Avalanche’s five biggest questions for the offseason

No other team in the NHL has three players in the prime of their careers at the level of Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar and Mikko Rantanen.

Conversely, no other team that fancied itself a Stanley Cup contender during the 2024 playoffs has the type of uncertainty awaiting it this offseason like the Colorado Avalanche. Sure, other great teams will have top players to sign or replace, but there’s a different type of unease in Denver about the offseason and years to come.

As Avs coach Jared Bednar put it after his team was eliminated in a 2-1 double-overtime loss to the Dallas Stars at Ball Arena late Friday night, what happens with two of the club’s most expensive and, when available, important players, is a question that can’t be answered right now. It will almost assuredly be a challenge for general manager Chris MacFarland and his staff to try and retool this roster between now and opening night for the 2024-25 campaign.

Let’s start with the two obvious ones, but also dig into the other biggest questions McFarland, Bednar and Co. are facing:

1. What’s next for Gabe Landeskog?

Bednar said the Avs weren’t that close to getting Landeskog back when the season ended. He hasn’t played for two full seasons now but has been skating for months. The recovery time for his rare procedure from last May was 12-16 months. That means, even on the long end, he should be ready to go by training camp.

What the Avs’ captain will actually be if he can return is another massive question with contention-window-altering potential. But step one is just getting back.

“I think he got to the point where it was like he wasn’t going to be able to play this year so then they can be cautious and he has this summer to get ready,” Bednar said. “It’s been a long road for him. I’d like nothing more than to see him be able to come back and play. And I think that can happen. If anyone can do it, Gabe can do it.”

2. What about Valeri Nichushkin?

For Nichushkin on a personal level, the most important development is getting the help he needs, regardless of what happens with his hockey career. For the Avs from a team-building perspective, there aren’t any answers right now.

He will be suspended until at least mid-November, if not longer. His contract will not count against the salary cap this summer, but as of today, the Avs will still need to have at least $6.125 million in space available when he’s reinstated.

It does give Colorado a little bit of flexibility. Let’s say the Avs wanted to swing two moves like the trades for Casey Mittelstadt and Sean Walker. They could make one and go “over” the self-imposed cap that will eventually include Nichushkin’s number, and have time to make another to get back “under.”

A league source told Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic that what has transpired to date is not grounds for a potential contract termination.

But the future of Nichushkin in Colorado certainly remains in doubt. How will a locker room, which prides itself on setting the highest of accountability standards, welcome him back? How will he regain the trust of people like MacFarland, Bednar and maybe most of all Landeskog, MacKinnon and Makar?

3. How much cap space will the Avs have?

The cap ceiling for 2024-25 is not set yet, but it’s expected to be $87.7 million, per several reports. Colorado currently has about $71.78 million committed to 14 players. That’s 12 guys who played in the playoffs, plus Landeskog and Logan O’Connor, but does not include Nichushkin.

So that’s about $15.92 million in space today, but more like $9.8 million when accounting for Nichushkin’s return. Casey Mittelstadt is the lone restricted free agent, and where his deal ends up, if the Avs can get it done early, would provide a lot of clarity about what Colorado can do with any of the eight unrestricted free agents or adding through trades.

There could also be some long-term planning involved, because Rantanen and Alexandar Georgiev are entering the final year of their contracts and will be eligible for extensions July 1.

4. Can they bring back Jonathan Drouin?

Drouin is the headliner among the UFAs. Zach Parise has already said he’s retiring. Andrew Cogliano said Saturday morning he hasn’t decided yet. Jack Johnson told The Denver Post recently that he definitely wants to keep playing.

Sean Walker was a solid fit, but his offensive numbers this season could price him out of what the Avs can afford for a No. 5 defenseman. Drouin has been a wonderful fit, and the uncertainty with Nichushkin and Landeskog makes retaining him or finding another top-six wing the No. 1 short-term priority. Contracts for Rantanen and Mittelstadt are the top long-term deals.

Drouin said that he wants to come back. His coach certainly wants him back. It shouldn’t be hard to guess what the guy who just scored 140 points thinks about his longtime buddy.