Rumor: 2024-2025 Trade Rumors and Free Agency Talk | Part Deux

[CobraAcesS]

IMO, only 2 of 3.

Either a 2RD or 3RD (ideally a 2 to put Manson down and limit his ice time to 3rd pairing and PK)

Either Mitts regaining form or an upgraded 2C.

There’s enough crap on the team to have a semi competent 3LD


Yeah, it’s created about 6-7M for next season.
But next season only. After that, it could be anywhere from 2-3M to 12-14M. Unknown depending on the contracts of Necas and Rants.

Pushing that out even one year with the cap rising is huge though.

 

[EdAVSfan]

Pushing that out even one year with the cap rising is huge though.

No doubt. Like I discussed with @shadow1 , this simply allows the Avs the possibility for better depth. But it’s still up to the Avs brass to properly utilize the flexibility and identify the right signings and trades.

We’ll see how that flexibility is used this season and next.

 

[BobRossColton]

Use some of that cap money on an actual bottom pairing

 

[MacKaRant]

I wonder where that "big news coming out of Pittsburgh" that Weekes and Callahan hinted at is?

 

[Richard88]

3rd line LW who doesn't play PP and doesn't kill penalties making 4M with a NTC.

It's not the greatest.

40 point forward who can play C. Seems like a fair value deal and it wouldn't be hard to find a suitor if they decided to trade him. The NTC potentially makes things harder though admittedly.

 

[Richard88]

So CMac didn't allow other teams to talk extension, while also acknowledging that he wouldn't get a prime asset back without it.

After reading this I really wonder what kind of return we'd have got for Rants if CMac allowed other teams to talk to him.

He obviously didn't want them to talk to him because then Mikko would have knew that they are trying to trade him and there's no going back if the trade doesn't work. Tough spot.

Maybe that would have been the motivation Rantanen and his agent needed to come down from their asking price.

 

[EdAVSfan]

So CMac didn't allow other teams to talk extension, while also acknowledging that he wouldn't get a prime asset back without it.

It makes sense in a way. If you allow talk, and Rantanen says no, you’ve essentially killed the trade partner altogether.

 

[RoyIsALegend]

3rd line LW who doesn't play PP and doesn't kill penalties making 4M with a NTC.

It's not the greatest.

40 point forward who can play C. Seems like a fair value deal and it wouldn't be hard to find a suitor if they decided to trade him. The NTC potentially makes things harder though admittedly.

Colton played 10 minutes today and looked like shit.

Even the 4th line played more than him. Kiviranta 13 mins, Kelly 12 mins…

Bednar has continuously demoted Colton down the lineup.

 

[willy702]

I'd give up the 2026 1st if they added retention.

At 6M, even if Kadri transitions to 3C over time it's not bad considering the cap.

You could probably get a 1st maybe with a full year left on Manson. Teams will always pay up for right shot playoff warriors like him. I'd keep him though, unless they could really identify the right player for that spot.



Heavy retention, as much as possible. Crosby should have full 50%. 25 to 30% on Jones.

Mitts and Wood heading out.

A first for Manson?

 

[Richard88]

Both.

- 2C
- 3LHD
- 3RHD

If Mittelstadt can figure his game out it would be nice to add a LHS goalscoring forward to the middle 6.

Drouin - MacKinnon - Nichushkin
Lehkonen - Mittelstadt - Necas
Colton - Drury - xxxx
Wood - Kelly - O'Connor
Kiviranta/Parssinen

Or maybe if Necas shows that he can play 2C in Bednar's system you still add that LHS scoring forward:

Drouin - MacKinnon - Nichushkin
Lehkonen - Necas - xxxx
Colton - Mittelstadt - O'Connor
Wood - Drury - Kelly
Kiviranta/Parssinen

 

[Richard88]

Could go either way. If you get a team that’s willing to talk and get an extension, sure you likely get a bit better of a deal.

On the other hand, if Rantanen isn’t willing to negotiate, you completely eliminate that trade partner. The other problem you create is, if Rantanen doesn’t want to extend, Carolina may realize they’re the only ones willing to trade for him and could lowball you even more.

The bit in bold isn't necessarily true. A team may prefer to trade for him extended, but may still make a decent offer even without an extension in place.

 

[Balthazar]

 

[Mighty Makar]

I like Necas.

 

[Colorado Avalanche]

Better than yesterday.

 

[Richard88]

As of right now we have like $15M in space for next year.

I dont think everyone fully understands how much room trading Mikko has created.

Yeah it's pretty crazy how much space there is when playing around on capwages. Necas at $6.5m and having 3C boxed off for two years at $1.725m compared to Rantanen at $12m+ opens up so many permutations. I definitely see the Avs bringing Drouin back now and possibly even being players in the offseason (especially if Landeskog is done).

 

[The Merchant]

Better than yesterday.

And yesterday he could've easily had two goals. On a 13 hour turnaround.

 

[CobraAcesS]

The bit in bold isn't necessarily true. A team may prefer to trade for him extended, but may still make a decent offer even without an extension in place.

I think he would have let a team talk contract if he liked their offer better than Carolina’s.

Carolina really stepped up.

 

[EdAVSfan]

The bit in bold isn't necessarily true. A team may prefer to trade for him extended, but may still make a decent offer even without an extension in place.

