Recent report reveals why the Avalanche's offseason just took a turn for the worse
Photo credit: Andy Devlin / NHLI
The Colorado Avalanche's worst-case scenario in this summer's NHL free agency could involve cap space constraints that leave them unable to make key upgrades heading into next season.
The Avalanche are facing the league's tightest cap crunch with only $1.2 million in available space. That leaves them little flexibility for direct roster moves. Still, Colorado might be able to navigate the situation by strategically shifting assets.
Recent report reveals why the Avalanche's offseason just took a turn for the worse.
RB Hayek from Clutchpoints.com writes that the Avalanche locked up Brock Nelson to an extension last week, and need to do the same with star forward Martin Necas. Although Necas is under contract for one more season, he's set to hit free agency next summer.
With recent reports going around confirming that he wasn't happy with his early experience in Colorado, management and fans should be very concerned.
"Necas went off after being acquired in a trade with the Carolina Hurricanes. Amazingly, he had terrific chemistry with Nathan MacKinnon and was an extraordinary prescience in front of the net, especially on the power play. The worst thing Colorado could do is let the upcoming season start without an extension in place. Horrifyingly, it can ultimately make them losers in the Mikko Rantanen trade." -Hayek
Necas is a key piece of the Avalanche's core, and letting him walk after next season would be major setback. Unfortunately, that scenario could come to pass if Colorado doesn't take proactive steps to secure his future with the team sooner rather than later.
And the same thing can be said about forward Jonathan Drouin.
"Drouin is an unrestricted free agent and might leave. So far, the Avs have not re-signed him. There is no telling if they will, especially as Drouin struggled with injuries this offseason." -Hayek
Drouin tallied 11 goals and 26 assists in just 43 games this past season, but his extended absence due to injury raises serious concerns. If the Avalanche decide to move on from him because of his durability issues, they'll need to find a suitable replacement. Losing a productive scorer without addressing the gap would be a costly mistake.
"While MacKinnon is one of the greatest players on the planet, the Avs still need bottom-six forwards who can produce while he is on the bench. Losing Drouin would be a blow, especially with no obvious replacement." -Hayek
We're definitely in for a very interesting offseason.
| POLL | ||
JUIN 8 | 41 ANSWERS Recent report reveals why the Avalanche's offseason just took a turn for the worse Are you concerned about Martin Necas' future with the Avalanche? | ||
| yes | 24 | 58.5 % |
| no | 17 | 41.5 % |
| List of polls | ||
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