With the Colorado Avalanche only having $1.2 million in cap space left after re-signing Brock Nelson, they will need to make some moves to free up cap space if they want to re-sign their pending unrestricted free agents or sign other players heading into free agency.
The Avalanche has a selection of contracts that they could look to move to free up some cap space, but how many of those cap hits need to be moved to make all of their offseason plans come to fruition?
Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli posted his updated top 30 player trade board, which includes those he sees as likely to be traded this summer. With the NHL Entry Draft slowly approaching and free agency looming over the horizon, recent trade deadline acquisition Charlie Coyle made Seravalli’s list, ranking him at 10th. Samuel Girard at 15th, and Martin Necas at 28th.
Charlie Coyle: 10th
“Scoop: There is arguably no team in a more precarious salary cap position than the Avalanche. They’re up against it. Down the middle, they have Nathan MacKinnon at $12.6m, now Brock Nelson locked up at $7.5m. Does that make Coyle a luxury at $5.25m playing in the 3C role? Many see it that way, which is why Coyle’s name percolated at the Scouting Combine last week in Buffalo. He is one of three Avs on the board as they look for flexibility.” Seravalli states.
Acquired at the trade deadline from the Boston Bruins, Coyle came with a $5.25 million cap hit with two years remaining, including a no-movement clause.
His cap hit of $5.25 million is considerable for a third-line center, especially if he can't produce at the level he did during the 2023-24 season, when he finished with 25 goals and 35 assists for 60 points. However, having depth at the center is always valuable, but at that cap hit, unless production takes a step up, it's tough to swallow that much for so little.
However, the Avalanche would need to find another center immediately if they manage to trade him. Jack Drury could step up on the third line. Parkey Kelly could fill the position, but it became clear toward the end of the season that he was more comfortable playing on the wing, and it showed. Jonathan Toews' name is out there, but that raises significant questions about whether he can play well, considering he hasn't played for the past two seasons, and fill a crucial spot for the Avalanche.
Insider Suggests Colorado Avalanche as Top Destination for Jonathan ToewsThe Colorado Avalanche have already made their top priority signing by
re-signing Brock Nelson and locking up their second-line center, but could they look to add another top centerman to their roster?
Samuel Girard: 15th
“Scoop: The Avalanche have had on-again, off-again conversations with Girard in trade talks going back three years now. Most teams have drawn a line at having no more than one undersized defenseman in their lineup, and for the Avs, that would mean Girard is the odd-man out. The tricky part is the Avs struggled for depth on their blue line this season, particularly on their third pair, so they’ve got some work to do to fill out a more complete group with very limited cap space.”
With a cap hit of $5 million and one more year remaining on his contract, he's going to want a nice payday. However, has his performance shown that he's worth more than $5 million per year? He has dealt with injuries over the past couple of seasons, and his highest total of points in a season was 37, which he achieved back in the 2022-23 season.
Girard finished with three goals and 21 assists in 73 regular-season games this past season. He averaged 20:51 minutes of ice time per game, ranking him third among defensemen on the team, behind Cale Makar and Devon Toews. Additionally, he averaged 26.8 shifts per game, which was the second-most on the team, just behind Devon Toews, who averaged 27.6 shifts. He also ranked second in blocked shots on the team with 111, only trailing Makar’s 128.
However, as Serevalli stated, the blue line is a bit thin outside of Toews and Makar at the moment. Josh Manson is another name that could be moved for space, freeing up $4.5 million. Still, you will only have three defensemen signed if they decide to move either Manson or Girard going into next season.
Sam Malinski is a pending restricted free agent, and Ryan Lindgren is a pending unrestricted free agent, both of whom need new contracts and would require either Manson's or Girard's contract to be moved to free up that cap space to use on a new contract.
If the Avalanche were to trade him, it's really simple; he carries a considerable cap hit that the Avalanche could use on other players on the roster and free agency, and he's in his final year of his contract. Turning 28 next season, he could fetch a solid return if traded.
A Closer Look at Sam Malinski's Role in the Avalanche’s Offseason DecisionsWith 16 days remaining until the 2025 Free Agency period begins, the Colorado Avalanche have to make some big decisions when it comes to how they want to free up cap space to re-sign their pending unrestricted free agents and their one restricted free agent.
Martin Necas: 28th
Scoop: And just like that, the Colorado Avalanche are back in the same spot now with the player they acquired for Mikko Rantanen that they were with Rantanen one year ago. Quality player. Needs new contract. Going to be expensive. What do we pay him? Here’s the thing: there’s a thought around the league that Necas might not sign for a $9 million AAV right now, hoping to potentially duplicate a season north of a point-per-game. Now what? And if Necas wouldn’t sign for $9m, wouldn’t they just have been better off keeping Rantanen at $12 or $12.5m?”
There has been a massive rumor stating that Necas is “unhappy” with the Colorado Avalanche. However, it's a big topic that needs to be addressed. The Mikko Rantanen trade was a blockbuster trade that shocked the hockey community, and losing Necas will be the nail in the coffin if they can't re-sign him or are “forced” to trade him due to the reports being true.
He is just one year away from becoming an unrestricted free agent, and it has been demonstrated earlier this year that the Avalanche aren’t hesitant to trade players in this situation if they doubt their ability to sign them.
Necas would be pretty young for an unrestricted free agent at 27 years old. He is also coming off a career season (83 points between the Hurricanes and Avalanche) and has proven that he can keep up with one of the best players in the world, Nathan MacKinnon, at least in skating speed.
As a result, he will have considerable negotiating power if he enters next summer as an unrestricted free agent with no contract extension and the cap increasing. The question remains, how much is the Avalanche willing to spend on Necas? And how much does Necas and his camp believe he is worth? Another major season could help his side in any contract extension talks.
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