Before casting aspersions on the Avalanche front office for its lack of 2023 trade deadline deals, it might be wise to observe other playoff results.
Colorado’s early elimination against scrappy Seattle was unexpected and inadequate for a team with proven championship credentials, but at least it didn’t cost as much as New York’s first-round exit. Or Boston’s, or Tampa’s.
The Rangers, Bruins and Lightning were three of the heavy spenders at the trade deadline in March. Turns out rentals were a waste of time in a season this unpredictable.
Boston’s Game 7 overtime loss to the Florida Panthers — the same night Colorado’s season ended — would have been a historic upset even if the Bruins had done nothing at the deadline. But with Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci already on expiring contracts, the winningest team in NHL regular-season history went all-in. It landed Tyler Bertuzzi from Detroit and Dmitri Orlov and Garnet Hathaway from Washington. All three are about to be UFAs. The total cost? Two first-round picks (2023 and 2024), a second-round pick (2025), a third-rounder (2024), a fourth-rounder (2025) and veteran wing Craig Smith.
The Bruins’ core is on the verge of collapse, and they’re poorly positioned to retool. All for a blown 3-1 first-round series lead.
The Rangers’ seven-game loss to New Jersey stings almost as much from a deadline standpoint. They traded for two Stanley Cup champion forwards in Patrick Kane and Vladimir Tarasenko. Total cost: a conditional first-round pick (2023), a conditional second-round pick (2023), a conditional third-round pick (2025), two fourth-rounders (2024 and 2025), forward Sammy Blais and two AHL defensemen. New York is in cap trouble, too, making it difficult to re-sign Tarasenko. Kane is far past his prime.
Even the Lightning got torched. They acquired Tanner Jeannot from Nashville at the end of an entry-level contract. At least that was a future investment as well, but it still cost Tampa five draft picks (including a 2025 first) and Cal Foote. Toronto wiped out Tampa in six.
The Maple Leafs, of course, are prime counterargument No. 1. They’ve been rewarded so far for their audacity at the trade deadline, especially by Ryan O’Reilly’s help in exorcising first-round demons. But this was the kind of desperate deadline that predicates a Cup-or-bust postseason, so the final returns are T.B.D. for Toronto general manager Kyle Dubas.
The Avalanche sold the farm as well over the course of multiple years, culminating at the 2022 deadline. The difference between them and New York/Boston? Colorado was rewarded with a ring. This year’s early ending was a direct consequence of the Stanley Cup title in many ways, but it’s difficult to argue the cost wasn’t worth it. The Avalanche’s front office has demonstrated a sharp instinct for using its trade assets at the right moments. Maybe this offseason or next year’s deadline will be one of those.
For this year’s Bruins and Rangers especially, hindsight bias has a painful bite.
Thoughts on what the 2022-23 season means
My rookie season as an NHL writer has reached its end, admittedly sooner than I thought it would when I started last October. I owe a big thank you to everyone who joined me for the ride and read my coverage the last seven months. I’m stoked to be back for more after a little recharge time this offseason.
Against my better judgment, I’ve noticed a vocal faction of Avalanche fans on the internet getting riled up about any negative coverage this week. It’s also probably against my better judgment to give any credence to that here, but I think it provides a chance to briefly attempt to fit this season into the context of the current Avalanche era.
A first-round loss after a championship can be both a major disappointment worthy of criticism and potentially just a small blip in an era of contending for Stanley Cups. Chicago and Los Angeles both hoisted multiple Cups in the 2010s, always with a year in between. Losing in the first round will have no bearing on how the hockey world views the Avalanche entering the 2023-24 season — as one of the best-equipped teams to win the West.
Yes, there are crucial roster-building questions to address, but I think the Avs will always be feared while Cale Makar, Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen are here. Does that mean they’re exempt from criticism after a first-round clunker? Nope. Does a step backward while dealing with injuries, scheduling obstacles, cap hurdles and a short offseason mean they’re done for? Nope.
I’m fascinated to see how the top-end players look after a longer break. Makar in particular, after his string of recent injuries. He was third on my Norris ballot despite missing a quarter of the season. This core doesn’t lack hunger just because it has won a Cup. That much was clear from Makar’s solemn demeanor after Game 7.
Until then, keep an eye out for offseason coverage, and thanks for reading.
