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

[AvsCOL]

Avs need to be all over this if he’s available. Guy is going to be a monster.

 

[Richard88]

Saw someone float the idea of NJ trading Kovacevic on the main boards, and another thread where NJ want a 3C. Their fans seem pretty positive about acquiring Colton, and a Kovacevic/Colton trade would apparently work for them (maybe with an add from NJ).

That's a hockey trade I could see making sense for both teams.

NJ are deep at RHD with Hamilton/Peace/Kovacevic and need to make room for Nemec soon. Kovacevic is making $766k AAV so would have decent value to contenders at the TDL, though they'd likely only do it as a hockey trade rather than pure futures since they're contenders themselves.

The Avs would get a late blooming RHD who can PK as an upgrade on Malinski. He'll be an RFA in the summer when he'll be signing his first big contract, which fits how the Avs like to operate. He'd stylistically be a natural successor to Manson next to Girard.

Moreover, swapping Colton for Kovacevic would create $3m+ in capspace, allowing for a big fish forward to be added in a separate trade, and/or for Landeskog to be activated to effectively replace Colton in the lineup. Colton himself would likely waive his NTC for NJ since he's from there and they are contenders.

Drouin - MacKinnon - Nichushkin
Lehkonen - Mittelstadt - Necas
Parssinen - Drury - Landeskog/TDL fwd
Wood - Kelly - O'Connor
Kiviranta

 

[BobRossColton]

Colton+ 2nds

Kovacevic
Mercer

 

[Richard88]

Drouin - Mack - Nuke
Lehky - Mitts - Necas

I could certainly see that Top 6 working quite well if health wasnt in the equation. If you actually get Landy back at any point you then also get a 3rd line of

Landy - Drury - Colton?

And then the Kivi/Kelly/LOC 4th line.



Suffice to say Wood needs to be sent to the site of the moon landing.

You mean to say he's getting traded to L.A.? (the site of Stanley Kubrick's Space Odyssey movie set in Hollywood )

 

[Pokecheque]

Avs need to be all over this if he’s available. Guy is going to be a monster.

Seriously? They're going to flip him!? Yeah, count me in.

 

[CobraAcesS]

If he can still skate he's definitely a huge upgrade over our AHL squad. For 1M or less bring him in, it won't affect our cap space anyway.

We need a guy that can clean up around the net badly. He needs to show he still has value. Yeah I'm down, depending on what he wants to be paid for this year.

Scored 26 last year too.

 

[Freaky Styley]

Saw someone float the idea of NJ trading Kovacevic on the main boards, and another thread where NJ want a 3C. Their fans seem pretty positive about acquiring Colton, and a Kovacevic/Colton trade would apparently work for them (maybe with an add from NJ).

That's a hockey trade I could see making sense for both teams.

NJ are deep at RHD with Hamilton/Peace/Kovacevic and need to make room for Nemec soon. Kovacevic is making $766k AAV so would have decent value to contenders at the TDL, though they'd likely only do it as a hockey trade rather than pure futures since they're contenders themselves.

The Avs would get a late blooming RHD who can PK as an upgrade on Malinski. He'll be an RFA in the summer when he'll be signing his first big contract, which fits how the Avs like to operate. He'd stylistically be a natural successor to Manson next to Girard.

Moreover, swapping Colton for Kovacevic would create $3m+ in capspace, allowing for a big fish forward to be added in a separate trade, and/or for Landeskog to be activated to effectively replace Colton in the lineup. Colton himself would likely waive his NTC for NJ since he's from there and they are contenders.

Drouin - MacKinnon - Nichushkin
Lehkonen - Mittelstadt - Necas
Parssinen - Drury - Landeskog/TDL fwd
Wood - Kelly - O'Connor
Kiviranta

Avs missed the boat on acquring him in the off-season. I'd be shocked if they actually traded him, unless they prefer Casey in the lineup. Keefe loves him and Cup contenders need deep D. Although I am all for the idea. You can also be sure Colton would waive his NTC for NJ

 

[CobraAcesS]

Saw someone float the idea of NJ trading Kovacevic on the main boards, and another thread where NJ want a 3C. Their fans seem pretty positive about acquiring Colton, and a Kovacevic/Colton trade would apparently work for them (maybe with an add from NJ).

That's a hockey trade I could see making sense for both teams.

