Draft rumor round-up: Barrie, Nyquist, and Byram?

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VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA – Greetings from Canada! After a long day of travel, I’ve settled into my accommodations for the weekend and am catching up on some news from the day. There’s a ton of chatter here in town as all 31 NHL teams are in a confined space for the next several days, which always creates an opportunity for chaos.

Some Avalanche-related tidbits fell from the trees after a couple of good shakes today and they aren’t unfamiliar to Avalanche fans.

Barrie rumors resurface

First off, Tyson Barrie trade rumors have once again heated up with the Avalanche recognizing his value will never be higher than it is this weekend. The team has been reticent to part with him in the past because he’s such a key cog to their offensive success and is the kind of personality that can help keep a locker room loose if too many serious personalities take over.

Barrie is entering the final year of his contract this summer and while he is eligible for an extension, the presence of Cale Makar and Sam Girard might make his more offensive-oriented role a touch redundant. Barrie is slated for a significant raise from the $5.5 million AAV he currently carries.

Coming off a career-high 59-point season, an extension for Barrie could justifiably climb above $8 million per year. That’s a hefty cap charge when there’s the possibility Girard and Makar can combine for similar production at a fraction of the cost with both players still on their ELCs.

So what would the Avs trade him for?

This is a big part of the discussion this weekend. Colorado isn’t keen on taking steps backward after making the postseason two years in a row. They’re here to compete and simply removing Barrie from the lineup in a futures-heavy (read: draft picks) trade does nothing to address their current needs and only opens up a hole on what is otherwise a very solid group of six defensemen with Ryan Graves and Mark Barberio set to fight for the seventh D job.

The problem with trying to trade Barrie for established NHL talent is Barrie only has one year remaining on his current contract before he can test the waters of unrestricted free agency. Why would a team give up a young, cost-controlled player for potentially just one season of Barrie? It simply makes no sense to take that risk.

This leaves Colorado at a bit of an impasse. It’s good business to test the Barrie trade market and it’s equally as good of business to see what a potential extension might cost. The bottom line is the worst thing they can do here is nothing.

And yet that’s exactly what I ultimately expect them to do. A Barrie deal has always been and remains a tricky proposition in trying to find proper value for the dynamic blueliner. His defense is suspect enough that teams won’t view him as a top-pairing player and those limitations carry particular weight in trade discussions.

Two of the teams linked to Barrie are Vancouver and Montreal. Each is an interesting fit in their own right. Ultimately, I don’t expect much to come from this and I doubt the Avs hand over such a hefty raise to Barrie this summer. The temptation to sit tight and let this team see what it can do with Cale Makar around for an entire season is a very real one and is the route I expect this to go, good business be damned.

Nyquist and Avs a match?

On the front of free agent business, it sounds like there might be mutual interest between the Avs and Sharks forward Gustav Nyquist. Traded to the Sharks at the deadline after spending his entire career to that point in Detroit, Nyquist is coming off the best statistical season of his career as he broke the 60-point plateau for the first time.

Colorado is set to head into free agency with the most money to spend and clear needs at forward in the top six. The 29-year-old Swede is slated to turn 30 before the start of the season and can play on either wing. The Avs don’t really have a clear plan for the second line right now so Nyquist is a guy to keep an eye on as the legal tampering period begins next week.

Another Ranger on the move?

The New York Rangers have been very active in the last 18 months after penning a letter to fans in which they asked for patience as they embarked on a rebuild. General manager Jeff Gorton has taken a very aggressive approach to moving out veteran players with value and turning them into high-end prospects or top draft picks. Because of the results, the Rangers have re-shaped their roster and appear not far from potential playoff contention once again.

One longtime Ranger has danced through the trade raindrops so far – Chris Kreider. A feisty forward with a knack for scoring goals and frustrating opponents, Kreider is a perfect fit for the Avalanche and Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman mentioned today that he’s heard Colorado connected to the forward.

Kreider has just one year remaining on his contract and the 28-year-old is coming off another 20-goal, 50-point campaign. The player is a great fit; I’m not sure the (high) cost is.

The Great Smokescreen Debate

What are the Avalanche going to do with the fourth overall pick?

I’ve previously reported the Avs were leaning heavily towards selecting a forward with the fourth pick tomorrow night and have not backed off that stance. However, I seem to be on an island at this point as most of the people around the league are operating under the assumption the Avs will take either Alex Turcotte, the American forward, or Bowen Byram, the draft’s top defenseman. Whichever player Chicago doesn’t take at three lands in Colorado’s lap.

Many have tied the renewed interest in Barrie’s availability to the potential selection of Byram but I’m not so sure they’re related. I still believe Colorado prefers forward at four but it’s obvious Byram is there. Maybe I’m just being stubborn and this whole thing has been a great smokescreen to hide their interest in Byram.

It’s clear he hasn’t been ruled out yet.

Tomorrow is shaping up to be one memorable day in Avalanche history.