Trade Rumours: Av’s to get a 2C and top six winger while moving Girard, Kings to move prospects to get help in Net.
Offseason plans, LA needs a starting goalie and that should be priority number 1 this offseason on top of maybe moving a prospect or two while clearing cap space, and the Avalanche could look to add a 2C and top 6 winger on the forward group and may move Girard to free up the cap space to do so.
Los Angeles Kings
Significant Pending UFA:
LD A.Edler 2-9-11 64GP
G J.Korpisalo 18-14-1 REC 2.87 GAA .914 SV%
Significant Pending RFA:
C T.Madden 0-0-0 0GP
RW,C Z.MacEwen 4-6-10 56GP
C,RW,LW R.Kupari 3-12-15 66GP
RW,C G.Vilardi 23-18-41 63GP
C A.Thomas 0-0-0 0GP
LW/RW S.Fagemo 2-1-3 9GP
LW A.Dudas 0-0-0 0GP
C,LW L.Anderson 0–0-0 1GP
C,LW,RW J.A Dolan 7-5-12 46GP
LD T.Bjornfot 0-1-1 10GP
G M.Villalta 0-0-0 REC 0.00 GAA .000 SV%
Current draft capital for Kings in 2023: 5
2RD LA
3RD PIT
4RD LA
5RD LA
6RD LA
What lead the Kings to exit the 1st round of the playoffs this year: now the Kings had a solid season this year as they were able to make the playoffs yet again and this year have a much better point total then last year, but they couldn’t have drawn a worse opponent to face in the 1RD as for the 2nd year in a row the 3rd place Kings would face off against the 2nd place Oilers and following a loss in 7 games to the Oilers in the 21-22 season, the Kings would fall in round 1 to the hands of the Oilers again but this time in six, and although it was only 6 games I still think the Kings stuck with the Oilers pretty well this year but there were a few underlying factors that I think lead the Kings to be ousted in round 1.
Number one would be the fact that the Kings were not able to contain the Oilers potent offensive game throughout the series. Now this was a very high scoring series and both teams were not able to defend overly well and the Kings actually held McDavid in check pretty well in the early part of the series and was a big part as to why the Kings took a 2-1 series lead, but they were only able to contain McDavid and the highly potent offensive attack that the Oilers have for so long, as after the first period of game 4, the Kings defensive game collapsed as Korpisalo went Frk looking brilliant to looking average and the Kings defence which up until that point had really been able to contain everyone on the Oilers except for Draisaitl fell apart, as in the rest of game 4 plus game 5 and 6, the Kings would give up 16 goals and be outscored over that time frame 8-16, so after making do and being able to out score Edmonton enough to win 2 of the first 3 games of the series, that defensive game of theirs would collapse and really cost them the series as had the defence and Korpisalo played a bit better maybe they don’t lose game’s 4 or 6 and I think the defensive melt down was a significant factor in the Kings being ousted in round 1 this year.
Next up would be the fact that the Kings special teams were not all that great in the first round series against the Oilers. Now the Kings power play was actually one of the better power plays in the NHL in the playoff as they were able to capitalize on a decent amount of opportunities, but when the playoffs were all set and done the Kings had the worst penalty kill in the NHL and was a big reason why the Kings lost that series. Now the Kings were not able to stop the Oilers power play which was producing at historic as the Oilers finished the series with 9 power play goals on 16 attempts which had their power play as a over 50% success rate which is nearly unheard of while the Kings PK was all the way down at 43.8% which is awful and even in the games they won the Oilers scored a PPG as they were able to get at least one goal on the power play in each game of this series, so the Kings penalty kill sucked and was another major reason why the Oilers went onto round 2 and the Kings were bounced in round 1.
And Finally would be the Kings losing some winnable games against the Oilers. Now they got behind 3-1 in Game 1 and showed their resilience by coming back and winning in OT, and their were able to win a close game in game 3 after being down 2-1 to win in OT, but game 2 the Oilers and Kings were tied at two going to the 3rd and that was a winnable game for the Kings before giving up a early 3rd period goal and eventually losing 4-2, in games 4 the Kings lead 3-0 after the first period and had they shutdown the Oilers offensive attack then and there then maybe they would’ve been able to win game 4, but they were outscored 5-1 the rest of the game and lost in OT, game 5 I don’t think they had a chance to win, but game 6 they were able to come back from 3-1 and 4-3 deficits to tie the games and this was a pretty winnable game in my opinion for the Kings and they could’ve sent it to 7 but gave up a late goal that won the Oilers the series, so in my opinion the fact they couldn’t get the go ahead goal in the 3rd period of game 2 and 6, and the fact they couldn’t hold their lead in game 4 were all significant reasons as to why the Kings got bounced in round 1 and fell out of the playoffs.
