How will the Avalanche adjust this offseason after an early playoff exit?
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Following one of their most active trade deadlines since winning the Stanley Cup in 2022, the Colorado Avalanche came up short this spring, bowing out in the first round against the Dallas Stars.
Although the Avalanche moved on from Mikko Rantanen's $9.25 million salary and won't keep him past this season, Colorado still has just $8.7 million in cap space entering the offseason, with 18 players already under contract.
The Colorado Avalanche will have a lot of decisions to make this summer.
Brennan McClain from Pro Hockey Rumors writes that considering their limited cap space, it's doubtful the Avalanche will bring back Brock Nelson, Jonathan Drouin, Ryan Lindgren, Joel Kiviranta, Jimmy Vesey, or Erik Johnson.
"If Colorado doesn't bring back Nelson, they'll again peruse the trade and free agent markets for a second-line center." -McClain
Nelson showed decent production after joining the Avalanche, tallying six goals and 13 points in 19 regular-season games, plus four assists in seven playoff games. However, he is said to have turned down a three-year, $22.5 million offer from the Islanders, which means if he signs a similar deal elsewhere, Colorado would have little flexibility to retain him.
With a thin free-agent market for centers, the Avalanche will probably look to trades to fill that role. Unfortunately, having already parted with several assets at the 2024-25 trade deadline, they won't have much leverage to acquire a true second-line center from other teams.
"It is unlikely that Colorado will re-sign Lindgren beyond this season unless he agrees to a significantly lower salary than his current $4.5MM." -McClain
Ryan Lindgren's future with the Avalanche may hinge on Josh Manson's health, as Manson missed much of the 2024-25 season due to injury. If the team believes Manson will start the 2025-26 season on long-term injured reserve, they might be inclined to keep Lindgren, given his comparable playing style.
The last player that the Avalanche could shy away from is Joel Kiviranta. The Avs forward was certainly valuable to Colorado in the 2024-25 season, but the challenge lies in the unpredictability of his performance. He had a breakout year with 16 goals in 79 games and a 19.0% shooting percentage, which gave the Avalanche the flexibility to use him in various roles. However, significantly increasing his salary might be risky, given his career shooting percentage of just 8.1% over 219 games from 2019 to 2024.
Reports indicate that Drouin, Vesey, and Johnson are the three players most likely to remain with Colorado for at least another season. Notably, Drouin turned down longer-term contracts last summer in favor of a one-year, $2.5 million deal with the Avalanche this year.
"There's a good chance Drouin's injury history will drive other teams away from offering long-term deals this summer, meaning Colorado could re-sign him again on a below-market deal." -McClain
We'll have to wait and see what happens this summer. Stay tuned.
| POLL | ||
MAI 15 | 12 ANSWERS How will the Avalanche adjust this offseason after an early playoff exit? Who should the Colorado Avalanche prioritize in resigning this offseason? | ||
| Jonathan Drouin | 1 | 8.3 % |
| Brock Nelson | 4 | 33.3 % |
| Ryan Lindgren | 6 | 50 % |
| Joel Kiviranta | 1 | 8.3 % |
| List of polls | ||
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