Rumor: 2023-2024 Trade Rumors and Free Agency: Off-season is in full swing

[NateTheGreat]

Waiver wire pickups should not be something a contending team is relying on to complete their roster. It’s wild to me that so many are mentioning that as a means to improving the team.

First you’d be relying on another team to discard a useful player, then relying on other teams not to claim him.

Any waiver pickup throughout the season is most likely a stop gap for the regular season and shouldn’t be in your top 12 come playoff time.

What is the last impactful waiver pickup the Avs have made? Even if you’ve had one or two in the past, it’s far from a guarantee that you hit on another one. I’d hate for that to be looked upon as a strategy by the front office.

 

[nammerus]

1 top 6 injury or Drouin (more then likely) flaming out, from having LOC or Wood on the top 2 lines. Impressive work by Cmac.

 

[LOFIN]

1 top 6 injury or Drouin (more then likely) flaming out, from having LOC or Wood on the top 2 lines. Impressive work by Cmac.

Present your scenarios then armchair GM. What would've you done, and show how it fits under our cap.

"He's the GM, he has to figure it out" is not an answer I accept. Your ideas, please.

 

[JH21]

I hope so, but not sure how they do it with the cap space they have?


I'm guessing you're penciling Kovalenko on the 3rd line by March or April? So you think it'll be something like:


Drouin - Mack - Nuke
Lehky - RyJo - Mikko
???? - Colton - Kovalenko
Wood - Cogs - LOC

Its doable, they'd have roughly $2M in space to grab a 3LW, which at the deadline could mean grabbing a $4M player at 50% retention or perhaps even grabbing an $8M player at 75% retention...


But I think that's also putting a lot of fait into Kovalenko to be a Top 9 forward which I really dont think happens, at least not right away.



I'd still like to grab Tatar before the season starts. Adding Tatar alone would honestly make a difference of about ~4 wins this season for us which I think would prove to be the difference between being a C3 or WC1 team, versus being a C1 team or even winning the West

Sure, but people are just kidding themselves if they think this roster today is a contender, with as much uncertainty in the new acquisitions as we have, combined with a 4th line that objectively is terrible. Without a single injury keep in mind. We are one injury away from Miles Wood or LOC being a Top 6 forward and then one of the 4th line guys becoming a 3rd liner that has to play 12-14 minutes a night.


Its a wildcard team today without any other moves. If the new acquisitions step up and play above what is expected, they might be able to find themselves a few wins higher in the standings however. But once the playoffs get here its just going to be more of the same issues as last year where our depth gets exposed quickly and they're golfing by early May again.

This team is better than last years team.

1 top 6 injury or Drouin (more then likely) flaming out, from having LOC or Wood on the top 2 lines. Impressive work by Cmac.

And the same goes for every other team in the league

 

[Pierce Hawthorne]

This team is better than last years team.

As of today it is worse... But it mostly comes down to the new guys at Center.

 

[Sea Eagles]

1 top 6 injury or Drouin (more then likely) flaming out, from having LOC or Wood on the top 2 lines. Impressive work by Cmac.

Negative much?

Line 1: Lehks - Mack - Nuke
Line 2: Colton - Johansen - Rants

and before you claim (in pessimism) he doesn't play left wing:

Tampa Bay Lightning left wing Ross Colton (79) scores on Montreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Pr …

Tampa Bay Lightning left wing Ross Colton (79) scores on Montreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Price (31) during the second period in Game 5 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup finals, Wednesday, July 7, 2...

www.reviewjournal.com

and before you claim he doesn't play up the lines (you'll see he's playing with Stamkos & others):


Come on dude, get on board.

 

[Pierce Hawthorne]

Present your scenarios then armchair GM. What would've you done, and show how it fits under our cap.

"He's the GM, he has to figure it out" is not an answer I accept. Your ideas, please.

There's a number of things they could have done, and still a few things left they could do.


For example:

- Could have signed Zadina for $1.1M
- Could have signed Sundqvist for $825k
- Could have re-signed Rodrigues for $3M instead of Wood for $2.5M
- Could have signed Connor Sheary for $2M

- Could still sign Tatar for ~$1.5M
- Could still sign Toews for ~$1.5M
- Could still sign Kane for ~$2M(And more with performance bonuses)
- Could still sign Josh Bailey(Actually might be a better option then Tatar tbh)


- Could trade for Scott Laughton
- Could trade for Mikael Backlund or Elias Lindholm
- Could trade for Mark Scheifele



Plenty of players were available that could have made the Avs Top 9 forwards stronger this year.