So in my opinion the fact the Kings couldn’t stop the potent offensive game the Oilers have won its guys like McDavid and Draisaitl, the fact that the PK was the worst in the league and surprisingly below 50%, and the fact that they had the ability to win games 2,4 and 6 at some point during those games and wound up losing were all reasons the Kings feel to the Oilers in 6 games in round 1 and although their is a lot of improvement needed on this team over the offseason, it does look like LA is close to being a legit contender and with a few tweaks to their lineup I wonder if they can make it past round 2 next year.
5 ways of how I think the Kings can improve in the offseason.
.1) Add a new starting goalie.
Now the Kings had a ton of goalie issues over the past year as Petersen who was supposed to be their goalie of the future didn’t play well and was eventually sent to the minors and the team had to run with Copley and Quick/Korpisalo for the rest of the year and no offence to those goalies but they aren’t starters so the Kings need to find a starting goalie who can help them get to the next level.
Now the Kings have already started to fix their goalie situation as in a trade earlier in the season they moved goalie Petersen who had 2 years left at $5 Million dollars and was once viewed as their goalie of the future to Philadelphia which cleared a roster spot and $5 Million dollars off the cap so this was a big step in getting their new starting goalie and I know it was probably difficult to move Petersen who they once were so high on, but it was the right move and they can now look for a starting goalie. Now the Kings are in luck as there seems to be a ton of goalies available on the open market this year as they have the picks and prospects to make a trade work and guys like Hellebuyck, Hart Gibson and Vladar all seem to be available for trade and could all be a better starting goalie for the Kings then either Quick or Korpisalo was this past year, and if they didn’t want to look via trade then there are some pretty good options on the free agent market as well in guys like Jarry, Talbot and Hill, so the Kings have a ton of option at this point to acquire a starting goalie and I think they have to as this team looks to be on the precipice of having a Stanley Cup contender and while they have Copley who saved their season, he isn’t a starter and while Portillo could be a 1B in a year or two I don’t think he is ready for the NHL this year, and with Korpisalo did alright, he couldn’t get it done in the playoffs so getting a proven starter who can help the team get over the hump is going to be important for the Kings this offseason and let me know in the comments which goalie you think the Kings would target.
.2) Give some young defenders more playing time.
Now the Kings have a solid D-Corp and even though they weren’t able to do too well against the Oilers in the playoffs I still think their defence is quite good, and on top of the moves they have already made earlier this season I think they could bring in some of the younger players they have in their system up to the NHL roster this year.
Now the Kings have already got some business done on the defensive end as they moved Walker as a cap dump in a trade with Philadelphia earlier in the offseason while they resigned Gavrikov on a two year contract shortly after so they move out a defensemen and keep one around and I think their top 4 for next year is solid, but I could see the Kings add some young talent to t he team next year. Now I think Clarke is almost a guarantee to play at the NHL level next year as he is the Kings best and most NHL ready defensive prospect and looks like he should eventually be a top 4 defender, but for now will probably start on the 3rd pair next year and after putting up 2 assists in 9 games which was his first taste of NHL action he would finish up nicely in the OHL and I would guess is NHL ready next year. And the Kings have 3 other good young players in Spence, Moverare and Bjornfot who all also look like they could get stints at the NHL level, now Spence had played in 30 NHL games over the past two years and has put up a couple of points and over the past two years has also been nearly a point per game defensemen in the AHL and looks like a solid 3rd pair defensemen and I think he could challenge for a spot next year, Moverare is probably the most likely to go back to the minors next year but is another guy I could see be called up or challenge to be the 6th or 7th defensemen on the team and even though he hasn’t been as productive as Spence on the defensive end and hasn’t been as productive at the NHL level he does look like another solid D prospect, and finally I think former 1RD pick Bjornfot could challenge for a 3rd pair spot as I was surprised when the defensive defensemen who played 70 games in the 21-22 season at the NHL level didn’t make the opening roster and was more of a AHL D-Men last year and I think he could be a pretty good 3rd pair defensemen at the NHL level maybe even as early as next year but he will definitely have competition for it, so in my eyes the Kings will add some youth to their blueline this offseason with at least Clarke making the team next year and maybe one or two of Bjornfot, Spence or Moverare could as well.
