Here's how I'm viewing the Avs off-season :
Nichushkin : prior to the playoffs, I think his value was around $5M per year for 6-8 years. After the playoffs and all the exposure to those east coast dildos who can't be bothered to watch late games, he has certainly brought up his stock to where the Avs will likely have to pay at minimum $6M X 6 yrs. Even though he has said that he realizes that 'fit' is important, I could see him going to market all the while giving the Avs the chance to match (bad news) and some team coming up with an insane offer ($7M X 7 yrs) that won't work long-term for the Avs. I hope McSakicland are pro-active and have plans B and C ready to execute if they see that they can't come to an agreement prior to free agency. Matching the best offer he gets in free agency is not a great strategy.
IF they lose Nuke, I'd love for them to get Mikheyev.
Kadri : I think the Avs would love to keep him but he already was on a super cheap deal and it's just extremely obvious that he wants to ca$h-in and no-one can blame him for that. I'm sure he wants to do it with the Avs, but the term and overall $$$ won't make sense. The most I could see the Avs offer him is 4 yrs X $6.5M and at that point, he'd be leaving A LOT of money on the table. Goodbye Naz, you'll always be remembered for that crazy Game #4 overtime goal... you have cemented your place in Avalanche Hockey History forever!
Kuemper : The Avs paid a big price to bring him in and it worked, he's a Stanley Cup Champion! He dealt with injuries and had up-and-down play but at the same time, he had a metric ton of pressure on him in some of those games and especially in Game #6 and was able to put forth good performances. The reason why I think the Avs will want to re-sign him is that now, he's been there and done it and will likely be better next time around. I could see the Avs offering him a $5M X 4 yrs contract. If that's not enough and he wants to maximize his value like grubauer did then, I'm sure he won't have trouble finding a team to pay him more. If that's the case, I could see the Avs turn to Husso in a big-time FU move to the bLose as if to say, we're going to beat you again and this time, with your scapegoat goalie as well!
Manson : I see him as a lesser priority and a nice to have but I think he's going to want to maximize his $$$ though, so I expect him to sign with another team as a UFA. Not sure I see the Avs offering him any kind of deal that nears the $4M AAV mark.
Lekhonen (RFA) : I don't think this is a hard deal to make. I think the Avs re-up him to a 4 or 5 yr deal at an AAV of about $4.25M.
Cogliano : Another easy deal to make. He was awesome and fits this team really well.
Helm : Another guy who turned it up a few notches in the playoffs - great to see. Unless he's retiring, bring him back for sure.
Trades :
Can't wait to see how the Avs manage this off-season and who they bring in. I really think they're going to make a deal for a 2C whether that's Barzal, Horvat or Gourde remains to be seen as each of those guys would require a different set of assets that the Avs might or might not be willing to part with.