NJ are deep at RHD with Hamilton/Peace/Kovacevic and need to make room for Nemec soon. Kovacevic is making $766k AAV so would have decent value to contenders at the TDL, though they'd likely only do it as a hockey trade rather than pure futures since they're contenders themselves.

The Avs would get a late blooming RHD who can PK as an upgrade on Malinski. He'll be an RFA in the summer when he'll be signing his first big contract, which fits how the Avs like to operate. He'd stylistically be a natural successor to Manson next to Girard.

Moreover, swapping Colton for Kovacevic would create $3m+ in capspace, allowing for a big fish forward to be added in a separate trade, and/or for Landeskog to be activated to effectively replace Colton in the lineup. Colton himself would likely waive his NTC for NJ since he's from there and they are contenders.

Drouin - MacKinnon - Nichushkin
Lehkonen - Mittelstadt - Necas
Parssinen - Drury - Landeskog/TDL fwd
Wood - Kelly - O'Connor
Kiviranta

Sounds legit, and Colton might actually wave for NJ.

 

[Pokecheque]

Saw someone float the idea of NJ trading Kovacevic on the main boards, and another thread where NJ want a 3C. Their fans seem pretty positive about acquiring Colton, and a Kovacevic/Colton trade would apparently work for them (maybe with an add from NJ).

That's a hockey trade I could see making sense for both teams.

NJ are deep at RHD with Hamilton/Peace/Kovacevic and need to make room for Nemec soon. Kovacevic is making $766k AAV so would have decent value to contenders at the TDL, though they'd likely only do it as a hockey trade rather than pure futures since they're contenders themselves.

The Avs would get a late blooming RHD who can PK as an upgrade on Malinski. He'll be an RFA in the summer when he'll be signing his first big contract, which fits how the Avs like to operate. He'd stylistically be a natural successor to Manson next to Girard.

Moreover, swapping Colton for Kovacevic would create $3m+ in capspace, allowing for a big fish forward to be added in a separate trade, and/or for Landeskog to be activated to effectively replace Colton in the lineup. Colton himself would likely waive his NTC for NJ since he's from there and they are contenders.

Drouin - MacKinnon - Nichushkin
Lehkonen - Mittelstadt - Necas
Parssinen - Drury - Landeskog/TDL fwd
Wood - Kelly - O'Connor
Kiviranta

Oh shit if that's all it took I'd be down. But I can't imagine the Habs would do that.

 

[Gumballhead]

Well then... if Saad is willing to sign for league minimum

I mean, we could try him on until Nuke is back. I feel like he's toast though. He does like to be net-front, so he'd be some measure of Nuke replacement there. Maybe he knows how not to get called for GI.

 

[Balthazar]

a Kovacevic/Colton trade would apparently work for them (maybe with an add from NJ).

I'd add to get this done. Kovacevic makes peanuts and he's the reliable 3rd pairing RD we're looking for that can kill penalties.

Colton is close to cap dump territory.

 

[RoyIsALegend]

Oh shit if that's all it took I'd be down. But I can't imagine the Habs would do that.

Yeah, the Habs might have a tough time doing that since Kovacevic plays for New Jersey.

 

[Richard88]

Lots of thoughts:

- Saad would be a great Wood replacement at 4LW at league min. Signing him would allow us to move Wood and not look for a replacement F. Obviously not as physical but doesn't other nice things

- Drouin hasn't been great with Mack-Necas IMO. If Bednar is so adamant about them together, at least try someone like Colton up there to see if he can find his groove from early in the season. Allows you to run Lehky - Mitts -Dru second line. Or Parssinen. Give one of these guys an opportunity to succeed. Overall Bednar just needs to try a lot of different combos pre-playoffs since he has a new toy, he needs to see the possibilites.

- Agree with @shadow1 that if the Avs move on from Mitts it will be for a sure thing, not guys like Morgan Frost (more below)

- Jones is definitely not overrated, people hate on him because of his contract. Very few RHD options out there that can play in all situations. He's having a great year statistically, retention is just the issue.

- Overall, Kadri + Andersson is the best option IMO to fill our holes to compete this season and next. I'm still dubious that it will make a difference this year by shaking up the team so much. But that's the package I'd be aggressive with and give Conroy 'and offer he can't refuse'. There's even a decent chance we could re-sign Rasmus when his contract is up and Manson is gone.