 

[Sea Eagles]

As of today it is worse... But it mostly comes down to the new guys at Center.

A good test of this would be to compare last years third line, with next years third line (which will contain the likes of Wood / Colton & others). Secondly, last years team was beat up badly (injury wise), so you can't compare (despite us finishing 7th overall).

Our 2C last season was Compher mate. Remember what you used to say about JT?

Also, I read an article from just the other day suggesting we are still looking at adding from CM.

 

[Pierce Hawthorne]

A good test of this would be to compare last years third line, with next years third line (which will contain the likes of Wood / Colton & others). Secondly, last years team was beat up badly (injury wise), so you can't compare (despite us finishing 7th overall).

Our 2C last season was Compher mate. Remember what you used to say about JT?

That he was a great player that was extremely underrated by this fanbase? Yeah, I remember....


JT Compher was better last year then Ryan Johansen has been for 3 of the last 4 years in the league. As of right now we have downgraded that position... Its up to Johansen to prove he can still play like a legit 2C, something he hasn't done in quite a while now. Which quite frankly I am optimistic he can do, but unlike some of you I'm not going to choose to straight up ignore the high risk factor involved here or that JT was the better player last year.

 

[Sea Eagles]

That he was a great player that was extremely underrated by this fanbase? Yeah, I remember....


JT Compher was better last year then Ryan Johansen has been for 3 of the last 4 years in the league.

Okayyyyy, but how was JT in those OTHER three years in comparison to Johansens? Compare apples with apples here.

Secondly, as I said, only last week, Cmac was recorded saying we are still looking to add. There's literally 2 months until the season starts.

The pundits have us favorites for the cup. Why as a fanbase are we so critical?

 

[Pierce Hawthorne]

Okayyyyy, but how was JT in those OTHER three years in comparison to Johansens? Compare apples with apples here.

Secondly, as I said, only last week, Cmac was recorded saying we are still looking to add. There's literally 2 months until the season starts.

The pundits have us favorites for the cup. Why as a fanbase are we so critical?

Honestly... You really dont want to know(Hint, JTC was STILL better by a significant margin).


The pundits aren't very bright, and the analytics do not have us as favorites for the cup.

 

[Sea Eagles]

Honestly... You really dont want to know(Hint, JTC was STILL better by a significant margin).


The pundits aren't very bright, and the analytics do not have us as favorites for the cup.

I could literally show you a thousand articles, but yeah:

2024 Stanley Cup odds: Maple Leafs, Avalanche favored to win it all

With the NHL draft behind us and free agency well underway, we've passed the eye of the offseason storm.Although there are still some familiar names on the market - Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews come to mind - most of the notable free agents have found new homes.Now that a ton of roster...

www.thescore.com

2024 NHL Stanley Cup Odds: Avalanche and Hurricanes are Early Favorites | WynnBET Sportsbook

The Golden Knights may still celebrating their first cup, yet it's time to look at the early favorites for the 2024 NHL Stanley Cup. Find out about the contenders here.

www.wynnbet.com

Avalanche favourites on 2024 Stanley Cup odds, Maple Leafs and Oilers top Canadian teams

www.sportsnet.ca

2023 Stanley Cup Odds Tracker

Monitor how the odds to win the Stanley Cup shift over the course of the season, from the moment they open to the deciding game of the Stanley Cup final.

www.sportsbettingdime.com

NHL Stanley Cup Odds - 2025 NHL Finals Betting Lines

Stanley Cup odds for the 2024-25 season. The Edmonton Oilers have the shortest odds to win the Stanley Cup.

www.covers.com

NHL Stanley Cup Odds 2024: Bruins, Avalanche Open as Favorites; Golden Knights 7th

The Vegas Golden Knights won the 2023 Stanley Cup title with a 9-3 victory over the Florida Panthers in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Finals on Tuesday night at…

bleacherreport.com

 

[Pierce Hawthorne]

I could literally show you a thousand articles, but yeah:

2024 Stanley Cup odds: Maple Leafs, Avalanche favored to win it all

With the NHL draft behind us and free agency well underway, we've passed the eye of the offseason storm.Although there are still some familiar names on the market - Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews come to mind - most of the notable free agents have found new homes.Now that a ton of roster...