.3) Move one of Iafallo, Roy or Durzi to clear cap space.
Now the Kings have already made a significant trade this offseason clearing cap space by moving two contracts to Philly, but used most of the freed up cap space to extend Gavrikov and are still in a precarious situation cap wise with them still needing to sign RFA’s and get a goalie, so I think they could make another cap clearing move and guys who could be a cap casualty in my eyes would be Iafallo, Roy or Durzi.
Now the Kings were up against the cap to begin with this year and like I said they mad a trade with Philadelphia and Columbus that sent the Flyers Petersen and Walker which allowed them to clear $7.65 Million dollars off of their cap hit, but then used $5.85 Million of it to keep Gavrikov around for a couple more years, so at the current point in time they have only cleared $1.8 Million dollars and with some significant RFA’s still to sign and them looking for a starting goalie, I think they could wind up moving more players off of their roster to clear cap space. Now the two less likely options I feel the Kings could move would be on the backend with Durzi and Roy. Now I think they could look to move Durzi as he has 1 more season left on his contract at a $1.7 Million dollar cap hit but I think he isn’t as likely because that contract isn’t so bad given how good of a offensive producer he has been over the past couple of seasons and how young the guy is, so as much as I could see Durzi be a trade option, the Kings also wouldn’t get a ton of cap relief if they moved him so I would think he isn’t overly likely to be dealt even though I think it’s a possibility, next would be Roy on the defensive end, now Roy is also in the final year of his contract and carries a decent $3.15 Million dollar cap hit and would get the team some significant cap relief if they do trade him and although he has shown he could be a solid top 4 right shot defensemen and is coming off his best year and has spent his entire career in LA, he could be expendable with Durzi still doing well and a guy like Clarke coming up in the not too distant future, and I think they could bring in a veteran top 6 defender who could bring some of the same skill set as Roy at a cheaper cap hit so I got to think he is a trade chip, and finally the most likely guy I think could be moved would be Alex Iafallo.
Now the Kings already have a stacked top 9 and that isn’t including the 3-4 NHL ready prospects in their system or the fact that some people think that they could go after a solid top 9 forward in the offseason and in my eyes that forward group is already really crowded so if they want to bring in someone else or get a younger player into the lineup then I feel that Iafallo might be a prime candidate to be moved. Now he has two year left on his deal at a $4 Million dollar cap hit which isn’t a great amount of money and has still put up some solid numbers in down years the past few seasons as he always seems to hit at least the 30 point mark and if he had a expanded role, maybe he could hit the 40 or 50 point plateau and moving his cap would give the Kings significant cap space so I think Iafallo has to be considered a trade candidate, and I also think Roy is a likely candidate and maybe Durzi although I think that is less likely, but I think the Kings are not done clearing cap space and they have 1 or 2 more cap clearing moves in them and a guy like Iafallo or Roy would be the perfect candidate to move in my opinion.
.4) Sign significant RFA prospects.
Now as we said the Kings have to sign some pretty big RFA’s this offseason and some of their higher level prospects are going to need some new deals as I think guys like Madden, Kupari, Thomas, Fagemo and Bjornfot are all guys who look to have NHL futures who are going to need new contracts this offseason.
Now on the forward group both Madden and Thomas are pretty good Center prospects and I could see be the Kings long term look at Center and although they have both had some stellar seasons in the AHL up to this point, they haven’t really had much NHL experience and I think could still be a year or two away from making the NHL and both of these young Center’s wouldn’t command much on a new contract as I feel the best they can get would be just under a Million dollar cap hit on maybe a 1-2 year deal, but those are two solid prospects the Kings have to sign, now Fagemo is sort of like those two in the sense that he is a prospect right now but he is a winger and not a Center and has a tad bit more experience at the NHL level then the other two and looks like he could eventually be a solid middle six winger but wouldn’t cost too much on a 1-2 year deal right now so I think the Kings would most likely sign him too, Kupari spent the entire year this year at the NHL level and had some solid point totals and I could see him get a 1-3 years deal at around $1-1.5 Million per year and I would expect him to most likely remain in the bottom six next year, and then they also Bjornfot who has played parts of 4 seasons at the NHL level with the Kings and was a former first round pick and looks like he could be a solid 3rd pair defensive defensemen as early as next year and maybe eventually could be a solid top 4 defensemen with the Kings, but would probably start lower in the lineup next year and I can only see him command between $1-2 Million on a 2-3 year deal for LA so I don’t think he would be too much to sign for the Kings, but definitely players who look to have bright futures in Madden, Thomas, Fagemo, Kupari and Bjornfot are all in need of new deals and signing the good young prospects has to be a priority for the Kings this offseason as losing them for nothing is something they should not want to happen.
