Avalanche left exposed after massive offseason departure
Photo credit: NHL.com
The Colorado Avalanche need to decide who will take over Jonathan Drouin.
Drouin left the team on the opening day of NHL free agency by signing a two-year contract with the New York Islanders.
Avalanche left exposed as Drouin walks in free agency.
Graham Tiedtke from Mile High Sticking writes that the Avalanche initially slotted Drouin on the second line, but he eventually earned a spot on the top line alongisde Nathan MacKinnon for much of his time in Colorado. Over two seasons, Drouin appeared in 122 games, tallying 30 goals and 63 assists, decent numbers at a glance. However, after missing only three games in his first year, injuries limited him to just 39 appearances this past season.
"Durability was a concern after last season's outing, so it makes some sense in that regard that the Avalanche chose not to sign him back. With Drouin no longer on the team, the Avalanche have to figure out who will replace him." -Tiedtke
The burning question now is how should the Avalanche replace Drouin?
Colorado is optimistic that Gabriel Landeskog will be ready for the 2025-26 season after making his return in the playoffs with the Avalanche, following a brief two-game stint with the Eagles. He's currently penciled in as the second-line left wing, with Artturi Lehkonen holding down the top-line left wing position.
"It remains to be seen whether or not the Avalanche will ever move Martin Necas, who was reportedly unhappy with his role on the team last year (though I do question how real those rumours actually were, since we haven't heard anything for a while). For now, it's a situation that fans and media will be monitoring until some developments come along." -Tiedtke
Who knows, the Avalanche might still bring in another piece. But even if they don't, maintaining continuity across the top two lines wouldn't be the worst outcome.
It's possible that Drouin's replacement is already on the roster, and maybe it's someone flying completely under the radar. We'll have to wait and see.
| POLL | ||
JUILLET 3 | 29 ANSWERS Avalanche left exposed after massive offseason departure Do the Avalanche need to sign someone this offseason to replace Drouin? | ||
| yes | 27 | 93.1 % |
| no | 2 | 6.9 % |
| List of polls | ||
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