Fans left stunned as Avalanche receive shocking offseason grade ahead of upcoming season
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Fans of the Colorado Avalanche are left stunned and buzzing with anticipation after the team received a shocking offseason grade, setting high expectations and plenty of speculation as the 2025-26 NHL season approaches.
On August 6, The Athletic published its 32-team review of salary cap management, giving the Avalanche a glowing assessment. The article examined how each team is handling their cap allocations heading into the new season.
Avalanche receive stunning offseason grade.
Nestor Quixtan from Mile High Sticking writes that The Athletic ranked the Avalanche third overall, just behind the Tampa Bay Lightning and Carolina Hurricanes, awarding them a stellar A+ grade.
"The grade is spurred by Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar's contracts. MacKinnon, as we've noted earlier, is among the best deals in the NHL. Meanwhile, Cale Makar's contract is considered a steal at this point. Of course, Makar will have a shot to renegotiate his cap hit in his next deal. But that's a story for another day." -Quixtan
The article goes on to point out that the Avalanche are virtually free of any 'problem contracts'...
"With Miles Wood out of the picture, the Avalanche no longer have any big problem contracts. Sure, the Brock Nelson and Josh Manson deals were slight overpays, but they were manageable ones on an otherwise great cap sheet."
Overall, the Avalanche have absolutely knocked it out of the park. Nearly every contract on the roster carries a positive surplus value, with MacKinnon and Makar alone combining for an impressive $49.9 million. Add Mackenzie Blackwood to the equation, and that total skyrockets to $65.1 million.
According to the Athletic's assessment, the Avalanche don't appear to have a single contract that could be considered "bad."
"The worst contracts on the roster are Jack Drury, Brock Nelson, and Scott Wedgewood. Drury's contract gets a C+. That's not bad, especially when it shows a negative surplus value of $100K. Sure, $100K is a lot of money, but it's a wash in pro sports. Wedgewood gets the same score." -Quixtan
Nelson's contract received a C grade, carrying a reported negative surplus value of $4.4 million.
However, that figure should be taken with a grain of salt, an impressive season next year could quickly turn the number positive, while a disappointing campaign would push it even further into the red.
"But then again, it's a calculated risk the Avalanche took when the team signed Nelson. If he crashes and burns, it won't be the end of the world. But the potential upside is just too good to pass up at this point." -Quixtan
All things considered, GM Chris MacFarland deserves plenty of credit. He's assembled a well-rounded roster that appears primed for a deep playoff run in 2025-26.
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