www.thescore.com

2024 NHL Stanley Cup Odds: Avalanche and Hurricanes are Early Favorites | WynnBET Sportsbook

The Golden Knights may still celebrating their first cup, yet it's time to look at the early favorites for the 2024 NHL Stanley Cup. Find out about the contenders here.

www.wynnbet.com

Avalanche favourites on 2024 Stanley Cup odds, Maple Leafs and Oilers top Canadian teams

www.sportsnet.ca

2023 Stanley Cup Odds Tracker

Monitor how the odds to win the Stanley Cup shift over the course of the season, from the moment they open to the deciding game of the Stanley Cup final.

www.sportsbettingdime.com

NHL Stanley Cup Odds - 2025 NHL Finals Betting Lines

Stanley Cup odds for the 2024-25 season. The Edmonton Oilers have the shortest odds to win the Stanley Cup.

www.covers.com

NHL Stanley Cup Odds 2024: Bruins, Avalanche Open as Favorites; Golden Knights 7th

The Vegas Golden Knights won the 2023 Stanley Cup title with a 9-3 victory over the Florida Panthers in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Finals on Tuesday night at…

bleacherreport.com

Like I said, "pundits" which btw none of these are lmao... But they aren't very bright. Sports betting sites create odds to make them money, not the people betting.



The analytics sites clearly show the Avs as not a favorite to win the cup, instead we are shown as a worse team this year then last year, by about ~4.5 wins.

 

[Sea Eagles]

Honestly... You really dont want to know(Hint, JTC was STILL better by a significant margin).


The pundits aren't very bright, and the analytics do not have us as favorites for the cup.

Let's look at the last 5 years to be fair):

JT:
2023 82 games, 52 points
2022 70 games, 33 points
2021 48 games, 18 points
2020 67 games, 31 points
2019 66 games, 32 points

Ryjo
2023 55 games, 28 points
2022 79 games, 63 points
2021 48 games, 22 points
2020 68 games, 36 points
2019 80 games, 64 points

Games played:
JT: 333
Ryjo: 330
(I'm calling this a wash)

Goals:
JT: 72
Ryjo: 73
(I'm calling this a wash)

Assists:
JT: 94
Ryjo: 140
(Ryjo WELL ahead)

Next season salary cap hit:
JT: 5.1 million
Ryjo: 4 million

Important: Face off circle
JT: 7 years playing, over 50% once
Ryjo: 13 years playing, under 50% once (his first ever season)

Mate, we are well ahead, come on now.

Like I said, "pundits" which btw none of these are lmao... But they aren't very bright. Sports betting sites create odds to make them money, not the people betting.



The analytics sites clearly show the Avs as not a favorite to win the cup, instead we are shown as a worse team this year then last year, by about ~4.5 wins.

Which haven't factored injury, because we haven't and don't know what would or could happen. And for the record, we were also tipped to win the whole show last year (which in my opinion we would have if we went through with much better luck injury wise), so I'm happy with that comparison.

 

[sethro109]

It'll be pretty hard for Johansen to be worse than Compher after the TDL and especially how he was in the playoffs.

 

[Pierce Hawthorne]

Let's look at the last 5 years to be fair):

JT:
2023 82 games, 52 points
2022 70 games, 33 points
2021 48 games, 18 points
2020 67 games, 31 points
2019 66 games, 32 points

Ryjo
2023 55 games, 28 points
2022 79 games, 63 points
2021 48 games, 22 points
2020 68 games, 36 points
2019 80 games, 64 points

Games played:
JT: 333
Ryjo: 330
(I'm calling this a wash)

Goals:
JT: 72
Ryjo: 73
(I'm calling this a wash)

Assists:
JT: 94
Ryjo: 140
(Ryjo WELL ahead)

Next season salary cap hit:
JT: 5.1 million
Ryjo: 4 million

Important: Face off circle
JT: 7 years playing, over 50% once
Ryjo: 13 years playing, under 50% once (his first ever season)

Mate, we are well ahead, come on now.



Which haven't factored injury, because we haven't and don't know what would or could happen. And for the record, we were also tipped to win the whole show last year (which in my opinion we would have if we went through with much better luck injury wise), so I'm happy with that comparison.

Like I said... 3 of the last 4 years, JTC has been the better player. Outside of 1 year driven by an unsustainable 22% shooting percentage, Johansen has been terrible. Barely above replacement level.

 

[Pierce Hawthorne]

It'll be pretty hard for Johansen to be worse than Compher after the TDL and especially how he was in the playoffs.

