The shocking truth behind the Avalanche biggest offseason blockbuster trade finally exposed
Photo credit: ColoradoHockeyNow.com
The Colorado Avalanche made it clear they wouldn't part with Charlie Coyle unless presented with an offer that truly amazed them.
That was the stance from the very beginning of the offseason, right when teams began showing interest in Colorado's experienced third-line center.
The shocking truth behind the Avalanche biggest offseason trade.
Aarif Deen from Colorado Hockey Now writes that with limited options available, any team seeking depth at the position would have to overpay beyond the typical price for a player of Coyle's caliber. But there was more beneath the surface.
NHL insider Elliotte Friedman recently revealed on Sportsnet's 32 Thoughts podcast that the Avalanche were using Coyle as leverage to free up cap space by moving another contract.
«The thing I heard about Coyle is that, Colorado made it very clear that if you were going to get him, you were probably going to have to take Miles Wood, too. Wood needed a change of scenery, it just didn't work out in Colorado. Columbus could do that. That is one way that Columbus' cap flexibility won the day for them. They got Coyle because they were willing to take Wood. -Friedman
In the end, over the course of just three months, the Avalanche capitalized on Coyle's value to offload two problematic contracts that weren't fitting their plans.
"Colorado got Coyle and a fifth-round draft pick from the Boston Bruins in a deal for Will Zellers, a second-round draft pick, and Casey Mittelstadt, who was on the first of a three-year deal paying him $5.75 million per season. Mittelstadt is already slotted in as the third-best center on Boston's depth chart, behind Elias Lindholm and Pavel Zacha. There's no saying if he'll fit in on that team." -Deen
Was it an overpay? Possibly, especially if you factor in what Colorado originally gave up to acquire Mittelstadt. However, parting with a mid-level prospect and a second-round pick was a smart move to move on from a player who wasn't fitting their system and was taking up significant cap space.
"When you consider that Columbus gave up a prospect better than Zellers in Gavin Brindley, in addition to a second-round draft pick and a third-round draft pick, it's a great deal for Coyle, who was slotted in as a third-line center. And it also meant moving on from Wood." -Deen
When it was all said and done, it's a smart, clean piece of business that finally gives Colorado the cap flexibility they haven't had since their Stanley Cup victory in 2022.
| POLL | ||
JUILLET 8 | 27 ANSWERS The shocking truth behind the Avalanche biggest offseason blockbuster trade finally exposed Should the Avalanche have kept veteran forward Charlie Coyle? | ||
| yes | 9 | 33.3 % |
| no | 18 | 66.7 % |
| List of polls | ||
TRENDING NOW