.5) Move one or two prospects.
And on top of the fact that LA has to sign some pretty big RFA’s, they could also look to deal some as both on the forward group and the backend their is a logjam of players who could play in the NHL next year and the Kings only have so many roster spots, so I wouldn’t be too surprised if they moved one or two of their younger players, especially if they can get a good return for them.
Now on the forward group guys like Turcotte who is a former 5th overall pick, Madden, Fagemo and Thomas who we said are pending RFA’s who need new deals plus Laferriere who the team signed in season from college to a two year deal would right now all be boxed out of a roster spot even if the team moved a guy like Iafallo and didn’t bring anyone in and I don’t think anyone at the NHL level deserves to be demoted at the moment so maybe on of those guys could be included in a package, meanwhile defensively two of Spence, Moverare and Bjornfot would not make the NHL team if the Kings moved Roy out and didn’t bring anyone back and only Clarke was promoted to the NHL level, so one of those guys may possibly be in a trade package as well, and we do know that the Kings are looking for a starting goalie who can help them as early as next year and there have been rumblings that the Kings could look at adding yo their top 9 too and maybe a guy they look at is Dubois, now I am not saying they will acquire a top 9 forward, but trades like those would require pretty significant trade packages and with the Kings lacking a 1RD pick from this year they may be more inclined to move some of those prospects who don’t look like they will make the NHL in the next year or two for LA, so if the Kings do happen to make trades for one of those two or both positions expect some prospects to be going the other way and in my opinion it would more likely be one or more of Madden, Thomas, Spence or Moverare being moved in a trade, so with the boatload of prospects the Kings have and the needs they are looking to fill, I think we could see some of their prospects moved in the not too distant future.
So in my eyes if the Kings can add a starting goalie, give younger players such as Clarke more playing time next year on the defensive end, move one or both of guys like Roy and Iafallo, sign some significant prospects like Madden, Fagemo and Bjornfot, and move some other prospects who the Kings don’t view as NHL players in the next couple of years in trades and sort of free up their logjams and I think this team can do good, as the Kings have a lot of good players and tons of prospects in the pipeline and if they can get a legit starting goalie that can help backstop them to bring better next year with their solid offense and pretty good defence, then I feel that the Kings will probably not only get back to the playoffs next year, but may also challenge for the Pacific title and maybe go past round 1 next year as long as they can do some of the things I mentioned above.
If you liked this blog post, then check out my YouTube video on the Kings offseason here. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=c4Emh1zJ1cE
Colorado Avalanche
Significant Pending UFA:
C,RW J.T Compher 17-35-52 82GP
C L.Eller 10-13-23 84GP
C,LW E.Rodrigues 16-23-39 69GP
C,LW,RW D.Helm 0-0-0 11GP
LW A.Cogliano 10-9-19 79GP
LW,RW M.Nieto 12-12-24 81GP
C,LW M.Maltsev 0-0-0 5GP
LW,C,RW A.Galchenyuk 0-0-0 11GP
RD E.Johnson 0-8-8 63GP
LD J.Johnson 2-6-8 83GP
Significant Pending RFA:
LW,C A.Newhook 14-16-30 82GP
LW,RW D.Malgin 13-8-21 65GP
LW,C B.Meyers 4-0-4 39GP
LW S.Ranta 0-0-0 6GP
LD/RD B.Byram 10-14-24 42GP
RD R.Merkley 0-0-0 0GP
G J.Annunen 1-1-0 REC 3.59 GAA .854 SV%
Current draft capital for Avalanche in 2023: 4
1RD COL
5RD COL
6RD COL
7RD COL
What lead the Avalanche to exit the 1st round of the playoffs this year: Now Colorado faced a lot of adversity this season following the Stanley Cup win from last year as they dealt with a ton of injuries and their first half was shaky, but they were able to turn things around and after a strong second half they would win the Central division again, and then they matched up with the Kraken in round 1 in a series that most thought Colorado would end very swiftly, but at the end of the day, it wound up being the Kraken who were able to come away with the series win in a surprising 7 game series that had the defending cup champions out in round 1, and I think there were definitely some reasons the team fell out in round 1.
