Sources confirm Avalanche still cooking up massive offseason surprise
Photo credit: Dave Sandford / NHLI
After a relatively quiet beginning to the offseason, the Colorado Avalanche are reportedly still aiming to bolster their bottom-six forward group with added depth ahead of next season.
The Avalanche have had a low-key offseason compared to other teams across the league. Aside from the Brent Burns signing and Charlie Coyle trade, the team has largely stayed under the radar.
Avalanche still cooking up massive deal.
Nestor Quixtan from Mile High Sticking writes that as things currently stand, the Avalanche's top six appears locked in. The first line is expected to feature Nathan MacKinnon centuring Artturi Lehkonen and Martin Necas.
The second line projects to have Brock Nelson between captain Gabriel Landeskog and Valeri Nichushkin, bringing a tough, physical edge along with the reliable secondary scoring needed to complement MacKinnon's star power.
"But it's the bottom six where things get a little dicey. Keeping Jack Drury over Charlie Coyle was a good move in my estimation. While Coyle is a solid middle-six center, the Avalanche needed someone who could play up and down the lineup. Drury does that. He can slide into the fourth line or perhaps jump to the second line in a pinch." -Quixtan
Outside of Drury, the Avalanche appear to be working with a "ragtag" group. Ivan Ivan might get a solid opportunity this season, likely slotting into the third line alongside Ross Colton. If not for his hip surgery, Logan O'Connor would probably be part of that third-line mix instead.
Avalanche fans shouldn't be surprised if the team brings in a couple of veteran depth forwards before the summer wraps up. These likely won't be headline-grabbing signings, but more low-key additions to round out the roster.
"For instance, a player like Luke Kunin, Joe Veleno, Oliver Wahlstrom, or even Daniel Sprong could join the club on a cheap, one-year deal. The Avalanche will need to add players such as these, as depth is so important over the course of a long NHL season." -Quixtan
Even though the Avalanche still have over $4 million in cap space, they can't justify spending it all on a single free agent like Jack Roslovic. While he could be a solid pickup, last season made it clear that building strong depth across the lineup is far more important.
| POLL | ||
JUILLET 16 | 33 ANSWERS Sources confirm Avalanche still cooking up massive offseason surprise Do you think the Avalanche make another big signing before the start of the season? | ||
| yes | 23 | 69.7 % |
| no | 10 | 30.3 % |
| List of polls | ||
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