100-point plateau for the first time in their careers, while three Pittsburgh Penguins—Evgeni Malkin, Phil Kessel and Crosby—all finished in the top-10 in scoring. Blake Wheeler showed off his versatility by moving from the wing to center for a large chunk of the season, and still finished with a career-high 91 points. Anze Kopitar proved that last year was the anomaly, as he jumped from 12 goals and 52 points in 2016-17 to 35 and 92 this season.
The winner of the Ted Lindsay Award can be especially proud of his performance this year in the face of so many other worthy candidates. We’ll find out who gets to take it home at the NHL Awards event on June 20th.
Snapshots: Three Stars, Hanifin, Trouba
The NHL released their three stars for last week, and leading the way was Alex Pietrangelo of the St. Louis Blues. After starting the season in the conversation for the Norris trophy, Pietrangelo’s point production dropped off a bit in the middle of the season and the Blues’ record suffered because of it (and other things). Now, with the team surging into the playoff picture once again, Pietrangelo has been front and center with 11 points in his last five games. Back in the top ten in points from defensemen, the Blues captain is now just two away from setting a new career high.
Rounding out the stars are Nathan MacKinnon and Curtis McElhinney, two players at opposite ends of their careers. MacKinnon is just hitting his stride and becoming the superstar everyone expected him to be, while McElhinney is showing there is still some fight left in a 34-year old goaltender. The Maple Leafs netminder was forced into the starting role when Frederik Andersen went down, and now leads the NHL in save percentage at .935.
- The Carolina Hurricanes have announced that Noah Hanifin suffered a concussion and is out indefinitely, likely meaning his season is finished. Hanifin had another solid season in Carolina, posting 29 points in 71 games, but still wasn’t given the responsibility of a top pairing defenseman. The fifth-overall pick is a very interesting case to watch this summer, as he’s a restricted free agent and will be one of the first and most important negotiations of whoever takes the Hurricanes’ GM job. There has been talk over the last few years that perhaps Hanifin would be dangled as bait for a star forward, but the Hurricanes need to be careful they don’t trade away a budding #1 defenseman as he’s still just 21 years old.
- Speaking of good young defensemen, the Winnipeg Jets will know more about Jacob Trouba‘s condition over the next few days after he took a crushing hit from Jamie Benn on the weekend. Trouba left the game in the third period and saw specialists today while under the concussion protocol. Luckily, if you can call it that, the Jets may get Dmitry Kulikov back sooner than expected, as the defenseman has elected not to have back surgery just yet. Kulikov was originally ruled out eight weeks, but could be back in three or four according to the team. With the Jets looking like Stanley Cup contenders for the first time, they can use all the help they can get.
Deadline Primer: Colorado Avalanche
With the trade deadline now just a few days away, we continue our closer look at the situation for each team. Where do they stand, what do they need to do, and what assets do they have to fill those needs? Next up is a look at the Colorado Avalanche.
Well, it’s been a great run for the Colorado Avalanche this season. Really, who could have expected that the worst team in the NHL in 2016-17 would have still been competing for a playoff spot in February? The team has nothing to be disappointed in: they got a great return for Matt Duchene earlier this year, watched Nathan MacKinnon embrace his superstar role, and exceeded expectations as a group all year long. However, they were never supposed to be a playoff team this quickly and, barring a miraculous stretch run, they won’t be. Colorado has quickly fallen behind in the Western Conference playoff race in recent weeks. Since their ten-game win streak ended in January, the Avs are 5-7-2 and just barely sticking around the conversation for a playoff spot. They are sixth in the Central Division, with teams ahead of them like the Minnesota Wild and the Dallas Stars getting hot at the right time, making it difficult to see Colorado winning a divisional berth. Over in the Pacific, the resurgence of the Anaheim Ducks and Los Angeles Kings, on top of the Stars, Wild and St. Louis Blues, also puts a wild card spot nearly out of reach. While it may not be the storybook ending some hoped for, it’s time for the Avalanche to cut ties with their rental players, if the right deal comes along, and move on, with eyes towards taking another step forward next year.
