As the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline creeps closer (March 7), the Colorado Avalanche are preparing for how to best navigate one of the busiest days on the league’s calendar.
Less than a week before the deadline, the Avalanche sit comfortably in the first wild card spot in the Western Conference with a record of 35-24-2 through 61 games (72 points). They are seven points ahead of both the Calgary Flames (who hold the second wild card spot) and the Vancouver Canucks, the latter of which finds itself out of the playoff picture based on wins in regulation. Both of those teams have a game in hand on Colorado, which should put some pressure on the Avalanche’s top brass to solidify their standing.
Related: NHL Trade Bait List for 2025 Trade Deadline
If the franchise hopes to recreate the magical 2021-22 campaign, which saw them submit one of the most dominant playoff runs ever, significant trades will have to be made over the course of the next week. Let’s dive into what should be driving the team’s actions and how the consequences could reverberate for years to come.
Avalanche Must Support Superstar Core
Despite the team not having the greatest season by its lofty standards, general manager Chris MacFarland must be active this week. The Avalanche possess one of the most enviable one-two superstar combos in Nathan MacKinnon (29 years old) and Cale Makar (26), and every passing season in which the organization does not try and capitalize on their talent is a wasted campaign.
Martin Necas (26) is now an honorary member of that triumvirate, which should help extend their timeline. Devon Toews (31) is forever underrated, and his work alongside long-time partner Makar at the 4 Nations Face-Off exemplified why the team committed to him through the 2030-31 season. Mackenzie Blackwood (28), Samuel Girard (26) and Casey Mittelstadt (26) are also in that window of their prime.
Stanley Cup contention windows that once seemed wide open can shut abruptly due to injuries or rising powers elsewhere taking over the mantle. The Avalanche have done the work to insulate their core with younger pieces, and should continue to do so going forward.
Avalanche Getting Trade Business Done Early
To his credit, MacFarland made arguably the biggest swing of the season in sending pending unrestricted free agent (UFA) Mikko Rantanen to the Carolina Hurricanes for Necas, who is two years younger and under control at a manageable $6.5 million through next season. The trade has paid immediate dividends, with Necas tallying 13 points in 12 games after assuming Rantanen’s old spot beside MacKinnon while also giving the Avalanche more cap flexibility this season and beyond.
The 4 Nations Face-Off put an unofficial two-week moratorium on trades, which gave teams more time to stew on potential wheeling and dealing. The Avalanche also made the decision to send Calvin de Haan, Juuso Parssinen and conditional second- and fourth-round picks in the 2025 NHL Draft to the New York Rangers for Ryan Lindgren and Hank Kempf. Lindgren is not the player who once formed one of the NHL’s best defensive pairings with Adam Fox, and is a UFA this summer.
The trade is a bet on Lindgren rediscovering his form and benefiting from a reduced role on Colorado’s third pair, but a failure to do so could only serve to amplify the Avalanche’s need for more defensive reinforcements. The coaching staff better figure it out quickly, with little time left to find viable alternatives.
Avalanche Have Plenty of Potential Trade Targets
Thanks to Gabriel Landeskog’s long-term injured reserve designation, the Avalanche have the space and assets to either go after a big fish, or go rifling through the bargain bin for more affordable targets. The team fortunately does not have many crippling needs, but getting a bonafide top-four defender to either replace or push a declining Josh Manson ($4.5 million cap hit through 2025-26) down the lineup would make a notable impact. Makar, Toews, and Samuel Girard have had to drag the defense corps through the first three quarters of the season, so such a trade addresses a clear and identifiable need.
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The Vancouver Canucks landed Marcus Pettersson, the Florida Panthers swung for the fences by acquiring an expensive, but skilled Seth Jones, and several other serviceable defensemen remain on the market. Rasmus Ristolainen, Brian Dumoulin, and Ivan Provorov are three such names, and the Avalanche could give their top blueliners some respite by acquiring another reliable option.
Avalanche Still in Good Position for 2025-26 Season and Beyond
Like most teams, the Avalanche will benefit from the NHL’s rapidly rising salary cap. The league has set the upper limit at $95.5 million for the 2025-26 season, with estimates of $104 million (2026-27) and $113.5 million (2027-28) for the two seasons after.
The uncertainty around Landeskog’s health still lingers, and future lucrative extensions for Makar and Necas loom in the distance, but the team’s core is locked down through the 2025-26 season and should have a ton of cap space to work with when the time comes. If nothing else, this underscores the need for action. If not now, then when?
Data courtesy of the NHL.
