Life in the AHL at the trade deadline is an exercise in uncertainty

Rumors buzzed throughout the National Hockey League in the weeks leading up to the trade deadline. Scouts began to fill the press box of the Budweiser Events Center, raising suspicion of possible moves to come involving AHL prospects.

Club members of Chicago, Vancouver, Montreal, Arizona, and more were all posted in the Eagles press box and assistant to the Philadelphia Flyers general manager, Danny Briere, was spotted at Ball Arena. Though just a freshman defensive prospect, Sean Behrens was being watched at DU. Standard due diligence became enticing fodder.

There were a handful of prospects rumored to be in play. Shane Bowers, Martin Kaut, Drew Helleson, Oskar Olausson – there was a considerable range in the speculations, and as is the nature of the deadline, it was futile to assign much meaning to them.

A strong Colorado Avalanche team sitting atop the league with 95 points sought to get even stronger. Though the exact needs weren’t clear to you or I, many knew Joe Sakic would not be idle this March.

The cost, we’ve come to know, included Tyson Jost, Justin Barron, Drew Helleson, a coveted 2023 2nd round pick, a 2024 2nd round pick, and a 2024 5th round pick.

Notably among them is now former Eagle, Justin Barron. In his first full professional season Barron, a mainstay on PP2, posted 20 points in 43 games, only 3 of which came about on the powerplay. The hopeful right-handed defenseman made his NHL debut in December and averaged 12:55 TOI in the absence of Devon Toews – a player he models his own game after.

Alternate captain, Jacob MacDonald, spoke highly of his former d-partner.

“He’s an excellent hockey player,” MacDonald said. “A first round pick, and for a reason. He’s got the poise, he’s got all the tools, and on top of that, he’s got a good head on his shoulders. For a guy like that, it doesn’t take much.”

Everything appeared business as usual at an AHL level in the days leading up to the deadline. The Eagles had a difficult series against top-of-their-division rival, the Stockton Heat, to contend with.

Though some teams opted to protect assets by sitting them from AHL play, the Eagles evaded further speculation by playing every healthy prospect. Notably absent was third-round pick, Sampo Ranta, a developing power-forward who was injured in the San Diego series earlier this month.

“We do a pretty good job especially, in this room as far as other locker rooms that I’ve been a part of, in not worrying about the things that we can’t control,” MacDonald explained. “So, the trade deadline is one of those things [that we can’t control].  [It’s] a decision that’s above all of our paygrades. Whatever they do to make their team better – that’s what they do and that’s what we settle for.”

MacDonald alluded to the opportunity that awaits Barron in the NHL.

“At some point – it’s this year or the next, whenever it happens [Barron’s] going to make the most of it. He’s an elite hockey player and it makes my job easier being his d-partner.”

Barron has already been recalled from Laval to get a chance with Montreal.

Though it’s unlikely MacDonald had any inkling Barron was a moving piece, the looming trade possibilities were not a topic many were sweating. By focusing on the games at hand, the Eagles went 4-2-1 in March leading up to the deadline.

Head coach Greg Cronin admitted they addressed the deadline upfront.

“We were proactive,” Cronin explained. “We got ahead of it. We said, ‘We don’t control what goes on. You guys can only play as best you can, and if you’re traded, you’re traded.’ There’s no control over it. We’ll just focus on what you can do.”

In tandem with Cronin’s insights, “It’s none of our decision, right?” MacDonald posed.

“I think that it gets blown up a little bit in the media because people like to talk about what could be. Whether it’s the media or fans, they like to talk about what could happen and they like to talk through potential scenarios. That’s something that none of us here [are talking about] – we had a game plan for Stockton. We [have] our priorities in a different place.”

For MacDonald, rather than the least desirable time of year, the deadline marks one of the best points of the season with the playoffs in sight adding, “We’re getting into the best part of the stretch.”

A debilitating 10-3 loss nearly on the eve of the deadline left many puzzled after a solid victory over Stockon the night before. It was a difficult note to end the weekend on. 

With Justin Barron traded to Montreal two days later, the Avalanche acquired forward Artturi Lehkonen in exchange.

A quick inventory of the current Avalanche roster reveals a bottom-six rounded out by the newest additions: 26-year old Artturi Lehkonen and Nico Sturm, and 34-year old Andrew Cogliano. Among the forward depth are two former Eagles outliers, Logan O’Connor and Alex Newhook though Newhook spent just 18 games in the AHL in total.

The average age among the Eagles call-up’s this season, at 26, appears to favor older players compared alongside prospects like Ranta, Shane Bowers, and Martin Kaut who are all under 24.

While it could seem the players with more professional experience earned call-up opportunities, Colorado Eagles general manager and assistant General Manager to the Avs Craig Billington expressed it was not a matter of experience.

