Colorado Avalanche 2025-26 Player Grades: Nicolas Roy

It’s time for the Colorado Avalanche to figure out what went wrong in the playoffs and come back ready to contend again in the 2026-27 season. With the season over, it’s time to look back on everyone’s individual performance by handing out player grades.

Nicolas Roy was acquired to help in the playoffs, and it felt like he could have provided a boost against his former team, the Vegas Golden Knights. In the end, it wasn’t enough, and now Roy is hoping to help the Avalanche get over the hump and back into the Stanley Cup Final in 2026-27.

Production

Though he didn’t play the majority of his games with the Avalanche, we’ll look at his season as a whole, even though he only played 15 games since being acquired from the Toronto Maple Leafs. He had a down season on the whole after four consecutive seasons of 30 points or more.

Roy did have a nice start with the Avalanche, scoring three goals and five points in 15 games after notching just five goals and 20 points in 59 games with the Maple Leafs, though you’re not really expecting big numbers from Roy. His impact since the trade was never meant to be so much about his offensive production as what he brings to the lineup.

Intangibles

Roy brings to the table what a lot of teams lack: a big, physical, defensively minded center. He’s the kind of big body that teams covet in the playoffs, a 6-foot-4 menace that can help wear teams down as the playoffs grind on. He showed that as part of a championship group with the Golden Knights, and that is precisely why the Avalanche paid such an exorbitant price to acquire him.

He’s decent on faceoffs – generally around 48% – and can kill penalties while playing a strong, defensive-minded game. His is the kind of game that isn’t going to stand out on the stat sheet but should pay dividends in the long run for the Avalanche. The window for contention is still wide open for the Avalanche, and Roy’s style of play will pay dividends for them in the long run, especially since the first-round pick that went the other way is more than likely going to be a player of his skill level anyway.

Overall Grade: B

In all fairness, it’s tough to grade 15 regular season games and nearly as many playoff games. Roy did what was asked of him, and his offensive contributions – he also had three goals, three assists in the playoffs – are solid given his role on the team.

The Avalanche will be strong at center in 2026-27, and he’s part of that strength. He has the tools to settle in and be a solid piece of the bottom six, especially if Nazem Kadri slides to the wing on a more permanent basis.

A Key Depth Figure in 2026-27

The Avalanche are going to be hard-pressed to fill their needs with a limited budget. They are going to lean heavily on the guys they have, and it wouldn’t surprise anyone if Roy took on more minutes, especially in defensive situations.

At 29 years old, Roy is the kind of center that a team like the Avalanche can really make proper use of. He is also tougher to handle with Nathan MacKinnon and Brock Nelson taking on some of the bigger minutes and tougher matchups ahead of him.