Good morning, Avalanche fans! It’s fantastic to be back. After a month of traveling the USA, I’m back at it at the Avalanche Mailbag. A lot has changed since we saw each other last: some funny questions about Mike Yeo went unanswered, the Stadium Series has come and gone, and I got to meet all my BSN coworkers in the flesh for the first time.

Now is an exciting time for the Avs. Every game is a must-win as they make their final push for the playoffs, and the team’s successful moves at the trade deadline have suffused us all with fresh hope. So let’s take a look at what’s on people’s minds.

Any truth to the rumour Mikhail Grigorenko is headed to Australia for that pseudo USA-Canada series? – @aes0508

We at BSN Avs haven’t heard anything confirming this at all. However, the Canada vs. USA series (now the Wayne Gretzky Ice Hockey Classic) does often attract some interesting names. The five-game series sees Canadian and American players face off in different Australian cities to fundraise for the STOPCONCUSSIONS Foundation.

Brent Burns was pretty famously involved last year and we wish the organizers all the best with the 2016 series, but for now we haven’t heard anything reliable about Grigorenko being involved.

Who would you rather the Avalanche face in the playoffs: the Dallas Stars, St. Louis Blues, or the Chicago Blackhawks? – @Shapalicious

The Blues, in a heartbeat. The Avs are undefeated against them this year and their notoriously, ehm, reliable playoff performance makes them my preferred matchup.

The Avalanche haven’t fared badly at all against Central teams this year, but given the Stars’ performance this year and the Blackhawks’ playoff experience, I’d rather go with the Blues. While the top Central teams have all been struggling their past few games, for whatever reasons, the Blackhawks always have that ability to take it up another notch in the playoffs.

Do you think the Avalanche will be able to re-sign Mikkel Boedker? – Multiple

This is a tough question because as of now, we don’t know what Mikkel Boedker wants. The famous quotes going around at the trade deadline of Boedker turning down a five-year, five-plus-million dollar deal from the Arizona Coyotes had me concerned about locking him up at first, but after reading into the situation more, I think there may be more to the story.

This interview with Boedker has some telling quotes, namely that there were multiple offers that Arizona offered him. He says it wasn’t about the money, that it wasn’t about being greedy, and he had other reasons for wanting to leave the Coyotes. Of course, players say that all the time. But if Boedker is really more interested in the potential to win than a big payout, I think the Avs could net him for less than that five million per year.

I’m confident the Avs have the cap wiggle room to sign Tyson Barrie, Nathan MacKinnon, Calvin Pickard, and Boedker, but what they do to get there and what happens with the remaining contracts is what I’m curious about.

For example, Shawn Mathias has made an immediate impact on the Avalanche roster. I imagine the team will want to re-sign him, but he could be the guy who finds himself on the bubble if the team isn’t able to make space. I personally hope he isn’t, but nobody can argue the team will prioritize the other players listed above.

Another piece of the puzzle is Grigorenko, who has improved steadily for the Avs over the course of this season. He’s a cheap player right now, but should the team lock him up long term and spend more now so they aren’t facing an awkward situation in a few years? What if they sign him to a two-year bridge deal and he’s commanding monster money in 2018-19?

The Avalanche have a lot of low-level contracts dropping off the books to make wiggle room. They can recoup a good two or three million depending on the way things shake out with bottom-pairing defenders and Jack Skille, who is also facing free agency.

John Mitchell‘s name kept floating around in trade rumors at the deadline. If it’s true the team is considering moving him, that could also be a money-saving move if they trade him for picks and prospects.

There’s a lot of permutations the roster could take in order to keep Boedker, possibly a great idea for a BSN team roundtable in the future!

Alex Tanguay seems to be doing great in Arizona. Was it a mistake for the Avs to trade him? – Multiple

No. Tanguay’s fancy stats may look good and he may have 3 goals and 4 assists for the Coyotes, but the trade was a good one. It’s great to see the change of scenery has done him some good, but things weren’t gelling for him this season in Colorado. Half the Avalanche fanbase was calling for his head earlier this season for not playing up to expectations, remember?

Alex Tanguay is a beloved part of the Avs franchise, but management made the right choice in dealing him, especially if the Avs can hang on to Boedker.

Thanks so much for your questions, as always! It was great to get back in the saddle and I look forward to catching up on hockey and hockey writing both now that I’ve returned from my travels. Remember you can hit me up on @CaseyDownUnder with the hashtag #BSNMailbag if you have a question for next week’s edition!