We’re deep into the NHL offseason, where most teams have concluded their business for the summer and that includes the Colorado Avalanche.
It was a busier-than-expected summer as Chris MacFarland left as the general manager of the Avs to become the do-it-all President of Hockey Operations in Nashville, putting Joe Sakic back into the GM chair in Denver.
Sakic got busy, re-signing defensemen Brent Burns (one year, $850K AAV with potential performance bonuses) and Brett Kulak (five years, $4.5M AAV).
He also called up his old friend in trading forwards Jack Drury and Ross Colton to MacFarland’s Predators in separate deals. In return, the Avalanche stocked the cupboards with draft picks and two 23-year-old forwards who were recent first-round picks by the Preds in Fedor Svechkov and Zachary L’Heureux.
Also dealt was forward Val Nichushkin to the Columbus Blue Jackets in a pure salary dump, as the Avs received only draft picks in return.
I wanted to take stock of exactly what all the moving parts of the Avalanche offseason were, so let’s do that.
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4 Comments (2 conversations)
RockD
I hope both the returning players and the coaches have spent the summer reflecting on what has gone wrong in the last couple of playoff series losses. I really don’t mind the lower offensive ceiling of the D if it raises the defensive floor. I think I actually prefer it.
We will always love what Val did in the ’22 Cup run but I do think he’s a declining player. He could very well have a big season in Columbus but wasn’t Rick Bowness the coach that coaxed 0 goals out of him for like a season and a half?
My biggest concern is if Bednar is willing to let the kids fight it out amongst themselves for ice time. It just isn’t anything he’s done up til now. There’s no need for the 4th line to be getting 6 minutes a night. We’ll be fine if it results in a 110 point season instead of 120
The next concern for me is whether he’s willing to concede that Wedgewood is so much better when not overworked while Blackwood is so much better when getting regular work. Something near a 50-34 split with Blackwood getting the 50 seems logically the way to keep them both at their best.
I think Schwartz is going to be thrilled to play with some proper top 6 centers and when he’s healthy enough to play will be great.
AJ Haefele
AuthorLove this comment!
I was very nervous that Nichushkin was going to even repeat the 49 points he did last season had he stayed in Colorado. So many signs of decline with the puck were there. Of course, the same was true of Charlie Coyle when he busted out and had a huge year, so who knows lol
I think Bednar won’t have a choice but to let some of the kids fight for ice time because the front office hasn’t given him a plethora of mediocre veterans to take their ice time. Some of these guys have to play. How much is a fair question, of course…
I’m also really feeling a Schwartz bounce-back, but it’ll probably be derailed by injury. Because he is. Always. Hurt. Constantly.
RockD
And when Schwartz gets hurt will he move Kadri to 2nd line wing or will he give Svechkov a shot to be the puck feeder that Nelson and Landy crave? That allows both Kadri and Roy to be at center where they belong. I really think the biggest X-factor this season is whether Bednar is willing to concede more ice to players who are going to have some growing pains and not just revert to double-shifting MacKinnon and Necas
halvy39
Overall have no reason not to be confident in the Avs this year… but that is a very injury prone set of wingers on the top six. If there was some way to get a solid, reliable offensive top six winger (and a top 4 LD), I’d be real happy.