Rumor: 2024-2025 Trade Rumors and Free Agency - Offseason Edition

[Muffin]

I'd love Skinner if he gets bought out and is willing to sign cheap. I won't quit him.

Could be a Drouin replacement too if, again, assuming he's cheap.

He’d be good here, we really lack natural goal scorers other than Rantanen.

 

[AvsCOL]

Easily the most uncertain I've been about this team in a few years. Feels like there's so much up to chance right now. Does Nichushkin pull it together? Is Landeskog ever going to play again? How do they afford Drouin? Can Georgiev actually backstop this team? Can they afford Rantanen beyond 2024-2025?

 

[missionAvs]

Uh...there's a slight difference between the Dominator and Georgiev.

Meh, they're both all stars no?

 

[dahrougem2]

Rantanen highest TOI/GP, 7th in playoff PTS/GP
MacKinnon 2nd TOI/GP, 8th in playoff PTS/GP
Kucherov 3rd in TOI/GP, 3rd in playoff PTS/GP
Trocheck 5th in TOI/GP, 9th in playoff PTS/GP
McDavid 6th in TOI/GP, 1st in playoff PTS/GP
Nichushkin 7th in TOI/GP, 10th in playoff PTS/GP
Draisaitl 15th in TOI/GP, 4th in playoff PTS/GP

There's the forwards from point per game leaders in the plaoyffs.
Basically what the point is, forwards who played the most in the regular season were also at the top in playoff points.

If playing less would automatically lead to higher performance in the playoffs, teams would be doing it all over.
If you can physically handle the minutes, you will fully recover during breaks between games.
Obviously everyone does have their limit where it will start affecting their play.

That is not the point. When you look at averages per game, then compare over a full season, MacKinnon and Rantanen basically played 21 more games than the highest TOI forwards for Dallas.

Then go watch game 6. Look at how much faster and more fresh Dallas looked. Hell, we complained all playoffs that MacKinnon looked off. Even in interviews he looked exhausted.

You can't play these guys WAY more than everyone else and expect similar energy levels. It's insanity.

 

[shadow1]

The 4C UFA market is trash this year. Like, maybe Travis Boyd might come cheap since he's coming off pectoral surgery and only played 16 games., but other than that, nobody really stands out.

It's not a great group. Keeping in mind Colorado's rice and beans budget, I could see Boyd and Nosek as injury-bounce back guys. I could also totally see the Avalanche signing one of Blackwell, Girgensons, or Janmark and moving them over to center (like they did with Trenin).

 

[CobraAcesS]

I mean I was #1 on the trade Girard bandwagon but that was before trading Byram. It'd be a tough blow to lose Girard and Byram.

He actually did ok in the playoffs. I would have loved to see him score though. I felt like he was close. If that dude could somehow dial in his shot it would be nice.

 

[Pierce Hawthorne]

Skinner at 50% for Nichushkin?

 

[ABasin]

It's not a great group. Keeping in mind Colorado's rice and beans budget, I could see Boyd and Nosek as injury-bounce back guys. I could also totally see the Avalanche signing one of Blackwell, Girgensons, or Janmark and moving them over to center (like they did with Trenin).

It’s sad to me that Colorado can’t draft/develop their own 4th line center.

 

[henchman21]

That is not the point. When you look at averages per game, then compare over a full season, MacKinnon and Rantanen basically played 21 more games than the highest TOI forwards for Dallas.

Then go watch game 6. Look at how much faster and more fresh Dallas looked. Hell, we complained all playoffs that MacKinnon looked off. Even in interviews he looked exhausted.

You can't play these guys WAY more than everyone else and expect similar energy levels. It's insanity.

We can still do the production thing too.. in the regular season, MacK was a 3.42 p/60 5v5 player. Rants was 2.37. MacK was 1.95 p/60 and Rants was 1.7. They made the production completely on the power play in the playoffs. 5v5 they took a HUGE step back. Mitts took heat, but the only p/60 player that beat him was Cogs who had less than 80 minutes. Mitts was like 170 and still produced. Only Lehky and Mitts were above 2p/60.

Two years in a row this team has not had enough left in the tank. You cannot expect the top guys to lead the league in minutes at their positions consistently and still expect them to have full energy.

IMO priority #1 for next season is to get these minutes under control, even if it means Bednar has to accept a wild card spot. Priority #2 is going to be having a great deadline. The Avs just don't have the cap space to operate with reckless abandon. So the significant additions will have to wait until February. The team will simply have to tread water until then.

It’s sad to me that Colorado can’t draft/develop their own 4th line center.

Most teams actually don't. 4Cs tend to be either guys who disappointed and after 2-3 teams, somebody finally accepts them for who they are. Or a guy who worked through lower league to break through eventually.

 

[ABasin]

Then go watch game 6. Look at how much faster and more fresh Dallas looked. Hell, we complained all playoffs that MacKinnon looked off. Even in interviews he looked exhausted.

Is it the games played? Or is it the age of the Avs roster? Colorado didn’t ice a single player under 25 in the playoffs.

Edit: Kovalenko (age 24) played a few shifts.

