Colorado Avalanche will be dealing with salary cap challenges this offseason
Photo credit: The New York Times
The Colorado Avalanche will face some challenges this offseason concerning the NHL salary cap.
The Avs were eliminated in the first round by the Dallas Stars in seven games, marking the third straight season they've fallen short of reaching the second round since capturing the Stanley Cup in 2022.
The Colorado Avalanche will have a busy offseason trying to make moves against the NHL salary cap.
The Avalanche have close to $87 million already allocated to 11 forwards, five defensemen, and two goalies for next season, leaving them with an estimated $8.7 million in cap space.
Marko Zlomislic from The Hockey Writers writes that the remaining amount will need to cover potential new contracts for key pending free agents such as Brock Nelson, Jonathan Drouin, Joel Kiviranta, Ryan Lindgren, and Sam Malinski, all of whom played regular roles during the season.
"Those five players alone collectively made $9.4 million against the Avalanche's cap in 2024-25, and that's with Nelson and Lindgren having half of their salaries retained in the trades which brought them to Denver. The full brunt of their deals would take the group of five to nearly $15 million collectively before any potential raises enter the picture, highlighting the work cut out for Colorado's front office this summer." -Zlomislic
Although it wasn't the sole reason for the Avalanche's early playoff exit, their lack of timely offense, especially from the middle of the lineup, was evident.
Charlie Coyle, Martin Necas, Jonathan Drouin, and Brock Nelson managed just two goals combined across seven games. Their struggles undercut standout performances from Nathan MacKinnon, who racked up seven goals and 11 points, and Logan O'Connor, who delivered an unexpected six-point series from the bottom six.
"The Avalanche's offseason objectives are clear: find a solution at second-line center, reconstruct a third line via free agency or trade, which could ideally push both Jack Drury and O'Connor to the fourth line, and completely revamp the blue line behind the first pair." -Zlomislic
Although the free agent market is tricky and filled with potential pitfalls, there are still some worthwhile bargains available. It'll be up to Avalanche GM Chris MacFarland to go and find them.
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MAI 20 | 24 ANSWERS Colorado Avalanche will be dealing with salary cap challenges this offseason Are you happy with the current Colorado Avalanche roster? | ||
| yes | 11 | 45.8 % |
| no | 13 | 54.2 % |
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