4 bold trades the Avalanche can make this summer

The Colorado Avalanche face an uphill battle this summer with the salary cap uncertainty brought on by the ongoing injury issues of Gabe Landeskog and Valeri Nichushkin’s third stint to the Player Assistance Program leaving him suspended until mid-November at the earliest.

With that in mind, I’ve been trying to find some bold trade scenarios that could make a little sense for the Avs. These aren’t trade rumors, just me throwing some blind darts and explaining why I think they could make sense for each team involved.

It’s the offseason and everyone loves trades, so let’s talk trades. These aren’t trades meant to be done together, but separately.

Avalanche trade Valeri Nichushkin to Columbus for Patrik Laine

Why Colorado does it: The reasons here are obvious. Colorado removes itself from the uncertain future of Nichushkin and the cap craziness that comes with trying to build a team around the possibility of having his $6.125 million cap hit dropped into their lap in the middle of November if he’s reinstated following his mandatory six-month suspension by the NHL.

This deal sees Nichushkin go to Columbus in exchange for Laine, who is also currently in the Player Assistance Program. In essence, it’s two players who need a fresh start somewhere else. Laine could land in Colorado and for the first time in his career, not be asked to be a savior. He’d immediately slot in alongside Casey Mittelstadt on the second line and give the Avs a formidable top-six forward group.

It also helps that Laine goes way back with fellow Finns Mikko Rantanen and Artturi Lehkonen. Maybe having that kind of infrastructure and removing the pressure of being The Man will help, similar to what the Avs experienced with Jonathan Drouin last year. The difference here is obviously that Laine comes with an $8.7M cap hit for the next two seasons, making it an extremely expensive mistake if things don’t work out. Even if Columbus were to retain a little money, which is unlikely, it’s hard to imagine they retain much.

The Avs would have to be confident that the elite goal-scoring prowess Laine showed early in his career would propel him forward. His all-around game would need to undergo a drastic overhaul, a la Drouin, but it’s not hard to understand why this would be an exciting proposition for the Avalanche. Realistically, they’d likely have to add something significant given the risks involved.

Why Columbus does it: Columbus has had a hell of a time convincing players to stay there with only a few showing a willingness to sign long-term contracts and the list of former Blue Jackets playing starring roles on other teams is seemingly always growing.

The Blue Jackets would be taking on an enormous risk in Nichushkin, obviously, but if he gets his off-ice problems sorted, they get the kind of two-way forward that is nearly impossible to otherwise acquire. They already have young star center Adam Fantilli as a guy to build around and a bevy of blue-chip defense prospects in the organization and could be drafting another high-end center or defenseman with the fourth overall pick at the draft in a couple of weeks.

Despite their struggles and the organizational dysfunction they’ve gone through over the last year, Nichushkin would be a perfect complement to the team’s high-skill collection of young forwards. If things go well, he is signed for six more years and could find a legitimate chance to rebuild his career.

The downside for Columbus is obvious. If Nichushkin finds himself in the program again, he will be automatically suspended for a year with no guarantee of reinstatement. His NHL career would likely be over at that point. He would not count against their salary cap so the financial commitment in that situation would be minimal.

This is the very definition of a high-risk deal for both teams, but especially any team acquiring Nichushkin right now. This might be the only type of situation Columbus could be a landing spot for someone with his skills, however, so the appeal is also obvious. Asking for another piece so they don’t potentially trade Laine for nothing should Nichushkin’s demons continue to haunt him would be prudent, though the asset-poor Avalanche would struggle to make that happen.

Avalanche trade Josh Manson to Winnipeg for Nino Niederreiter

Why Colorado does it: The Avs don’t want to move Manson, but this gives their forward corps a little cost certainty. It makes more sense to try to move Manson strictly for draft picks (looking at you, Utah), but this is a deal that gives Colorado flexibility in their lineup.

Niederreiter has long been one of the better possession players in the NHL and that continues. He’s an analytics darling who gives you roughly 20 goals per season and around 40 points.

At 31, he’s signed for $4M for the next three years, making him a fixture in Colorado’s lineup for the next several years. In this situation, the Avs save $500K by moving Manson’s $4.5M salary out.

Niederreiter’s spot in the lineup becomes a topic of discussion because he can fit anywhere in the top nine. He’s good on the forecheck and brings physicality to the lineup and has a nose for the net. He’s good for doing the dirty work, which is something the Avs certainly need.

If Nichushkin and Gabe Landeskog return to the lineup, Niederreiter can move around the lineup as needed. If those guys aren’t in the lineup, he can still move around the lineup. It’s all about flexibility.

The downside here is that the Avs remove a top-four defenseman in Manson for minimal cap savings in return for a top-nine winger, who is a touch expensive. They’d have to replace Manson somehow.

Why Winnipeg does it: Like Columbus, Winnipeg is a city that is difficult to attract talent. They struggle to keep talent around, and we could be seeing that play out again with both Brenden Dillon and Dylan DeMelo facing the possibility of signing elsewhere in free agency.

Both of those defensemen were part of Winnipeg’s surprising defensive success last season and Manson would obviously address that loss and bring his trademark bruising style to the Jets defense.