I mean I guess. But you’re looking strictly at rental prices because the player himself is telling you, « im only a rental for you ».

This way, with no negotiations, you’re likely getting the packages that’s between the extended Rants offers and the rental Rants offers.

So not the best packages and not the worst.

With negotiations beforehand, the packages will be on the extremities, but likely very few. How many teams is Rantanen going to pre-agree on an extension? How many good teams can afford a 12-14M dollar winger?

Carolina was prob one of the few, likely the only, willing to give up quality pieces for a potential rental only.
There’s a chance, not necessarily high IMO, that Rantanen doesn’t re-sign there. That’s a monstrous gamble from Carolina. Now, I think that’s doubtful. They have a good team, Finns, and lots of cap. But who knows where Rantanen wants to be.

 

[hockeyfish]

I don't know if they will be able to do it, but I think finding a 2nd pairing D to play with Girard should be priority #1 right now. Manson just can't be playing 20+ minutes a night right now.

 

[CobraAcesS]

He hasn't been as bad defensively as rumored either. He uses his speed to back check and close distance in all three zones.

 

[EdAVSfan]

I don't know if they will be able to do it, but I think finding a 2nd pairing D to play with Girard should be priority #1 right now. Manson just can't be playing 20+ minutes a night right now.

It’s no question the top priority.

Find a middle pairing RD, move Manson down to the 3rd pair and the D is set.

Easier said than done. Top 4 RDs are generally expensive.

 

[Pierce Hawthorne]

Yeah it's pretty crazy how much space there is when playing around on capwages. Necas at $6.5m and having 3C boxed off for two years at $1.725m compared to Rantanen at $12m+ opens up so many permutations. I definitely see the Avs bringing Drouin back now and possibly even being players in the offseason (especially if Landeskog is done).

Yep, and the thing is they have lots of space and not really a lot of roster spots to fill... Assuming they dont move any other roster guys out... For next year we're looking at:



Drouin - Mack - Necas
Lehky - Mitts - Nuke
Colton - Drury - LOC


Toews - Makar
G - Manson

Woods

As of right now, the entire Top 9F and Top 4D, and both 1 and 2 Goalies are signed. Drouin technically isn't but I guarantee he re-signs now and probably for like $3-3.5M...

That group above comes in at just $79.725M. That's gonna be over $15M in cap space for sure. Probably even more since at this point I'm expecting a cap of $97-98M rather then $95M. So maybe even $18M in space.

And again, that's without moving a single guy out. One obvious move they might make is to move Colton out, and drop Landy in his spot for next year. So that would ultimately be +$3M, but still leaves them with anywhere from $12-15M in space.

Suffice to say, they have real money right now to spend, if they wanted to upgrade on Mitts. They could easily drop $2M more to get a guy for $7.5-8M in that spot instead. If they wanted to upgrade on Manson, could easily spend $2-3M to upgrade that spot as well.


Like they could reasonably add Kadri and Jones if they wanted to. Or Miller and Jones. Or Brock Nelson. Or, they could be players in Free Agency. Target guys like Sam Bennett, Brock Boeser, Nik Ehlers, etc....

They could be big players on a few guys.

 

[Colorado Avalanche]

Yep, and the thing is they have lots of space and not really a lot of roster spots to fill... Assuming they dont move any other roster guys out... For next year we're looking at:



Drouin - Mack - Necas
Lehky - Mitts - Nuke
Colton - Drury - LOC


Toews - Makar
G - Manson

Woods

As of right now, the entire Top 9F and Top 4D, and both 1 and 2 Goalies are signed. Drouin technically isn't but I guarantee he re-signs now and probably for like $3-3.5M...

That group above comes in at just $79.725M. That's gonna be over $15M in cap space for sure. Probably even more since at this point I'm expecting a cap of $97-98M rather then $95M. So maybe even $18M in space.

And again, that's without moving a single guy out. One obvious move they might make is to move Colton out, and drop Landy in his spot for next year. So that would ultimately be +$3M, but still leaves them with anywhere from $12-15M in space.

Suffice to say, they have real money right now to spend, if they wanted to upgrade on Mitts. They could easily drop $2M more to get a guy for $7.5-8M in that spot instead. If they wanted to upgrade on Manson, could easily spend $2-3M to upgrade that spot as well.


Like they could reasonably add Kadri and Jones if they wanted to. Or Miller and Jones. Or Brock Nelson. Or, they could be players in Free Agency. Target guys like Sam Bennett, Brock Boeser, Nik Ehlers, etc....

They could be big players on a few guys.

Pretty exciting situation to be in.

 

[Bill Peckerskull]

Colton + Wood + Malinski + NYR 2nd for Jones 25% retained ($2.375M)

 

[Pierce Hawthorne]

It’s no question the top priority.

Find a middle pairing RD, move Manson down to the 3rd pair and the D is set.

Easier said than done. Top 4 RDs are generally expensive.

This is why I think the Avs need to jump on Seth Jones. Denver kid with a full NMC and a contract that most teams would shy away from. He shouldn't be expensive at all. In fact at his full cap hit I think he'd cost the Hawks to move him. But with some retention we could send them some value.