I think you underestimate just how brutal Johansen was last year for the Preds.

It wont be hard at all if he A) Continues to not give a shit about hockey, and/or B) The injuries have caused his sharp regression.

But again and I've said this many times, I'm actually optimistic that RyJo bounces back and dont think he ends up being a pain point with this roster next year. Its just frustrating to see blind homers like Sea Eagles completely ignoring those high risks in the situation, not just with RyJo but with guys like Wood and Drouin as well.


I think my two least favorite posters on this board by far are Sea Eagles and Nammerus, the epitome of pure homerism and pure hatred without any sort of logic to recognize the middle ground.

 

[sethro109]

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Like I said... 3 of the last 4 years, JTC has been the better player. Outside of 1 year driven by an unsustainable 22% shooting percentage, Johansen has been terrible. Barely above replacement level.

Holy shit. These things actually say he's worth 7.1 million a year. I just can't take these things seriously.

 

[Pierce Hawthorne]

Holy shit. These things actually say he's worth 7.1 million a year. I just can't take these things seriously.

Last year, he was. Particularly on defense, where he also finished Top 15 in Selke voting. He was very, very good defensively for us. The offense was likely propped up by playing with Mikko so much.

Hopefully the same thing happens with Johansen this year.

 

[sethro109]

Last year, he was. Particularly on defense. He was very, very good defensively for us. The offense was likely propped up by playing with Mikko so much.

Hopefully the same thing happens with Johansen this year.

Maybe before the TDL, but his game fell off a cliff after. And he was completely useless in the playoffs. I don't think the bar for RyJo succeeding with us will be all that hard to clear. Compher in the playoffs let us down drastically. Just like all the other years other than the SJ series in 2018.

 

[Pierce Hawthorne]

Maybe before the TDL, but his game fell off a cliff after. And he was completely useless in the playoffs. I don't think the bar for RyJo succeeding with us will be all that hard to clear. Compher in the playoffs let us down drastically. Just like all the other years other than the SJ series in 2018.

And of course being the 2C for almost half the playoffs as we literally won the cup in 2022...

I think RyJo will be better offensively then JTC for sure, but we are going to greatly miss JTCs two way game, he has been our best defensive forward the last two years. RyJo is probably a liability defensively at this point in his career.

 

[sethro109]

And of course being the 2C for almost half the playoffs as we literally won the cup in 2022...

I think RyJo will be better offensively then JTC for sure, but we are going to greatly miss JTCs two way game, he has been our best defensive forward the last two years. RyJo is probably a liability defensively at this point in his career.

He had 81 minutes in the TB series and only had 1 point. He was a hindrance, not a positive.

With a winger like Nuke and/or Lehky, hopefully that balances out. We desperately need more offense from the second line, so I predict it will work for us.

 

[Pierce Hawthorne]

He had 81 minutes in the TB series and only had 1 point. He was a hindrance, not a positive.

With a winger like Nuke and/or Lehky, hopefully that balances out. We desperately need more offense from the second line, so I predict it will work for us.

And he was on the ice for just 2 goals against in that entire series and had a 57% xGF for us.


It isn't just about the points... Hell the points are one of the least important stats in hockey.


He played a pretty crucial role in us winning the cup.

 

[sethro109]

And he was on the ice for just 2 goals against in that entire series and had a 57% xGF for us.


It isn't just about the points... Hell the points are one of the least important stats in hockey.


He played a pretty crucial role in us winning the cup.

Maybe when you have other guys like Kadri, Bura, Landy and Nuke providing the offense, but we don't have that depth anymore. MacK, Mikko and Makar can't be the only ones scoring. We need more balance. We need a scoring 2C, not just a shutdown guy anymore.

 

[jfc64]

I could literally show you a thousand articles, but yeah:

You forgot the "brilliant" hockey analyst going under the name of jfc64. Here's his take:

• Vegas (no. 1)
• New Jersey
• Colorado
• Los Angeles
• Boston
• Carolina
• Edmonton
• Toronto
• Columbus
• Pittsburgh
• NY Rangers
• Florida
• Tampa Bay
• Washington
• Seattle
• Montreal
• Dallas
• Buffalo
• Winnipeg
• Ottawa
• NY Islanders
• St. Louis
• Calgary
• Detroit
• Chicago
• Nashville
• Philadelphia
• Anaheim
• Vancouver
• Minnesota
• Arizona
• San Jose (no. 32)