Losing Niederreiter wouldn’t hurt them very much as they have several young forwards who should push for jobs in the coming year. The extra $500K the Jets would be spending in cap space would be negligible, especially with Manson signed for the next two seasons.

The roadblock here is Manson’s trade protection. His full no-trade protection expired on June 15 and changed to a modified no-trade clause in which he submits a 12-team list he cannot be traded to without his permission. Winnipeg is almost always on those lists as it is one of the least-popular cities for NHL players. Assuming Winnipeg is on that list and Manson is uninterested, a simple, “No” ends the conversation.

Avalanche trade 2026 2nd to New Jersey for Kevin Bahl

Why Colorado does it: The Avs have a 2nd round pick burning a hole in their pocket and I am curious how they use it this summer. This is the kind of value find I’d like to see Colorado try to make to bolster their defense. Bahl is only 23-years-old and costs just $1.05M against the cap. In this situation, he’d be replacing Jack Johnson in the lineup on Colorado’s third pairing.

Bahl’s game is not a natural fit in Colorado as a bruising defenseman who uses his 6’6″, 216-pound frame primarily to hit and block shots. This is replacing Johnson with a much younger, larger version. You won’t get much offense from him as he scored just 11 points (1G, 10A) in 82 games, his first full season in the NHL.

This is a limited player, but he’s cheap and will be a restricted free agent next season when his current contract expires. His addition would give the Avalanche a chance to put him alongside Sam Malinski and you could have a pretty intriguing third pairing for under $2M. It’s young and cost-efficient.

Why New Jersey does it: It’s not sexy for the Devils, but they have a logjam on their defense with both Luke Hughes and Simon Nemec graduating to the NHL next season and Dougie Hamilton returning from injury.

New Jersey also has Jonas Siegenthaler and John Marino, two players signed for multiple years and with track records of being strong defensive defensemen. Those guys could get a similar return as this deal, but Bahl is the worst of those three and the Avs overpay a little bit in this trade to make it worth New Jersey’s while.

The Devils aren’t really in a cap crunch of any kind, so they can afford to keep the better defensemen for now and make their playoff push again. The pick becomes trade capital for them down the road at future trade deadlines if they’d like. Stocking up on picks when you can is a smart approach, especially when you think you’re entering a consistent era of postseason appearances.

Avalanche trade Sam Girard, Ross Colton, and Calum Ritchie to Seattle for Shane Wright and Will Borgen

Why Colorado does it: I had to get a blockbuster in here somewhere. I don’t want to trade any of these guys, but I saw an opportunity to save a lot of money, get a little younger, and add upside to the roster. I’ll say that I’d rather it be Manson than Girard in this deal to keep the left-right balance clean, but I was struggling to buy that Seattle would prefer Manson, who will be 33 on opening night next season.

Girard and Colton were both vital secondary players for the Avs this year, but they get replaced by two players who could give them more cost-efficient options at the same positions. The money aspect of this is huge as the Avs move out $9M of committed salary over the next three seasons and get back just under $3.6M. That’s a surplus of $5.4M for Colorado, which would allow them to re-sign Jonathan Drouin without worrying about the Landeskog/Nichushkin money situations.

Seattle’s cautious approach with Wright has been curious so far, but he is still a strong two-way prospect who is ready to break into the NHL. That’s where he fits the bill for Colorado as he would slot in as their third-line center right away. He’s been a strong defensive center his entire career and that was part of the appeal of this deal. Obviously, he could be the best player in this trade over time, but for now, he would get to sharpen his defensive skills as a rookie on a competitive Avalanche team.

Borgen’s addition would give them another right-handed defenseman in his prime at just 27-years-old. He’s signed for only one more year so keeping him would require a financial commitment for the Avalanche, but that’s tomorrow’s problem. He’s an underrated player who does a little of everything and would be a great, cost-efficient addition to Colorado’s defense.

This isn’t the kind of deal the Avs aren’t itching to make, but if they’re trading top prospect Ritchie, it only makes sense to do so for a potential stud such as Wright.

Why Seattle does it: This really comes down to priorities. If the Kraken want to rebound quickly from their disappointing season, adding Girard and Colton make their team better. Girard’s skating and strong defense would be a nice addition to a defense corps that doesn’t have many natural puck-moving options who excel at breaking pucks out.

With the way Seattle’s defense is currently built, they would be well on their way to building a strong defense that plays to the strengths of the current NHL with Vince Dunn and Girard being quality puck-movers signed for the next several seasons.

Adding Colton gives them a 1-2-3 center depth with Matty Beniers and Yanni Gourde. If at any point they want to try something different, Colton has also been a pretty good wing, too, and that flexibility could end up great for a team like the Kraken who are built on great depth more than high-end talent. This trade makes Seattle better in that area right away.

The addition of Ritchie into this deal means that while the Kraken lose the possibility of adding Wright into their lineup next season, they won’t be waiting long to add a top center prospect to their NHL ranks. With control of all of the players for at least three seasons, the Kraken make their NHL roster a little deeper right away while adding years of cost certainty.

Of course, they could just say, “Shane Wright is going to be the best player in this deal. No.”