- Jones is the next best option, but it means we stick with Mitts at 2C I think. I don't see a realistic sure upgrade that would be available with the cap space needed to bring in Jones. At that point I'd try Necas at 2C as well for a stint and have Mitts and Drury move down. Would be something like this:

Drouin - Mack - Nuke
Parssinen - Necas - Lehkonen
Landeksog? - Mitts - LOC
Kelly - Drury - Kivi (assumes Wood + Colton is moved in the Jones deal)
Saad?

Also opens up options of trading for a cheaper middle 6LW at the deadline.

And last but not least, to follow @Richard88 analysis of our D options, here are some realistic C options given the standings of today:

East:

Three of the bold teams will make the POs, I put a * around the ones I expect at this point

OTT*
BOS
TB*
CBJ*
DET
MTL
NYR
PHI
NYI - Nelson
PIT -Malkin
BUF

I don't see the top 7 teams having realistic options for us, either because they lack C depth themselves or there's not a clear Mitts upgrade. That leaves pretty much NYI, Pitt & BUF as options. BUF probably not realistic either good fit but Nelson or Malkin are the names that jump out on the bottom 2. Who knows what Lou is thinking though.

West:
only one spot up for grabs in the West barring an Avs and/or LA meltdown

CGY - Kadri
VAN - Miller/EP (no)
STL
UTA
ANA
SEA - McCann, Gourde, Stephenson
NSH - O'Reilly (no)
CHI - Maybe Kurashev/Dickinson as add-ons in a Jones deal
SJS - Granlund

The names that jump out to me here are Kadri. McCann (is he playing C?), Granlund.

Granlund I don't love stylistically and size wise, although he's a good player. I'd more look to bring him as a 3C option to supplement Mitts (ala Gourde, and at that point I'd choose Gourde).

Like Kadri, McCann is a shooter. He makes less than Mitts and is only 2 years older. Would be a good fit if he's playing C and maybe the Kraken entertain it to get a little younger. I'd say Chandler Stephenson is a darkhorse. I really don't like that contract but it won't be as bad with a rising cap, and he showed he can handle top 6 minutes with Vegas. Has speed and is a playoff performer. Maybe Kraken have some buyers remorse.

Curious who you guys like and if I missed anyone. More options open up for forwards if Necas can be a fit at C. Even a guy like Marchand, for example.

Thanks for putting together that list.

My takeaway from that is that those options suck so I'd rather just stick it out with Mittelstadt unless there's a big fish to be had (i.e. EP).

If there's no 2C upgrade to be made I wonder if the Avs would still have interest in adding another forward, especially if Landeskog isn't coming back and/or if they use Colton in a hockey trade for a Dman.

For example I could see them being highly interested in Bjorkstrand. They could do with another forward who's more of a shooter, and his forechecking game is strong too, along with being a known entity given the Columbus and Bednar connection. His 1.5 year contract also has the perfect term since the Avs have a lot of capspace this off-season but need to be mindful of the Necas extension and Manson replacement in 2026.

The Avs have ~$5.6m in capspace right now which would be enough to add Bjorkstrand outright for just futures, though there would then likely need to be a hockey trade for a Dman.

As an example:

Bjorkstrand ($5.4mx2) for picks/prospects

Colton ($4mx3) for Kovacevic ($766kx1) + pick/prospect

Those two trades leave ~$3.4m in capspace to be used for a LHD. Or rather, once you jettison Malinski and Kylington you'd have an extra $1.9m for the LHD, or $5.3m for a LHD. (while maintaining the same roster size since Kovacevic + LHD + Bjorkstrand would replace Malinski/Kylington/Colton).

The lineup:

Drouin - MacKinnon - Nichushkin
Lehkonen - Mittelstadt - Necas
Parssinen - Drury - Bjorkstrand
Wood - Kelly - O'Connor
Kiviranta

Toews - Makar
Girard - Manson
$5.3m LHD - Kovacevic
De Haan

 

[Richard88]

Avs missed the boat on acquring him in the off-season. I'd be shocked if they actually traded him, unless they prefer Casey in the lineup. Keefe loves him and Cup contenders need deep D. Although I am all for the idea. You can also be sure Colton would waive his NTC for NJ

Yeah I was banging the drum for the Avs to pick him up when he hit waivers with Winnipeg, and then again when he was traded. Definitely missed opportunities given how cheap he'd have been to acquire.