Now in my opinion I think the first reason the team lost to the Kraken in the opening round would be the fact that the Avalanche had a whole bunch of injuries to deal with this year. Now that is not to say the Kraken were not a bit banged up as well, but compared to the Avalanche they were a lot less banged up, as first the Avalanche didn’t have Landeskog at any point this year due to injuries and that includes the entire 7 game series against Seattle as Landeskog is the teams captain and really helped the Avs win the cup last year, so not having him in the lineup hurt, also in the top six Val Nichushkin missed the last 5 games of the series due to personal reasons and was a huge pet of the teams cup run the year prior so not having Nichushkin was a big problem for the Avalanche, then they also had depth forwards Helm and Cogliano miss time due to injuries as Cogliano missed 3 games and Helm 6 due to injuries, on the defensive side, top 4 defensemen Josh Manson missed a couple of games due to injuries, Jack Johnson missed 4 games during the playoffs due to injury, and then although they played through the entire series, both Erik Johnson and Makar were also banged up and definitely not at 100% and I think if this Avalanche team had gone into the first round a ton more healthier then this they may have come away with the series victory, but the injuries were too much to overcome and that was a big reason they lost in round 1.
Now next would be the fact that they didn’t have as much depth and impact players as they did during their run to the cup last year. Now if we remember back to last year the Avalanche had some crazy depth on that team and was a big part of the team winning the cup, but in top of the injuries they suffered over the playoffs there were also other holes in the lineup. Now the defence remained pretty much the same as last year and was still solid, but the offence took a beating as they didn’t have Sturm or Aube-Kubel this year and as much as Nieto and Eller were good acquisitions at the deadline, I am not sure they fit in as well as the other two did last year, and then the team lost Kadri who was a big part of their cup run, and Burakovsky who proved to be a valuable middle six forward in free agency last offseason and never replaced those two and without a solid 2nd line Center and one less top 6 winger, it was difficult to score this year and was another reason why their offence wasn’t clicking on all cylinders this year and not having that depth one the forward group they did last year contributed to them exiting the playoffs in round 1.
And lastly would be that one of the Avalanches strong suits in the power play completely dried up in the playoffs. Now I know the team was banged up and they weren’t the best offensively this year, but they still had a lethal power play with the guys they had and trying to stop a power play consisting of players such as Rantanen, Mackinnon and Makar is something that is very difficult to do and that is why the team was 6th in the regular season on the power play with over 24%, but in the playoffs the Kraken found the Avs weakness and miraculously shut it down in the series. Now the Avalanche which was lethal in the regular season and one of the many ways that Colorado can kill you couldn’t even get a power play goal in the 1st 4 games of the series, and even though they found the back of the net a couple of times on the power play, they still only had 2 PPG on 18 attempts and were the 2nd lowest team on playoff power play percentage at just over 11 and only ahead of the Islanders, so the Avalanche had a no show from their power play against the Kraken and was a huge reason the team wasn’t able to make it past round 1 this year.
So in my eyes the injuries throughout the lineup especially to a guy like Landeskog and their extremely battered blueline, not having as strong of a top 6 this year as they didn’t have Kadri or Burakovsky or having as deep of a team in general, and the team not being able to put up much on the offensive side on the power play were all reasons I think for the Avalanche to surprisingly exit the 1RD this year, but I believe the Avalanche are still a really good and talented team and had they not been so injured I think they might have gone deeper in the playoffs, so with a few tweaks and a healthier roster next year, I think the team could once again challenge for a playoff spot and maybe make it past round 1 next year.
5 Ways of how I think the Avalanche can improve in the offseason.
.1) Add a 2nd line Center.
Now the Avalanche really missed a lot of solid players in the forward group that they had during their cup run in the 21-22 season during these playoffs and none more then Kadri who was a solid 2C for them during their playoff run and they didn’t have anyone who came close to his caliber this year, so losing him to free agency was a big blow to the Avs and I think getting a established top 6 Center is a must for Colorado this year.
