Rumor: 2022-2023 Trade Rumors and Free Agency: Let’s Run it Back!

[ANewHope]

If Nichushkin leaves I think the Avs will go the trade route for his replacement.


Iafollo, Connor Brown, Alex Texier... I could see them trading for any of those guys as a Nuke replacement.


What I'd really like to see them do is kill two birds with one stone at that point, bite the bullet and pay up for Gourde. That solves the 2C spot, and gets a strong defensive replacement for what would be lost with Nuke on that front.



Getting Gourde would almost certainly cost Girard as the main piece(Unless like Newhook + 1st gets it done), so at that point you could spend cap on Forsberg to go with Gourde as well.


Lehky - Mack - Mikko
Landy - Gourde - Forsberg

That's still such an incredible top 6. I'd be completely happy with that if that was our offseason even if would be brutal to lose Nuke.

The one thing that has me feeling positive is the Avs will have options. Alot of the stuff people are throwing out obviously might not be what happens but Sakic will have some wiggly room to get stuff done.

I'm pretty much operating under the assumption that our UFA are all going to be gone. Kadri was always going to be gone IMO but after the playoffs I think Nuke is probably going to get a massive bag too. Kuemper I just don't think Sakic will be willing to pay 6 mil a year for. Bura I'm unsure about but I just don't think Sakic will be willing to pay him any more than what he's getting right now. I could even see Sakic preferring the cap space.

 

[Foppberg]

We're signing Nuke. No if ands or buts.

 

[Balthazar]

First black NHL GM I believe.

 

[shadow1]

I think almost everybody would look better behind our d but Gibson was 112 out of 119 (oof Grubauer) in goals saved above expected. That should kinda adjust for quality of D.

Probably a lot of that is from his brutal second half where he couldn’t stop a beach ball and - I believe twice - pulled himself out of games because he wasn’t feeling it (I.e. not an injury).

The guy seems like a head case and has been a .905 goalie since 1/1/19. It seems like he’s one the move one way or the other; I doubt it’s in Colorado, but we’ll see if he can regain any semblance of his pre-2020 form wherever he lands.

 

[Balthazar]

It seems like Poile and Forsberg are close (LeBrun said Poile is in the low 8's on an 8 year deal and Forsberg is in the high 8's), so it's most likely that they find common ground...

That quote is from today:

 

[John Mandalorian]

What will it take to get Hartman and Wallstedt out of Minnesota?

 

[Balthazar]

Wonder if Forsberg is waiting to see what's going to happen with the Avs?

We've been linked to him so many times.

 

[Avaholic29]

Would be cool to hear we’ve started negotiations on Atleast a couple guys but I don’t want them to stop partying either

 

[Northern Avs Fan]

I would caution against taking all these contract asks too seriously.

This is what the agents are telling the reporters. It’s basically the max ask.

For instance, we heard last year that Landeksog wanted $9M and obviously he ended up signing for much less.

Either way, free agency is usually pretty shitty value except for the second wave bargain bin guys, but these original asks will come down.

 

[Gruyeriev]

Just built this roster on Cap Friendly really quickly.... We would have $1.6M in cap space left over to adjust for guys earning more then I have them making.... But it would fit under the 82.5M cap as constructed.


Not my favorite result since it involves losing Nichushkin, but I think it would be a team ready to win the cup again next year:

- Re-Sign Cogliano(2x950k)
- Re-Sign Lehkonen(4x4.0M)
- Re-Sign J. Johnson (1x800k)
- Sign UFA MAF(1x2.5M)
- Sign UFA Filip Forsberg(7x8.25M)
- Sign UFA Alex Edler(1x1.75M)
- Sign UFA Paul Stastny(1x2.0M)

- Trade Sam Girard + 2023 1st(Lottery Protected) to Seattle for Yanni Gourde + Carson Soucy + 2023 2nd(WPG)
- Trade Nicholas Aube-Kubel to Montreal for 2023 5th round pick

Opening Night Roster:

Landeskog - Mack - Lehkonen
Forsberg - Gourde - Rantanen
Newhook - Stastny - Compher
LOC - Meyers - Cogliano
Sedlak

Toews - Makar
Byram - Soucy
Edler - Johnson
J. Johnson/MacDermid

Fleury
Francouz


I'd hate to lose Nuke but that would be one hell of a Top 6 still, Stastny I think is still a solid player especially from a 3rd line role. Gourde replaces everything we lose in Nuke, only from the Center position now while hopefully Forsberg can replace the lost Kadri offense. Soucy brings lots of size to the Defense again, can play left or right as well.

And we bring in some new veteran guys that are still chasing that first cup and have that drive to win like Helm and Cogliano had for us this year. And still 1.6M in cap space to add at the deadline next year.


