Fans left scratching their head after Avalanche fail to address key offseason needs
Photo credit: C. Morgan Engel / Mile High Sticking
After a very underwhelming start to the offseason, Avalanche fans are still concerned that Colorado GM Chris MacFarland still hasn't addressed the team's key roster needs for next season.
The offseason report card is in, and the Avalanche find themselves exactly where you'd expect after a quiet and underwhelming summer.
Avalanche fail to address roster needs.
Analeez Atencio from Mile High Sticking writes that earlier this week, ESPN dropped its offseason report card, grading every NHL team, and surprisingly, the Avalanche landed right in the middle with a plain C.
"While the grade isn't something to necessarily celebrate and it certainly isn't what Avs fans will still want to see come October, it also isn't a total failure on management's part and could indicate bigger moves to come. Colorado had little they could do with the lackluster state of the free agency market and after seeing the terms of the this year's biggest name on the market, Nikolaj Ehlers, the Avs and their cap space had no chance of landing the forward." -Atencio
Looking ahead, they'll need to lean on savvy trades and affordable deals with their remaining unsigned free agents to be fully prepared for the regular season.
After inking defenseman, Josh Manson to a two-year extension worth $3.95 million, Colorado now has $4,123,333 in cap space, giving them ample flexibility to make additional moves ahead of the season and potentially boost that mediocre C grade if they hope to stay competitive this year.
"The biggest worry in ESPN's grade for Colorado is where it lands them compared to their division rivals. In the central division, both the St. Louis Blues and Utah Mammoth walked away with A's while the Minnesota Wild, Nashville Predators, and Winnipeg Jets all hit above the Avs with B minuses. The Chicago Blackhawks and Dallas Stars both received C's. On this basis, in order to compete with the majority of their division, Colorado needs to bump their grade up to at least a B minus." -Atencio
Colorado has yet to directly address the power play struggles that played a key role in their early playoff exit last season. While they've made some coaching changes, including the addition of assistant head coach Dave Hakstol, it remains unclear who will be in charge of the power play heading into the 2025-26 campaign.
On top of that, the Avs still have several free agents they could potentially bring back, including veteran blueliner Erik Johnson. According to team management, discussions with their free agents are ongoing, but they're opting to wait and see how the player market evolves over the remainder of the offseason.
| POLL | ||
JUILLET 13 | 25 ANSWERS Fans left scratching their head after Avalanche fail to address key offseason needs Do you think the Avalanche are better than they were last season? | ||
| yes | 15 | 60 % |
| no | 10 | 40 % |
| List of polls | ||
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