Colorado Avalanche 2025-26 Player Grades: Jack Drury

The Colorado Avalanche have areas of concern that require addressing, especially in the wake of a disappointing exit at the hands of the Vegas Golden Knights in the Western Conference Final. That said, it is no secret that they have cap issues staring them down.

While the Avalanche attempt to figure out their cap crunch, it is time to look back at the past season with player grades. Today’s subject was something of an afterthought in the massive Mikko Rantanen trade but has proven to be an effective bottom-six center. Today’s subject is Jack Drury.

Production

When it comes to bottom six players, you aren’t really so much grading them on their offensive output as you are on other factors. All that being said, Drury had arguably his best offensive season to date for the Avalanche.

Drury played a full 82-game schedule for the first time in his career, netting a career-best 10 goals in the process. His 27 points ties the career-high he set back in 2023-24 when he was with Carolina. He also set career marks in faceoffs won (563), faceoff percentage (58.1%), blocks (56), and hits (46), illustrating his two-way value.

Intangibles

Covered in the section above to some degree, Drury’s true value is in his 200-foot game. He was the defensive conscience of the bottom six, an effective faceoff man who can lock down opposing forwards (he received Selke Trophy votes) and chip in offensively here and there.

Drury isn’t the kind of guy who stands out in any one area, rather a jack-of-all-trades who does just about everything well. He’s the kind of center bottom six units are built on, a valuable commodity that the Avalanche would no doubt like to get locked in for the long-term.

Overall Grade: A-

Drury had what has to be considered his best season, on the whole. Offensively, he found the back of the net more than at any other time in his career and tied his high for points. He was more effective in the faceoff circle and also hit a new best with a plus-15 rating.

He’s the kind of guy that doesn’t show up on the score sheet very often but if you watch the games, you see his imprint. The Avalanche can roll Drury and his line out to play a strong defensive role while the top six focuses more on putting up points.

A Future Elsewhere?

The future for Drury appears somewhat murky. The Avalanche will be facing serious cap challenges and an offer sheet could price them out. They have been good about locking down critical depth pieces to team-friendly, long-term deals but Drury hasn’t been locked down.

Given the kind of deal that Minnesota’s Michael McCarron signed, it feels less and less likely that Drury will be back, especially with other pressing cap matters. Whether that means an offer sheet or the Avalanche trading him remains to be seen but he is a valuable depth piece that needs to be addressed.