After a first-round exit from the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Avs proceed into a longer offseason than last year. Here are the five most pressing questions Colorado must address.
1. 84.875 million problems and no solutions yet?
Mystery shrouds two of the Avalanche’s most expensive contracts. Will Gabriel Landeskog and/or Valeri Nichushkin be on the ice for the opening night in October? Or will there at least be more clarity about their situations by then?
Landeskog has been seeking a solution to his chronic right knee injury that dates back to the COVID-19 bubble and kept him out the entire 2022-23 season. Before the playoffs, he said “it very well could linger into next year” and said another surgery is an option. It would be his fourth surgery since 2020 when a skate blade slashed him and caused initial damage to the cartilage under his patella. Landeskog’s average annual value for the next six years is $7 million.
Meanwhile, the Avs remain silent on Nichushkin, who was named in a police report during the first round and left Seattle the day of the incident. Despite the continued lack of a criminal investigation against Nichushkin, his whereabouts are unclear. Perhaps he’ll be back by training camp and the Avs will pretend it’s business as usual, but the circumstances surrounding his disappearance are confusing and somewhat ominous for now. He’s under contract for seven more seasons. His cap hit combined with Landeskog’s comes out to $13.125 million for the next six years.
2. Rinse, repeat: Who will be Colorado’s second-line center?
Time to play the hits. After Nazem Kadri walked, the Avalanche briefly experimented with Alex Newhook then settled on J.T. Compher at 2C this past season. Compher is a capable two-way center who was solid in that role, although his offensive game wasn’t Kadri 2021-22 level. But it was also a contract year for Compher, who was making $3.5 million. He’s set for a bigger payday this offseason, and Colorado is likely not the team best equipped to manage his next contract.
So Chris MacFarland and Joe Sakic find themselves right back where they started after hoisting the Stanley Cup. Is there any way to bring Compher back? Or can the Avalanche find a new 2C in free agency or via the offseason trade market?
3. How will the Avs approach Devon Toews in a contract year?
Unrestricted free agency is nearing the horizon for one of Colorado’s most important core players. Last summer, the Avalanche and Nathan MacKinnon agreed to an extension before his contract year began, zapping any distractions and making MacKinnon the NHL’s highest-paid player for the upcoming 2023-24 season. As that goes into effect, the cap begins to take its toll even more on Colorado’s championship window.
This season will be the last of Toews’ current team-friendly deal with a $4.1 million AAV. He was one of the most valuable players of the Cup run and remains one of the most reliable defensemen in the sport. After this season he might be priced out of Colorado’s range.
Do the Avs try to extend him this offseason, knowing it could have ripple effects on their ability to afford a Mikko Rantanen extension a year later? Do they trade other contracts to try clearing space for Toews in advance? Or might Colorado even do the unthinkable and consider trading Toews to get something back if they know they won’t be able to pay him?
4. What will Colorado’s restricted free agents make?
What will the contracts look like for Newhook and Bo Byram as their entry-level deals end?
Byram’s upside is extraordinary, and the 21-year-old defenseman already handles big responsibility. The one risk is that he hasn’t played a full season yet due to various injuries.
As for Newhook, the 2C tryout was clearly premature, but he’s already a two-time 30-point scorer with room to grow. Will both 2019 draft picks end up on cheaper bridge deals or longer-term contracts with a greater dollar amount?
5. Big or small changes on the margins?
Rule of thumb in hockey or any professional sport: Don’t get eliminated early in the playoffs for the same reason two years in a row. For the Avalanche, it’s forward depth. The front office must address the goal total (0) from the bottom six in a seven-game series.
UFA forwards are plentiful: Darren Helm, Andrew Cogliano, Lars Eller, Matt Nieto, Evan Rodrigues. Denis Malgin is an arbitration-eligible RFA. There’s potential for sweeping changes. Which players will Colorado keep?