Now the Avalanche missed guys like Burakovsky and Landeskog during this year after they didn’t play this past year with Colorado following the Cup win during the 21-22 season, but I think the guy they missed most was Kadri, who was a stabilizing 2C during the Avalanches cup win and had a career year, and then left via free agency last offseason, and the Avalanche never really replaced him last offseason as they thought that Newhook could step into that role and be a solid 2C, but he never was able to take that role and they had guys like Rodrigues and Compher who are more of 3rd line players take that 2nd line Center spot and it wasn’t as strong as it was when Kadri was the 2C, so I think they could look to add a experienced Center to play behind Mackinnon next year. Now I think they could look to free agency to get a solid 2nd line Center as they don’t have a whole lot of assets and there are a couple of options such as Monahan, Toews and O’Reilly as in my eyes all would be serious upgrades at Center and assuming they can stay healthy would make a really good 1-2 Punch with Mackinnon, but if they do look to the trade market there would be a couple of players who could help out the Center ice for Colorado such as Lindholm in Calgary who isn’t too expensive and can put up points and only has a year left, Scheifele is another good fit and someone I have said would make a great 2C in Colorado and would be a hard to play against player sort of like Kadri and he also has one year left, and if they are looking for someone with term then maybe Schmaltz who has a couple of years left on his contract at a reasonable cap hit and has been a consistent point producer for Arizona over the past couple of years and would be a great 2C for Colorado, so whether via trade or free agency I think the Avs will look to add a 2C this offseason and I would love to hear which player you think the Avalanche would acquire down in the comments.
.2) Sign significant RFA’s Newhook and Byram.
Now the Avalanche don’t have a ton of significant players they need to resign this offseason, but two big RFA’s the team would most likely want back is Center Newhook and defender Byram as the potential top 6 Center and top 4 defensemen are in line for pay raises and I think the Avalanche would want to keep them around beyond this season so they need new deals for those two.
Now the Avalanche do have a couple of pretty big UFA’s they have to deal with this offseason like Compher and long time Av Johnson, but I don’t think anyone who needs a new deal is more significant then Newhook and Byram. Now Newhook was originally supposed to take the 2C spot from Kadri last year and instead was playing mostly in the bottom six this year and even spent some time on the 4th line and although he was able to put up 30 points and a career high 14 goals this year, he still played 11 more games then the year prior and didn’t have as many points, so I think there is room for improvement but in my eyes he is still a solid 3rd line player and maybe will eventually be a 2nd line player for the Avs so I could see them sign him to something like a 2-3 year deal at a AAV of $2-2.5 Million dollars and I think if he can show his good potential then maybe he gets a bigger bump in pay on his next contract, but that is the sort of extension I think they could sign him to, as for Byram he has dealt his his fair share of injury troubles that have kept him in and out of the lineup throughout his career, but when he has been healthy he has been a solid defender, as he was only able to get into 42 games this year due to injuries but did have a career year putting up 24 points and I think if he can stay healthy then he should be able to be a solid top 4 D for the Avalanche, and maybe signing him to a 3-4 year deal with a $2.5-3.5 Million dollar cap hit would be the right move as I think he is a solid player but does have injury history that has kept him in and out of the lineup and is something the Avs have to consider when signing him, but I think both Byram and Newhook have really good potential and the Avalanche would want to keep them around so I think the Avalanche are able to get something done with both players and they get both signed to new deals.
.3) Move Sam Girard.
Now the Avalanche don’t have a lot of cap space and they don’t have a lot of moveable pieces which is really difficult to make due with and the only real trade option I see for them would be defensemen Sam Girard who is a 2nd/3rd pair D-Men in Colorado and has been a solid offensive producer for the past number of years but with the emergence of Byram as a top 4 D-Men I think Girard and his $5 Million dollars might be a luxury the Avs can no longer afford to have.
Now the Avalanche have a stacked blueline right now with Toews and Makar on line one and Byram who I just mentioned above with Manson on the 2nd pair to round out the top 4 in Colorado, so the Avalanche have a really good 3rd pair defensemen in Girard who can come up and play in the top 4 if there is a injury, but with the Avs having MacDermid and maybe Erik Johnson wanting to be back, they could have a solid 3rd pair without Girard and with the Avs up against the cap and Girard making $5 Million dollars i think he is a luxury the Avalanche will not be able to have past this offseason, so with Girard expendable because if the depth on defence, I think Girard will move at some point. Now he is making $5 Million for the next 4 years and while that is probably too much for the Avs to pay a 3rd pair defensemen, for another team looking for some offence on the blueline and has some cap space I think Girard would be a perfect fit, and I think if Girard could be involved as part of a trade package that sends the Avalanche a upgrade in their top 6 I think they would do it as Girard is a good defender but with the emergence of Byram it makes him expendable and I just can’t see the Avs pay a 3rd pair defensemen $5 Million dollars when they have a much forward group, so if their is a team out their looking for help on the blueline, then I think they could look at Girard as a trade option and if the Av’s can move him to help their forward group I think they would jump on the chance to do so.
