The Colorado Avalanche were bounced in the first round of this year’s playoffs in catastrophic fashion, blowing a third-period lead in Game 7 to the Dallas Stars. Despite the early exit this year, Colorado remains a team that will be in playoff contention again next season. However, as their core ages and pieces start to move out, their window to win another Stanley Cup is quickly closing. Colorado has 18 players signed for next season (11 forwards, five defensemen, and two goalies) for $86.8MM (per PuckPedia). While that isn’t a terrible position to be in, that is where the rosy outlook ends, as the Avalanche do have some notable free agents to try and retain and a few contracts they would probably like to shed. So, what can they do to remain a contender?
The Avalanche faced a situation that wasn’t dissimilar to that of previous Stanley Cup Champions. Their depth has been eroded, their prospect cupboard emptied, and their draft pick capital dwindling. A lot of that happened because Colorado took healthy runs at essential players, which worked out well as they won a championship in 2022. But since then, Colorado has had to patch the holes in their lineup with less-than-ideal solutions.
For the Avalanche, one of the key areas of concern has become their center depth, which has become a weakness following the departure of Nazem Kadri in free agency. On their second line, the Avalanche have tried Casey Mittelstadt, Ryan Johansen, Alex Newhook, J.T. Compher, Brock Nelson and Charlie Coyle. That’s a list of talented players, but none have been able to stick, which has created a major issue for Colorado.
If the Avalanche hope to contend again, they need to solidify that position, which will be easier said than done. There are a few options available in free agency. Still, unless the Avalanche dump a contract such as Ross Colton ($4MM) or Josh Manson ($4.5MM), they will not have the required cap space to compete for a free agent center such as Nelson, John Tavares or Sam Bennett and fill out the rest of their roster.
One might think that if Colorado can’t make a move in free agency, they could look at trading for a center. However, their lack of draft picks and prospects makes acquiring an impact center nearly impossible on the trade market unless they can trade a player on their roster and recoup some significant assets. Colorado has no picks in the first three rounds of the subsequent two drafts and only has maybe two or three prospects who project to make an impact in the NHL.
