Speculation: 2025 Off-season Thread

[The Pwnerer]

To all the great posters here and their great knowledge. When was the last time a team in the middle/latter part of their contention window completely changed coaches and were successful in doing so?

The only ones I can vaguely remember are the Pens (Blysma to Sullivan)....took many many years. The most recent examples of success has to be Cassidy (Knights) and Maurice (Florida). Both won it <2 years so I guess it is possible to have major success. This gives me a little more confidence that we absolutely should lean into changing coaching.

Lightning NO (Cooper)
Blackhawk NO (Joel Q)
Kings NO (Sutter)

Bednar and staff obviously deserve blame because all that matter is results. But it absolutely guts me to think how great of a locker room culture and team identity he established here. It took YEARS for this. I mean if you think about it Bednar was ahead of his time when he came here and the league took notice as everyone started to try and imitate us and become transition focused teams. I fear that it'll once again take years for this team to find a new identity with whatever new staff that they may choose to go with. Knowing Maurice and Cassidy however, I think the time is now. Love you Bedsy but it's time to change.

 

[RECKLESS]

Guys, we don't need major moves.
We did major moves during the course of this season which were excellent. Look where we started the season? I give huge props to CMac and crew for making us so much better all the while keeping our window open for the coming years.

Some minor tweaks here and there will be taken care of, and this train will hit a sweet spot again a year from now. I believe when we look in hindsight, '24-'25 was a painful turning point in order to have better times to come.

We will start next season healthy and rested with an awesome goalie duo, and start grinding towards a better seeding a year from now. There is no doubt in my mind.

Peace!

 

[Bone Breaker]

is the cap for next season confirmed on 95M already? assuming that is the cap...

let Nelson, Vesey and EJ go.
re-sign Drouin, Lindgren, Kiviranta and Malinski. the first two IF they are willing to sign for cheap.
trade Wood for broken planks.

from there, the lineup is basically set (20 men, no scratches) with over 11M to sign those four. should be more than enough. so time to start the shakeup:

Girard, Colton and Wedgewood traded for picks, prospects, bags of pucks, whatever. replace them with Ivan, Gulyaev and Nabokov. thats over 8M in cap space. gamble not once, but twice: sign on free agency Donato and Roslovic. (ps: our old friend Pepe is Roslovic`s agent, should help get it done) or could be even bolder and instead of one of them, bring back Du...

 

[LOFIN]

Guys, we don't need major moves.
We did major moves during the course of this season which were excellent. Look where we started the season? I give huge props to CMac and crew for making us so much better all the while keeping our window open for the coming years.

Some minor tweaks here and there will be taken care of, and this train will hit a sweet spot again a year from now. I believe when we look in hindsight, '24-'25 was a painful turning point in order to have better times to come.

We will start next season healthy and rested with an awesome goalie duo, and start grinding towards a better seeding a year from now. There is no doubt in my mind.

Peace!

I'm not going to argue about what kind of changes the Avs need or need not to do, but here are some facts laid out:

- The Avs were basically completely healthy in the first round. Yes, we lost Colton in the first game and Landy didn't join until the 3rd game, but you get what I mean. Makar and maybe some people were hurt, but they played. So that's not an excuse.
- This team is going to be worse next year in all likelihood. We are going to lose some players, and we don't really have the money or assets to replace them with something equal or better.
- Dallas was missing two of their top-3 players, and they still beat us.

So to summarize: we had the best chance since 2022 to go on a deep run, we couldn't do it against an injured team, and next season we are going to be worse. How can you say after those facts are laid out that we don't need to make changes?

 

[BednarIsStupid]

Wrote this to the trade proposals thread.. should be here too.

- New coaching staff. This is the most important thing of all.
- Sign Nelson 6-6,5M x 5yrs.
- Sign Drouin 3M x 3yrs.
- Offer Lindgren 5M x 5-6yrs max. He bites if he bites.
- Trade Colton, gather assets.
- Trade Wood, if you can give him away for free pls do so.
- Feel the market on Girard. He's good, but especially if Lindgren wants to stay Girard could bring decent assets to be used in the next 1-2 trade deadlines.