Jasen Vinlove USA Today Sports
.4) Add a top 6 forward to replace Landeskog.
Now the Avalanche did not have captain Gabe Landeskog the entire season this year due to injuries and it was a big blow to the teams top 6, and then during the playoffs the Avalanche announced that he wouldn’t play at all next year either which has the Avs down a top 6 winger for next year and with his contract LTIR eligible, I wonder if they use that money to get a short term replacement.
Now the Avalanche had already lost a solid winger in Burakovsky before this year started and never really replaced him and I think if it was just Burakovsky in the top 6 they could’ve made do, but they also lost Landeskog due to injuries sustained in the team cup final run and he was out the entire season and their playoff series so losing him was a huge blow to the Avs as Landeskog is the teams captain and a big part of the offense their and now we also have confirmation that he will miss the entire season next year as well, so the Avs are losing a solid point producer and team leader for the next year and that will be a huge blow to the team, but his contract is LTIR eligible and the Avalanche could place his $7 Million dollars on LTIR and look for a short term replacement with that money. Now there is no replacing Landeskog as he is a big piece to that team but they could add a forward who can play in the top 6 and help the Av’s o replace some of the production left by Landeskog, now the Avalanche don’t have a overly great amount of prospects or picks but they do have some, and I think if they were to go for a trade it would be someone in the final year of their deal, so maybe like a Nylander, Wheeler or Reinhart, but if they were looking at free agency then maybe a guy like Kane, Killorn or Bertuzzi is who they look at as all three could be solid 2nd line wingers and would help produce a lot, but whether the team goes the free agent route or gets a deal done via trade, I think getting a short term option in the top 6 on the wing to help replace Landeskog would be the smart move as the offense wasn’t as good this year without Landeskog and I think adding some top 6 help could really make the Av’s better this year.
.5) Bring in some depth players to add to their roster.
Now some of the Avs depth both on the offensive and defensive side of the puck are Pending UFA’s right now like the Johnson’s on the backend and guys like Compher, Cogliano and Helm on the forward group, and the depth was a strong suit when they won the cup so I think they will try to bring back any bottom 6 or 3rd pair player that wants to come back on a cheap deal and maybe bring in some other ones this offseason.
Now the Avalanche had a lot of solid depth in the 21-22 season and was a significant factor in them winning the cup that year, but last year due to the players they lost and injuries they weren’t that deep of a team and now guys like Rodrigues, Compher, Helm and Cogliano on the forward group and the Johnson’s on the defensive side are all pending UFA’s and may not be back which leaves the Av’s with a depth problem. So now I don’t think all of those players will leave as I could see a guy like Helm or Erik Johnson stick around on a cheap 1-2 year deal as both players have done really well with the Av’s and I think would still do really as good depth pieces, but I could see them look to the free agent market as well to maybe get some depth players as on the defensive end guys like Holl, Kulikov and Hamonic Oiler be good value pickups for the Avalanche and wouldn’t be too expensive to sign, while in the forward group, guys like Lucic, Foligno, Johnsson and Ritchie could all be good additions as all would be at least good 4th line forward and f some of those guys could also work on line 3, so I think the Avalanche need some more depth for next year and on top of bringing some of their players back, I think adding a couple via free agency on cheap deals could really help round out that Avalanche team for next year.
So in my opinion if the Avalanche can go out and get a experienced 2nd line Center, as well as a short term top 6 winger to replace Landeskog, then if they can sign Newhook and Byram and trade Girard to help add some pieces and then regain a bit of depth be bringing back some players and signing some free agents to cheap deals and I think if they could fo this to round out the team and then add a couple more offensive players with Landeskog on LTIR and Girard possibly being moved to free up cap space, and I think the Avalanche could do much better next year as not having Landeskog, Kadri and Burakovsky last year hurt that team, so if they add some top 6 help and get some depth players to round out the roster I think there is a strong chance the Avalanche would not only make it back to the playoffs next year, but also get past the 1RD and continue to be a Stanley Cup Contender.
And if you like this blog post, then check out my YouTube video about Colorado’s offseason right here. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=v-uquFC1hgA
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