Billington, a mainstay of the Colorado Avalanche organization, has served 19 years with Colorado following his retirement from the NHL in 2003.

“There’s no set directive on more experience or less experience when it comes to a call-up,” he explained. “Joe [Sakic] and Jared [Bednar] make that decision along with Cronin and myself’s input on the play of a player at a certain time. So it isn’t guided by the experience level, but it would be guided by the performance and consistency in which a player is performing. That typically is a motivating factor of a player getting an opportunity.”

Understandably, some of the Eagles’ best performers on a consistent basis have been veteran-types in Jayson Megna, Jacob MacDonald, and Jordan Gross. Even leading scorer Kiefer Sherwood turns 27 this month. They’ll likely get considered for Black Aces in a playoff run, so to see them get looks in the NHL regular season is certainly justifiable.

Alan Hepple spent five NHL Drafts as the Colorado Avalanche Director of Amateur Scouting. An era of Alan Hepple scouting brought the Avalanche, Cale Makar, Bowen Byram, and Alex Newhook. Also among them are young, NHL hopefuls: Martin Kaut, Sampo Ranta, and Jean-Luc Foudy.

Interestingly, three defensive prospects from this crop have been moved: Conor Timmins, Drew Helleson, and Justin Barron. It suggests the Colorado Avalanche have every faith in the depth of their d-corps.

A test of time will reveal the fate for the latter half of the prospects who are still hoping to crack an NHL roster – several of which are developing with the Eagles right now and many who were trade deadline assets that ultimately did not move.

A new chapter in scouting began in May of 2021 when Wade Klippenstein was named the next Director of Amateur Scouting. Though it has only just begun for prospects Oskar Olausson and Sean Behrens, their stock is on the rise.

“We monitor and are in constant communication with Oskar and are excited to have him as a prospect,” Billington said of Olausson when asked if we can expect him to launch his professional career any time soon.

Elliote Friedman indicated a sense that Drew Helleson was unsure about his future with the Avs because of their depth at D.

A chasmic, cup-contending team that is the current Avalanche roster unveils a challenging path to the NHL for prospects, and following the deadline, it is only made more difficult.

According to Billington, the Eagles operate from a standpoint of honesty, transparency, principles, and communication. To keep players motivated and encouraged that the path to the NHL is still possible, he revealed it all begins with Joe Sakic.

“[Generally] in terms of Joe, Chris [MacFarland], [and] myself, [it starts with in-season] communication with agents, players, development camp [and staff],” Billington explained. “I’m really confident with our player communication, and [through] dealing with the agents that there’s no question – you don’t want that, you want a very clear messaging to those players. We believe we have that… I believe it comes back to the communication of honesty between player and organization, and I’m confident that our group delivers that starting with Joe.”

As for the necessary steps to graduate the next class of Eagles, it comes down to the individual needs of each player. 

“I think the process and development is one that takes different pathlines of time, and no one can script out, ‘This is [going to take] two months and this is going to be five years.’ We don’t know,” Billington said.  “The process to evolve has a lot of methods to it and that process is the thing we want to focus on most importantly. That’s our overall approach. The work that we do is based on the individual, and just really helping them to continue to grow, and that growth can take a variety of time.”

The Colorado Eagles, while not entirely new, are a newer entity of the AHL so there are bound to be growing pains. What exactly is the identity of the Eagles and what do they mean to the Colorado Avalanche?

“Both organizations run from a standpoint of principles, honesty, communication, and passion, so we’re very fortunate that those all align from the Avalanche down,” Billington started. “It’s something we really reiterate to the players, and I think that is something that’s a trademark of ours. I’m super proud of it.”

As a former NHL goaltender, Billington understands the importance of communication.

“Being a past player, knowing that you don’t always like what you have to hear, but it sure is good to be communicated [with] and have an understanding, and also knowing that the care of the player is the priority. It’s what Joe Sakic believes in – Chris MacFarland, myself, the entire organization, [and] you go to Martin Lind with the Eagles, and the operation with his staff and how he values the people on his staff. It’s all in symmetry, which is awesome.”

“The players feel that. They feel it when they come in. They know that they’re going to be treated with honesty and respect, and that is a big part of a development model for success.”

This deadline has come and passed, but the questions surrounding prospect development remain. This next summer, and over the course of the next couple of seasons, will be a more revealing testament to the process. As the Colorado Eagles shed some of the newness, the hope is that these last few seasons have been laying the groundwork for an emerging AHL powerhouse that can develop the future of the Avalanche.

It’s not an easy feat, but with experienced figures at the helm – Sakic, MacFarland, Billington, Lind and more – plus a growing national awareness that is being brought to Colorado, it will be difficult to settle for anything less than exceptional moving forward. The Colorado Avalanche don’t just want to win a Cup this season, they want to remain competitive at that level in the future as well.