Trouble is brewing in Colorado and Avalanche fans should be worried heading into the offseason
Photo credit: AP Photo / David Zalubowski
The Colorado Avalanche have been out of action for six weeks, but the rest of the NHL wrapped up on Tuesday with the Florida Panthers claiming their second consecutive Stanley Cup.
The result puts the spotlight back on Colorado, long seen as a Cup contender, to make the right offseason decisions and get back on track. The challenge? They won't have flexibility to work with.
Trouble is brewing in Colorado this offseason.
Trent Finnegan from $1.2 million in available space, per Spotrac, the Avalanche sit at the very bottom of the league, 32nd overall, in terms of financial flexibility. And that figure doesn't even factor in several key contributors who are set to become free agents in the coming weeks.
"The team's unrestricted free agents are as follows: Jonathan Drouin, Joel Kiviranta, Ryan Lindgren, Erik Johnson, Jere Innala, Jimmy Vesey, Jack Ahcan, Adam Scheel, T.J. Tynan, Calle Rosen, Matthew Phillips, and Chris Wagner." -Finnegan
While none of the names hitting free agency are hude stars, Kiviranta was a regular in the lineup, and Drouin had an impressive run, producing nearly a point per game during the regular season.
The reality is, the Avalanche did much of their heavy lifting ahead of the trade deadline, most notably by dealing then-pending free agent Mikko Rantanen and parting with draft picks in exchange for immediate help. As a result, Colorado isn't scheduled to make a selection in next week's NHL Draft until late in the fourth round.
"Looking around at the other teams with precarious positions toward the salary cap limit shows that it's some of the best teams in the league. Both the Dallas Stars and Tampa Bay Lightning join Colorado as the teams at the bottom for cap space, and each, like the Avs, are some of the bookmakers' darlings for next year's title." -Finnegan
It's worth remembering the Avalanche were just one period away from reaching the second round, only to be eliminated by a fired-up Rantanen and the Stars. Colorado has now reached the playoffs eight seasons in a row but has only made it beyond the second round once, during their 2022 Stanley Cup run. Navigating the path back to contention will be a delicate balancing act for GM Chris MacFarland.
Previously on Avalanche Insider
| POLL | ||
JUIN 18 | 31 ANSWERS Trouble is brewing in Colorado and Avalanche fans should be worried heading into the offseason Do you think the Avalanche will make a big trade this offseason? | ||
| yes | 22 | 71 % |
| no | 9 | 29 % |
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