A trade-deadline primer for the Colorado Avalanche

As we enter the middle of March, the trade deadline is inching closer. Where does each team stand and what moves should they be looking to make?  We continue our look around the league with the Colorado Avalanche.

Avalanche general manager Joe Sakic is widely heralded as one of the best in the league, and it’s easy to see why. His squad is once again in contention for a President’s Trophy and/or deep Stanley Cup Playoffs run despite some tough injury luck throughout the season. He truly hit it out of the park again this offseason, signing franchise cornerstones Gabriel Landeskog and Cale Makar to cap-friendly long-term contracts. (And, while the cost of acquisition was steep, the Darcy Kuemper trade is starting to pay off.) With a tad more salary-cap flexibility than some other contenders, Sakic has the chance now to add another player to the mix to push the squad over the top. After that point, though, it’s up to head coach Jared Bednar and the players to ensure the Avalanche get past the second round for the first time in 20 years.

Record

41-13-5, 1st in the Central

Deadline status

Buyers

Deadline cap space

$3.17M today, $3.89M in full-season space by the deadline, 0/3 retention slots used, 45/50 contracts used, per CapFriendly

Upcoming draft picks

2022: COL 3rd, COL 5th, COL 6th, COL 7th
2023: COL 1st, COL 2nd, COL 3rd, COL 5th, COL 6th, COL 7th

Trade chips

Building an elite team doesn’t come cheap. That’s evidenced by an empty cupboard of upcoming draft picks, especially in the upcoming 2022 NHL Draft with just four selections. The asset pool the Avs have to deal from likely revolves mainly around their prospect pool in order to keep their active roster intact.

That doesn’t mean the Avs couldn’t look to deal from their 2023 cupboard, however. Their 2023 first-round selection could absolutely be on the trade block, especially if the organization decides to go all-in on a big-name acquisition. While the Avs are certainly about to feel the effects of a lack of draft picks in recent seasons, the time to win in Denver is now. Only three forwards (Mikko Rantanen, Gabriel Landeskog, Logan O’Connor) are under contract past 2023, and the team is likely in the most favorable salary-cap position they’ll see for quite some time. Despite a deep class in 2023, the Avs shouldn’t have too much hesitation about moving their first-round choice at this year’s deadline.

Contenders don’t love to deal players off their active roster if they can help it, and since the Avs have some salary-cap flexibility, they likely won’t need to. That means top youngsters Alex Newhook and Bowen Byram are unlikely to depart the organization this month. That doesn’t mean, though, that there aren’t some other players in the Avs organization of interest to other teams.

For trade partners looking to add to their defense pool, there’s Justin Barron. The skilled two-way defenseman was selected 25th overall in 2020 and made his NHL debut this season, getting two games with the big club in his first full professional season. After captaining the QMJHL’s Halifax Mooseheads and representing Canada at the IIHF World Junior Championships last season, he’s notched five goals and 14 assists for 19 points in 40 AHL games with the Colorado Eagles. A safe bet to grow into a dependable top-four defenseman, he likely carries the most trade value of any Avalanche prospect heading into the deadline.

Another name to watch, and perhaps the most likely to be dealt, is forward Martin Kaut. The 22-year-old, whom Colorado drafted 16th overall in 2018, has seen NHL action in each of the past three seasons, especially looking promising with three points in nine games back in 2019-20. In 11 NHL games since then, though, he’s been held pointless, and his production at the AHL level this season has somewhat stagnated with 11 goals and 18 points in 30 games. While he most definitely still has top-nine upside, it’s possible that his value to the organization’s likelihood of winning a Stanley Cup is higher in a trade than in keeping him around.

Others to watch for: F Shane Bowers, F Sampo Ranta, F Oskar Olausson, F Alex Beaucage, G Justus Annunen

Team needs

1) Bottom-six forward: The Avalanche would love a little more offensive production out of their bottom-six forward group. How they go about getting that at the deadline, though, could either be through simply a depth acquisition or a trickle-down effect from a bigger name. If Colorado does go out and acquire Claude Giroux, as has been rumored for weeks now, then a fully healthy Avalanche squad would likely see Valeri Nichushkin, who has 31 points in 41 games, pushed back down to a bottom-six role. One of the most underrated two-way wingers in the game, he’d help create matchup nightmares for opposing coaches in the playoffs.

2) Depth defenseman: Concussion symptoms have likely taken the young Byram out of the picture for the remainder of the year, and with Samuel Girard struggling at times this season, Colorado has had to rely on players like Jack Johnson and Kurtis MacDermid probably more than it would like to. While Erik Johnson has been a huge boost this year, overcoming past health issues to play in all 59 of the team’s games this season, his luck with injuries (especially in the playoffs) is also a concern. A high-end third-pair defenseman would be the ideal security blanket for this Colorado defense in case of injury or poor play.