Oh shit if that's all it took I'd be down. But I can't imagine the Habs would do that.

Kovacevic plays with NJ now, not Montreal

 

[EdAVSfan]

Anyone know if there’s any kind of trade freeze during the 4 nations?

 

[LOFIN]

Anyone know if there’s any kind of trade freeze during the 4 nations?

No

 

[the_fan]

Anyone know if there’s any kind of trade freeze during the 4 nations?

I heard there is a freeze on February 1st until after the 4 nations

 

[RoyIsALegend]

Anyone know if there’s any kind of trade freeze during the 4 nations?

Nope.

All key dates for the 2024/25 season from the NHL site:

https://media.nhl.com/site/asset/public/ext/nhl%20stats/2024-25%20Regular%20Season/2024-25NHLKeyDatesFINAL_Sept10-24.pdf

 

[hockeyfish]

No trade freeze, but you can bet the league would be pissed if a major trade happened during it. I think teams will generally chill during it.

 

[Freaky Styley]

Thanks for putting together that list.

My takeaway from that is that those options suck so I'd rather just stick it out with Mittelstadt unless there's a big fish to be had (i.e. EP).

If there's no 2C upgrade to be made I wonder if the Avs would still have interest in adding another forward, especially if Landeskog isn't coming back and/or if they use Colton in a hockey trade for a Dman.

For example I could see them being highly interested in Bjorkstrand. They could do with another forward who's more of a shooter, and his forechecking game is strong too, along with being a known entity given the Columbus and Bednar connection. His 1.5 year contract also has the perfect term since the Avs have a lot of capspace this off-season but need to be mindful of the Necas extension and Manson replacement in 2026.

The Avs have ~$5.6m in capspace right now which would be enough to add Bjorkstrand outright for just futures, though there would then likely need to be a hockey trade for a Dman.

As an example:

Bjorkstrand ($5.4mx2) for picks/prospects

Colton ($4mx3) for Kovacevic ($766kx1) + pick/prospect

Those two trades leave ~$3.4m in capspace to be used for a LHD. Or rather, once you jettison Malinski and Kylington you'd have an extra $1.9m for the LHD, or $5.3m for a LHD. (while maintaining the same roster size since Kovacevic + LHD + Bjorkstrand would replace Malinski/Kylington/Colton).

The lineup:

Drouin - MacKinnon - Nichushkin
Lehkonen - Mittelstadt - Necas
Parssinen - Drury - Bjorkstrand
Wood - Kelly - O'Connor
Kiviranta

Toews - Makar
Girard - Manson
$5.3m LHD - Kovacevic
De Haan

If they don't go for an upgrade I think the most likely scenario is a supplement like Gourde or try Necas at 2C and go after a winger like you're alluding to, while also targeting Jones. I know Drury has looked good and they probably like him at 3C in the future but bumping him to 4C is true C depth. We shall see.

Your scenario is like the minimum I'd expect. Not sure who the LD would be but I'm guessing not a guy worth 5M+. That might also leave cap space for a Landeskog return? I have no idea how to handle daily cap numbers.

 

[Muffin]

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6096332/2025/01/29/canucks-elias-pettersson-trade/

 

[TatteredTornNFrayed]

Just heard the Saad news. Maybe he can still hitch a ride on the Blues flight to Denver...

 

[the_fan]

Why did one of the reports I heard saying teams have until February 1st to make a trade implying there is a freeze until end of tournament? Or maybe I misunderstood

 

[MacKaRant]

He wasn't bought out.

Edit: NVM, Just saw the termination. That's a surprise. But honestly with our cap space now I'm targeting bigger fish I think.

Wow, Saad gave up a ton of money to not have to ride the AHL bus

I think I read that he has a newborn so that probably factors into it, but dude just gave up a huge amount of money

 

[Avsfan1921]

The lineup:

Drouin - MacKinnon - Nichushkin
Lehkonen - Mittelstadt - Necas
Parssinen - Drury - Bjorkstrand
Wood - Kelly - O'Connor
Kiviranta

Toews - Makar
Girard - Manson
$5.3m LHD - Kovacevic
De Haan

Manson has to either be bumped down or upgraded on imo. Replacing the 3rd pair and having him either anchoring it or outright replaced has to be the priority but maybe that can work in conjunction with your initial idea as that lineup looks pretty damn solid.