 

[dahrougem2]

We can still do the production thing too.. in the regular season, MacK was a 3.42 p/60 5v5 player. Rants was 2.37. MacK was 1.95 p/60 and Rants was 1.7. They made the production completely on the power play in the playoffs. 5v5 they took a HUGE step back. Mitts took heat, but the only p/60 player that beat him was Cogs who had less than 80 minutes. Mitts was like 170 and still produced. Only Lehky and Mitts were above 2p/60.

Two years in a row this team has not had enough left in the tank. You cannot expect the top guys to lead the league in minutes at their positions consistently and still expect them to have full energy.

IMO priority #1 for next season is to get these minutes under control, even if it means Bednar has to accept a wild card spot. Priority #2 is going to be having a great deadline. The Avs just don't have the cap space to operate with reckless abandon. So the significant additions will have to wait until February. The team will simply have to tread water until then.


Most teams actually don't. 4Cs tend to be either guys who disappointed and after 2-3 teams, somebody finally accepts them for who they are. Or a guy who worked through lower league to break through eventually.

It's something I wish the media would push and somehow force him to change.

That narrative developed in Edmonton with both McLellan and Woodcroft until Knoblauch got it under control and basically said not only are 97/29 split full time (unless the nuclear option is needed), the bottom six needs more minutes.

CMac/Sakic/whoever needs to put Bednar in check and save these players from themselves. 29 would play 35 minutes if he had a say.

Is it the games played? Or is it the age of the Avs roster? Colorado didn’t ice a single player under 25 in the playoffs.

Edit: Kovalenko (age 24) played a few shifts.

No, it has nothing to do with age when a guy like Nathan MacKinnon looks beyond exhausted.

Matt Duchene is older than every Avs core player and looked faster than all of them in game 6. It has everything to do with playing way more

 

[CobraAcesS]

Curious if moving Behrens in a theoretical Ferraro trade would be 1) enough 2) smart. He would basically be taking the last slot available for Behrens, but a higher end 2nd pair guy with his potential cap hit( 1.7mil) could be huge for the next two years.

This is what I'd like to see.. People talk a lot about trying to get this middle six forward for 50% retention, but I want insurance on defense with how much Makar and Manson are injured.

Ideally that guy is right handed, but anyone who could play up somewhat reliably would work.

 

[CobraAcesS]

It really isn't... we've seen the legs the top guys have after a season of playing too many minutes.

Also Avs are now old.

Having Casey for a full season should help the forwards a ton. I also think his conditioning will come up a notch. He was clearly fkn gassed after a bit here, but I think he'll fix that.

 

[Mighty Makar]

I wouldn’t mind Skinner for cheap. Has he played much with Mitts in Buffalo?

 

[hockeyfish]

Skinner at 50% for Nichushkin?

Are we going to do this every time a player is rumored to be available?

 

[henchman21]

Is it the games played? Or is it the age of the Avs roster? Colorado didn’t ice a single player under 25 in the playoffs.

Edit: Kovalenko (age 24) played a few shifts.

Probably both actually... older legs don't have the jump AND the top guys are playing way too much. If Annunen on the bench counts too.

I really don't think people realize how old this team is. When December rolls around, Kovalenko and Annunen are likely to be the only players under 26. When you extend that to 28, you only add G, Mitts, and Makar. By hockey standards, that's ancient.

Having Casey for a full season should help the forwards a ton. I also think his conditioning will come up a notch. He was clearly fkn gassed after a bit here, but I think he'll fix that.

I'm not sure on that. Bednar rides his top guys, just what he does. I want to see some actual evidence of that changing before just assuming it will. IMO it is more likely that Mitts just takes a couple minutes from Colton and MacK stays the same.

 

[hockeyfish]

Probably both actually... older legs don't have the jump AND the top guys are playing way too much. If Annunen on the bench counts too.

I really don't think people realize how old this team is. When December rolls around, Kovalenko and Annunen are likely to be the only players under 26. When you extend that to 28, you only add G, Mitts, and Makar. By hockey standards, that's ancient.


I'm not sure on that. Bednar rides his top guys, just what he does. I want to see some actual evidence of that changing before just assuming it will. IMO it is more likely that Mitts just takes a couple minutes from Colton and MacK stays the same.

Just checked, Mack played almost exactly his season average in minutes per game in the 18 games after Mitts came in. So yeah, I don't think it changed much.

 

[Gumballhead]

Are we going to do this every time a player is rumored to be available?

Why is this posed in the form of a question?

 

[Pierce Hawthorne]

Are we going to do this every time a player is rumored to be available?

Well I certainly wasn't planning on it... But now I will just for you.

 

[hockeyfish]

Rantanen @ 50% for Nuke!

 

[expatriatedtexan]

Having Mitts as 2C should make a difference vs last year in how much Bednar plays the top forwards into the ground.

Only if we have enough wingers Bednar is willing to give minutes too.

 

[AvalancheSpeedsters]

Are we going to do this every time a player is rumored to be available?

Yes

 

[expatriatedtexan]

It’s sad to me that Colorado can’t draft/develop their own 4th line center.

I feel like the last one even worth mentioning was Serge Aubin, and he ended up playing way more games for Columbus and Atlanta each than Colorado.

 

[Pierce Hawthorne]

Rantanen @ 50% for Nuke!

But who's retaining the 50%

 

[hockeyfish]

But who's retaining the 50%

What if Colorado retained 50% and Avalanche retained 50%?