The 2024 NHL offseason started unofficially Wednesday with a flurry of transactions, as several teams decided they couldn’t wait until the end of the Stanley Cup Final to start reshaping rosters.
For the Colorado Avalanche, it’s an uncertain summer but there are holes to fill on a depth chart that still starts with one of the best cores in the league. There isn’t a lot of cap space available, so general manager Chris MacFarland and his staff will need to get creative.
So who might be available this offseason that could reasonably fit both how the Avs like to play and maybe most importantly right now, into their budget?
This is going to be a two-part primer. Let’s start with the forwards.
Returning regulars: Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen, Gabe Landeskog, Artturi Lehkonen, Logan O’Connor, Miles Wood, Ross Colton
Restricted free agents: Casey Mittelstadt, Jason Polin
Suspended: Valeri Nichushkin
Potential regulars: Nikolai Kovalenko, Chris Wagner, Jean-Luc Foudy, Jere Innala
Unrestricted free agents: Jonathan Drouin, Yakov Trenin, Brandon Duhaime, Andrew Cogliano, Joel Kiviranta, Fredrik Olofsson, Riley Tufte
As a reminder, Nichushkin’s $6.125 million cap hit does not count toward the club’s total while he’s suspended, which is until at least mid-November. The Avs can go over the $88 million limit excluding his contract, but they’ll need at least $6.125 million of room when he’s ready to come back.
Mittelstadt’s contract is the fulcrum for what the Avs can do between now and the start of the 2024-25 season, assuming there is no definitive update on Nichushkin’s status (or Landeskog’s).
If we include Nichushkin, fill out the fourth line with Kovalenko, Wagner and Foudy and add a veteran defenseman at the league minimum (either Jack Johnson or his replacement), the Avs have about $6.48 million in space left … but still need to sign Mittelstadt.
A few key questions: Will the Avs be willing to go past $88 million (including Nichushkin) and just worry about cap compliance in season? If so, who could be a reasonable replacement in the top six? Will the Avs look for another depth forward, or just let the internal candidates battle for roles at the start of the season?
| Left wing | Center | Right wing |
|---|---|---|
| Lehkonen | MacKinnon | Rantanen |
| (Nichushkin) | Mittelstadt | Landeskog |
| Wood | Colton | O’Connor |
| Kovalenko | Wagner | Foudy |
Who are some potential targets?
Top-six
Drouin — He wants to come back. The Avs want him back. The math looks difficult unless Drouin gives them a discount or the team moves an established regular to make room for him.
Jeff Skinner, Sabres — He’s a buyout candidate, according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. There is no perfect match to be next up at the Colorado Value Rebuilding School in the mold of Drouin, Nichushkin and Evan Rodrigues, but a bought-out Skinner would shoot to the top of the list. There would likely be plenty of competition for his services though.
Reilly Smith, Penguins — Josh Yohe of The Athletic reported that Smith didn’t want to be traded to Pittsburgh. He has a year left at $5 million, but perhaps the Avs could find a third party to launder some of the cap hit and Smith has a bounce-back season back in the West. Hey, we said the Avs need to be creative.
Yegor Sharangovich, Flames — Breakout season last year. Fits the mold of recent additions, and he’s at $3.1 million for next season and then an RFA. Might also be someone to think about near the trade deadline if Calgary continues to descend in the standings.
The musical chairs loser — Think Tomas Tatar from last summer, or Rodrigues two years ago. A forward who should get a sizable contract but gets squeezed out by the market. The Avs might need to wait until mid-July or later to find said player.
Depth guys
Kiviranta — Trenin and Duhaime are likely to get multi-year deals and price themselves out of Colorado’s market. Could Kiviranta, who was reliable but unremarkable at times during the regular season before a few strong games in the playoffs, be willing to come back on another one-year, league-minimum pact?
Tomas Nosek, Devils — Had a tough year in New Jersey, but has a track record as a solid fourth-line guy on playoff teams.
Steven Lorentz, Panthers — Fringe guy on a Cup finalist, but is a big, competitive player who killed penalties in San Jose and has playoff experience with Florida and Carolina. He’d earn praise as a locker-room chemistry guy as well.
A.J. Greer, Flames — A potential reunion? Greer has improved in his time away, earning 130 NHL games in the past two seasons. He’s a better player than Kurtis MacDermid, with plenty of fights on his resume.
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