Through 48 games this season, the Colorado Avalanche sit second in the Central Division with a 31-14-5 record and are tied with the Winnipeg Jets with 65 points. The Avalanche have had tremendous support from their stars and role players this season – from Nathan MacKinnon’s dominance to the newly formed line of Ross Colton, Miles Wood, and Logan O’Connor. Even with their success, the Avalanche could address some weaknesses ahead of the NHL trade deadline on March 8.
President of Hockey Operations Joe Sakic and General Manager Chris Macfarland have less than two months to review this roster and pinpoint areas that need improvement for a better chance at another Stanley Cup run. With $1.2 million in cap space and limited picks, it will be interesting to see how they plan to upgrade their center depth, find a backup goalie, or even go all out in a blockbuster trade for an elite winger.
These are the players the Avalanche should target if they want to go on another deep playoff run.
Elias Lindholm, Center, Calgary Flames
Arguably the most talked about player on the market and, arguably, exactly who the team needs. The Ryan Johansen experiment started well but is now running out of steam with his lack of production. He has been bouncing around the third and fourth lines since the Colton-Wood-O’Connor line has been clicking. Bowen Byram and Arturri Lehkonen have returned, and captain Gabriel Landeskog is skating; the team is starting to get healthy, and a certified second-line center like Elias Lindholm would help ease MacKinnon, Makar and Mikko Rantanen’s workload.
Unfortunately, Lindholm has been having a down year compared to his last few seasons, but part of that can be blamed on the Calgary Flames’ lack of offense this season. With eight goals and 23 assists (for 31 points) in 48 games, the Avalanche could help Lindholm with his struggles so he could shine offensively, similar to what we saw the past two seasons.
Related: Flames’ Lindholm Emerging as Avalanche’s Top Trade Target
He will become an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season, and with a $4.85 million cap hit, it will take some work for this trade to fit under the Avalanche’s cap.
Mock Trade:
Avalanche Receive – Elias Lindholm (50% retained)
Flames Recieve – Jean-Luc Foudy, Avalanche 2024 1st-Round Pick, Avalanche 5th-Round Pick (via Seattle Kraken)
Marc-Andre Fleury, Goalie, Minnesota Wild
Alexandar Georgiev has been having a solid season, but his stats could have been better, especially compared to last season. With 39 starts, Georgiev has a 26-11-2 record with a .897 save percentage (SV%) and a 2.95 goals-against average (GAA). Last season, he finished with a .919 SV% and a 2.53 GAA when he had backup Pavel Francouz to rely on.
Ivan Prosvetov and Justus Annunen have also seen starts this season; Prosvetov has started eight games and Annunen just one. Annunen is young but has shown great flashes of being a solid backup (even next season). Prosvetov looked solid in his first couple of games but has looked rough recently. With a .897 SV% and a 3.16 GAA, the Avalanche need a cushion they can rely on if it comes down to the wire.
“If we get to a point that the Minnesota Wild are out [of playoff contention], Colorado is one of those teams that’s going to ask, ‘Marc-Andre, would you be interested in this?’”
Elliotte Friedman
With an 8-9-2 record, a .897 SV%, and a 3.29 GAA, it might not be the Marc-Andre Fleury we saw win the Stanley Cup with the Pittsburgh Penguins, but he could be a Francouz-type we saw in the Avs’ 2022 Cup run. When Darcy Keumper went down with an eye injury in round two against the Edmonton Oilers, Francouz was a significant factor, playing seven games and posting a 2.81 GAA and a .906 SV% to help out until Kuemper returned. Fleury would help ease the load for Georgiev down the stretch, and if anything were to happen to him (knock on wood), they’d have a Stanley Cup-winning goalie who knows what it takes to win.
Mock Trade:
Avalanche Receive – Marc-Andre Fleury (50% Retained)
Wild Receive – Avalanche 2024 4th-Round Pick, Avalanche 2026 2nd-Round Pick
BONUS ROUND: Jake Guentzel, Winger, Pittsburgh Penguins
This one is a reach, but hey, who doesn’t love a potential blockbuster, right? With reports that Jake Guentzel and the Pittsburgh Penguins aren’t close to a contract extension, and the team’s lack of success this season, many have speculated that Guentzul’s name could be on the block, especially with all the money other players are making against the cap.
Players like Sidney Crosby are making $8.7 million with just one more season left after this one. Meanwhile, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang have extended their contracts to $6.1 million over the coming years. With the recent addition of Erik Karlsson, who is making $10 million against the cap, the Penguins are struggling to maintain the financial flexibility they need to help improve their depth.
This trade would mean the Avalanche are all-in this season, but they could also sign him long-term. The Penguins would be moving a player who might not re-sign in the offseason while helping their depth and recouping picks and prospects to build for the future when their stars are no longer in the lineup. Meanwhile, the Chicago Blackhawks would get Ryan Johansen and retain some of Guenztel’s salary to help the Avalanche with their cap while also gaining picks to help further their rebuild.
Mock Trade
Avalanche Recieve – Jake Guentzel (30% retained)
Penguins Recieve – Avalanche 2024 1st-Round Pick, 2025 1st-Round Pick, Olausson, Oskar (5% Retained)
Blackhawks Receive – Ryan Johansen, Avalanche 2024 5th-Round Pick, Avalanche 2025 3rd-Round Pick (25% Retained)
The trade deadline is just weeks away, and Sakic and Macfarland will do what they think is best for the team now and in the future. Of the three players mentioned, Lindholm would be the prize addition to the organization. Since Nazem Kadri left in 2022 as a free agent, the Avalanche have not had a second-line center who is reliable both offensively and defensively. With players finally getting healthy and the addition of an elite second-line center, this could be the year the Avalanche win another Stanley Cup.