Record
32-23-5, sixth in the Central Division
Deadline Status
Seller
Deadline Cap Space
$37,680,931 in deadline cap space
44/50 contracts per CapFriendly
Draft Picks
2018: COL 1st, COL 2nd, NSH 2nd, COL 3rd, COL 4th, COL 5th, COL 6th, COL 7th
2019: OTT 1st, COL 1st, COL 2nd, OTT 3rd, COL 3rd, COL 5th, COL 6th, COL 7th
Trade Chips
Even if GM Joe Sakic and company decided they still wanted to keep pushing for a playoff spot, their deadline plans would be more or less the same. Colorado does not have a firm enough seat in the Western playoff race to warrant buying, but there is little difference between standing pat and “selling”. The team has only a few impending unrestricted free agents and Sakic will move them if the right deal comes along. If not, he will likely be happy to keep them as the Avs’ own “rentals” and, in some case, may even have extension talks. Headlining the group of available Avs are goaltenders Jonathan Bernier and Andrew Hammond, either of which could be expendable whether Colorado is a traditional “seller” or not. Bernier, who is currently sidelined with an injury but expected back soon, has been a great value addition to the team this season, outplaying incumbent starter Semyon Varlamov and forcing a near-even split in net. Bernier, if healthy, could be an attractive addition for a team in need of a more reliable backup goalie for the postseason. He could always re-sign in Colorado even if he is dealt. Hammond, on the other hand, has not seen any NHL action this season, but could be affordable added insurance for a playoff-bound squad. Blake Comeau, a former 20-goal scorer and consistent bottom-six contributor, will likely get the most attention as the deadline draws closer. Comeau would be a nice depth addition for any number of contenders. To a much lesser extent, Gabriel Bourque and Joe Colborne could also draw some interest. Colin Wilson has been a huge disappointment in Denver, but if the team is willing to eat some of his near-$4MM salary in 2019, they could easily trade the veteran forward away less than a year after acquiring him from Nashville.
Players to Watch: RW Blake Comeau, G Jonathan Bernier, D Mark Barberio, LW Gabriel Bourque, G Andrew Hammond
Team Needs
1) Picks and prospects
Again, the success that this team has achieved is a total surprise. They are still very much in a rebuild and, like all rebuilding teams, simply need to stock up on draft picks and prospects. The team got a great return for Duchene earlier this year, including a first-round pick and player selected with a first-round pick last year, and simply want to continue to accumulate those franchise building blocks. Given the pieces they’re willing to move, the Avs won’t be getting much back outside of mid-round picks and middling prospects anyway. If the Avalanche walk away from the trade deadline with some combination of third- and fourth-round picks and a prospect scoring winger or two, it will be a major success.
West Notes: Maroon, MacKinnon, Sekera
The Oilers are expected to speak with Allain Roy, the agent for pending unrestricted free agent winger Patrick Maroon in the next 24-48 hours to discuss a contract extension, Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic reports (video link). However, given Edmonton’s salary cap constraints, a trade is still the likelier outcome. With that in mind, LeBrun notes that a late first-round pick is a possibility for a return but GM Peter Chiarelli would prefer a prospect that is close to making an NHL impact. The Bruins are known to have interest in the 29-year-old and have several youngsters that are on the cusp of being ready to be recalled so they may be a team to watch for here. Darren Dreger of TSN adds Winnipeg as a team that is interested in Maroon.
Elsewhere out West:
- Colorado is getting closer to getting their leading scorer back. Mike Chambers of the Denver Post notes that center Nathan MacKinnon participated in an optional skate today with a non-contact jersey. However, he has been ruled out of their game on Friday in Winnipeg as he did not make the trip with the team. However, Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar classified MacKinnon, who will miss his eighth straight game tomorrow with shoulder troubles, as questionable for Sunday’s tilt against Edmonton.
- While the Oilers are only saying that defenseman Andrej Sekera has a facial injury after taking a puck to the face on Wednesday versus Anaheim, Postmedia’s Jim Matheson suggests that the blueliner might be dealing with a concussion as well. Edmonton has already shifted him to injured reserve. This has been a rough season for the 31-year-old who missed the first few months after tearing his ACL back in May and he has struggled considerably when he has been in the lineup.
Nathan MacKinnon Out Two To Four Weeks
The Colorado Avalanche have announced that their star forward Nathan MacKinnon will be out two to four weeks with an upper-body injury. MacKinnon was injured in a game against the Vancouver Canucks, and will have to put his MVP-caliber season on hold.
MacKinnon was leading the Avalanche back to relevancy this season, and had them within a single point of the playoffs in the Western Conference. With 61 points in 43 games, the 22-year old is still expected to crush his previous career-high in scoring, and has even already tied his highest goal mark with 24.
Though two weeks would only keep him out of the lineup for seven games, four would push his return past the trade deadline and into March. That makes adding at the deadline tough, especially if the team takes a step backwards with MacKinnon out of the lineup.
In his place, players like Mikko Rantanen and Gabriel Landeskog will need to take even more offensive burden upon their shoulders. Alexander Kerfoot, now the team’s most offensive-minded center, will take MacKinnon’s spot on the top line according to Adrian Dater of BSN Denver.