In terms of the summer of 2023 then. between EJ(6M), JTC(3.5M), Soucy(2.75M), Fleury(2.5M) Stastny(2M) Edler(1.75M) all expiring... The Avs would have 18.5M that comes off the books for raises to the core guys.

The difference between a Colorado 1st and a Seattle 2nd is negligible. I like the trade but no way Seattle gives up Soucy and Gourde for Girard. Not a chance.

 

[Foppberg]

I can't see Forsberg leaving with that 8th year + a tax friendly state.

The closer it gets the more I think Gaudreau is gone though.

 

[flyfysher]

Probably a lot of that is from his brutal second half where he couldn’t stop a beach ball and - I believe twice - pulled himself out of games because he wasn’t feeling it (I.e. not an injury).

The guy seems like a head case and has been a .905 goalie since 1/1/19. It seems like he’s one the move one way or the other; I doubt it’s in Colorado, but we’ll see if he can regain any semblance of his pre-2020 form wherever he lands.

The way this reads is Gibson sucks and it may be because he’s a head case.

 

[dahrougem2]

I can't see Forsberg leaving with that 8th year + a tax friendly state.

The closer it gets the more I think Gaudreau is gone though.

Closer? I've thought that Gaudreau will be leaving since last summer lol.

 

[Gruyeriev]

Marchment is an interesting target for a Nuke replacement. I don’t know what he is asking for but I like the player.

 

[Foppberg]

Closer? I've thought that Gaudreau will be leaving since last summer lol.

My bet at this point is Jersey. Or the Islanders

 

[shadow1]

The way this reads is Gibson sucks and it may be because he’s a head case.

He obviously doesn’t suck but I’m definitely not advocating for him. I’ve been on the anti-Gibson train before it became popular.

 

[Pierce Hawthorne]

The difference between a Colorado 1st and a Seattle 2nd is negligible. I like the trade but no way Seattle gives up Soucy and Gourde for Girard. Not a chance.

Seattle 2nd?

 

[Richard88]

Should Nichuskin walk and Forsberg sign with Nashville Iafallo probably becomes a target. $4mx3 is a nice cost-controlled contract which is the sort of range the Avs front office like. It's probably fair to expect an increase in his production going from LA to the Avs.

The main board thread suggests his trade value is around a mid-2nd, which is a bit awkward for the Avs as they don't have any 2nd's.

Maybe you could make it work if you got a late 2nd for Compher in a separate trade and packaged it with another pick/prospect. Alternatively use the 2023 1st but expand the trade to include other pieces like Matt Roy or a young C.

 

[flyfysher]

He obviously doesn’t suck but I’m definitely not advocating for him. I’ve been on the anti-Gibson train before it became popular.

Skills wise I have no problem with giving Gibson a chance. Cap wise his contract scares me.

 

[Richard88]

I can't see Forsberg leaving with that 8th year + a tax friendly state.

The closer it gets the more I think Gaudreau is gone though.

Poile is offering him 8 years and "low 8's", so roughly 8x $8.25m ($66m).

Avs could almost match that with 7x $9m ($63m), making the 8th year almost negligible.

Forsberg would have a decision to make at that point: whether to take an extra $3m to stay on a crap team, or to lose $3m but play on a contender.

Nashville could go higher of course, but then again so could the Avs, though that's probably not very realistic.

 

[AvalancheSpeedsters]

Newhook for Necas straight up, who says no?

Carolina and Colorado.

 

[Gruyeriev]

Seattle 2nd?

Ah I mis-read you said Peg 2nd. Either way still not enough to entice Seattle to make that trade. Soucy and Gourde are both really good players. I think Avs would still need to add

Not to mention they are supposed to be big players in FA this year. I don’t see them giving up two of their better players. They want to vastly improve so they can get people in the arena. Some of the highest ticket prices in the NHL and it won’t last without improving that team.

Francis has called out those two players specifically as ones they would like to keep and build on. It would have to be a good Hockey trade to make it happen. Girard might get one of them with picks balancing the deal.

 

[Richard88]

Dreger saying that there's a team close to trading UFA rights for a player they know they aren't gonna be able to re-sign...

Sure sounds a lot like Kadri's situation...

 

[Colorado Avalanche]

Madness

This won't age well.

Madness

The situation seems a little grim. Trying to keep the band together can be tough but let’s not forget that TB had cap issues and they managed to ice a good team three years in a row.

We just need to LTIR Rantanen. All good.

 

[shadow1]

Dreger saying that there's a team close to trading UFA rights for a player they know they aren't gonna be able to re-sign...

Sure sounds a lot like Kadri's situation...

They talked about a guy they "developed" and grew into a star. To me that screams Forsberg or more likely Gaudreau.