Colorado Avalanche's salary cap crunch could shake up the entire roster heading into next season
Photo credit: (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post)
The Colorado Avalanche are dealing with a tight salary cap, which could restrict their moves in this summer's free-agent market.
Even though the salary cap is set to increase to $95.5 million, according to PuckPedia, the Avalanche could face challenges because of the many free agents they need to re-sign before next season.
Colorado Avalanche's salary cap crunch could shake up the roster entirely for next season.
Nestor Quixtan from Mile High Sticking writes that the biggest uncertainty is Brock Nelson. Coming off a six-year. $36 million contract, Nelson will be seeking another multi-year deal and will probably expect a similar average annual value as his previous contract.
"Then, there's Jonathan Drouin. Drouin is coming off a one-year, $2.5 million cap hit. His cap hit is much more manageable than Nelson's, but he will still cost somewhere between $2 to $3 million per season." -Quixtan
The final major unrestricted free agent adding complexity for the Avalanche is another trade deadline pickup: Ryan Lindgren. He's finishing a one-year contract with a $4.5 million cap hit this season.
"That situation means the Avalanche will need to pay out roughly $13 million with an estimated $8.7 million in cap space, factoring in the cap increase." -Quixtan
If the Avalanche can't find innovative ways to stay under the salary cap, they'll be forced to make tough decisions on which players to retain and which ones to let go.
"Last summer, the Avalanche were playing with house money. They had two big contracts on LTIR. First, they had Gabe Landeskog's $7 million cap hit on hold. They also had Valeri Nichushkin's $6.125 million on ice due to his suspension." -Quixtan
The Avalanche won't have their cushion next season. With Nichushkin back since last November and Landeskog returning for the playoffs, it's unlikely either will qualify for LTIR relief anytime soon.
My suggestion would be not to rush into free-agent frenzy. While plenty of teams will chase the top names, the Avalanche simply can't afford to overspend with their current cap situation. Patience and precision will be key this offseason.
Previously on Avalanche Insider
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MAI 27 | 21 ANSWERS Colorado Avalanche's salary cap crunch could shake up the entire roster heading into next season Do you think the Avalanche need to sign Brock Nelson in the offseason? | ||
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