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Avalanche Mailbag: Will the Avs make a run at Erik Karlsson, or John Carlson?

May 8, 2018

I love spring/summer and I hate spring/summer. Love the weather, love the later daylight, love the easier way of life in general. Hate the fact that the off-season for a hockey team out of the playoffs early is so loooong. Doesn’t it already seem like a long time ago that the Avs finished up? Only four-plus months to go before we see any Avs players back on ice around here.

So, lots of time for things like this, a lazy Tuesday Mailbag.

Let’s get to it:

Can this roster win a Stanley Cup in the next 6 years?

— x-Mike Klynsma (@MikeKlynsma) May 8, 2018

Mike,

Well, maybe not THIS roster. But a roster that includes Conor Timmins and Cale Makar and as many as three more first-round picks by this time next year, not to mention any players from free agency/trade? Sure, that roster might be able to win a Stanley Cup. Take it from me – the optimist!

What’s the dream scenario for the Avs at goalie next season?

— Ryan Koenigsberg (@RyanKoenigsberg) May 8, 2018

Well, Ryan (a k a, one of my bosses),

I guess the dream scenario right now is that Semyon Varlamov comes back fully recovered from his latest injury and returns to Vezina Trophy-finalist form. He is entering the final year of his contract, and I always like it when guys have that “new contract” carrot in front of them. Let’s face it, Varly is almost certain to be the team’s No. 1 goalie for another year. Sure, they just signed Czech goalie Pavel Francouz to a one-year, one-way deal, but he has zero NHL experience and some of his saves percentages in international competition are south of the Mendoza line.

What about Jonathan Bernier, you ask? Well, I talked briefly with his agent today. He does plan to talk soon with Joe Sakic about the possibility of a new deal in Denver, but I get the feeling that is just a matter of courtesy/formality. I think he’s going to test the open market on July 1. That’s just my hunch at this point. But I just think Bernier is going to be looking for more security than the one-year deal he played on this past season in Colorado. And, I just have a hard time seeing the Avs invest long-term in him. Yes, he was outstanding for a good chunk of last season, but he finished poorly. I know injuries might help explain some of that. But I just can’t see the Avs writing a massive check to him long-term. We’ll see, but the best hope the Avs have right now continues to rest with Varly. A little scary? Yeah, it is. But goaltending is always worrisome.

Is the NHL potentially headed for another lock out when the current CBA expires?

— Evan Brucker (@EvanBrucker) May 8, 2018

Evan,

Depends who you ask. I’ve had a couple of agents tell me they think there will be another one, for sure. And I’ve had a couple others tell me they think a lockout will be avoided. The big fight is going to come down to escrow. As I detailed in an exclusive story for BSN a few weeks ago, players lost 14-percent of their paychecks from the 2015-16 season, because of escrow. That money was lost and is never coming back. That’s a huge loss for players.

As I wrote in the story: “Players and their agents definitely are not happy about it. One player agent told BSN Denver that the escrow issue will be the “hill the players are prepared to die on” when the current NHL collective bargaining agreement expires in 2022 – although there are “opt-out” windows for the NHL and players in September of 2019.”

The owners certainly aren’t going to want to opt out of this current CBA in 2019. The players might. Or, they might just wait ’til 2022 and worry about it then. I hope it’s the latter.

Are there any concrete plans to build and move into a new practice facility?

— SC Brothers (@BrothersSteve) May 8, 2018

Hey Steve,

The Avs aren’t saying much about when/if they plan to move to a new facility. We did a story last year about it, and Josh Kroenke said it could be a double-facility housing the Avs and Nuggets. But as of now, it doesn’t seem as if anything will be ready by the start of this coming season.

If Spencer Martin is the avs “best” goalie prospect should they take the best available goalie in the draft early to ensure a quality prospect or try to sign/ trade for a younger prospect?

— Brendan Reinhart (@bjreinhart) May 8, 2018

Brendan,

Generally, the rule of thumb is to not draft goalies high in the first round. My colleague A.J. Haefele and I talked about this on a recent BSN Avalanche podcast, and he said the Avs should not even think about taking a goalie with the 16th pick next month. Me, I’m not so hard-and-fast about this supposed cardinal rule. If there’s a guy who scouts see as a potential excellent goalie and he’s available, I don’t see why it would be so bad to take him. It’s certainly an organizational need right now.

Thing is, goalies take so long to develop. You don’t just draft an 18-year-old goalie and put him in your starting lineup like you can easier with position players. But with the Avs having a first-round pick this year and two others next year (the one belonging to Ottawa), I don’t see why they couldn’t at least think about a goalie at No. 16 this year.

Odds the Avs make a run at Karlsson or Carlson???

— Jackson (@BiggieSchmahlz) May 8, 2018

Hey Biggie,

If Karlsson is offered in trade, you know they’re gonna want an established player or two and probably their 2019 first-round pick back. I don’t see that happening, therefore. But a nice offer for potential UFA John Carlson? Yeah, I can certainly see that. He’ll get a nice offer from probably most every team in the league, though. He’s a right-hand shot D-man who posted 68 points in 82 games this season. He’s gonna get paid. Yes, the Avs will have a ton of cap room and, yes, they can always use another good D-man. I expect the Avs to make a very nice offer for him, indeed.