Pretty much in order. New coach will get more out of Nelson, guaranteed. He is a good player, he doesn't suddenly forget how to hockey - it's what the coaching staff asks of him.

No to Nelson. He sucks ass. No to Lindgren. He sucks ass. No to Drouin. He was a fill in for Landeskog and Drouin's never healthy either. There could be a few good players available from UFA this year. Bennett and Ekblad come to mind. Florida doesn't seem keen on paying them and those are the type of guys that you want to have as depth players. And, there won't be a new coaching staff. GM is going to stick with Bednar. Maybe a new PP coach though??? Also, the team might want to look into having good fitness coaches and a sports psychologist given all these Game 7 losses.

 

[BednarIsStupid]

To all the great posters here and their great knowledge. When was the last time a team in the middle/latter part of their contention window completely changed coaches and were successful in doing so?

The only ones I can vaguely remember are the Pens (Blysma to Sullivan)....took many many years. The most recent examples of success has to be Cassidy (Knights) and Maurice (Florida). Both won it <2 years so I guess it is possible to have major success. This gives me a little more confidence that we absolutely should lean into changing coaching.

Lightning NO (Cooper)
Blackhawk NO (Joel Q)
Kings NO (Sutter)

Bednar and staff obviously deserve blame because all that matter is results. But it absolutely guts me to think how great of a locker room culture and team identity he established here. It took YEARS for this. I mean if you think about it Bednar was ahead of his time when he came here and the league took notice as everyone started to try and imitate us and become transition focused teams. I fear that it'll once again take years for this team to find a new identity with whatever new staff that they may choose to go with. Knowing Maurice and Cassidy however, I think the time is now. Love you Bedsy but it's time to change.

I don't think Bednar needs another year with the new players to get. There were flashes of dominance and something like that might be the norm if given more time.

 

[Perratrooper]

I’m open to trading everyone outside of Makar and MacKinnon. Can the Avs capitalize on a team like Tampa who is a similar position?

 

[Avs44]

I'm not going to argue about what kind of changes the Avs need or need not to do, but here are some facts laid out:

- The Avs were basically completely healthy in the first round. Yes, we lost Colton in the first game and Landy didn't join until the 3rd game, but you get what I mean. Makar and maybe some people were hurt, but they played. So that's not an excuse.
- This team is going to be worse next year in all likelihood. We are going to lose some players, and we don't really have the money or assets to replace them with something equal or better.
- Dallas was missing two of their top-3 players, and they still beat us.

So to summarize: we had the best chance since 2022 to go on a deep run, we couldn't do it against an injured team, and next season we are going to be worse. How can you say after those facts are laid out that we don't need to make changes?

Yep. This is the reality. This was as good as it gets. They were all healthy, which hasn't happened in several years. Nuke didn't get caught again (although he was pretty f***ing useless a lot of the time). They can't even claim they didn't have Landy's leadership, he was there and owns it with the rest of them. And the Stars were so weak, there for the taking, basically the equivalent of us missing Makar + Necas. And they still lost.

We've also blown all of our assets chasing a #2 centre, so they can't be this aggressive again. Not re-signing Kadri through any means possible (he wanted to stay...) was a cataclysmic mistake. Wasted time with Compher; wasted time with Johansen; upgraded a 2nd to a 1st to get rid of Johansen + add Walker; traded Byram for Mitts; traded Mitts for Coyle; and then a 1st and Ritchie for Nelson, who f***ing blows. So basically we've wasted a 1st, Ritchie (a 1st), Byram (top 5 1st), and a couple of other picks to end up with Coyle.

And we can't even enjoy the nostalgia of watching the big four who got us the cup -- 9296 + Makar -- ride into the sunset together like other franchises got with their cup winning cores as they aged out because we traded Rantanen. Well, look at the bright side, at least we won't have to turn to YouTube highlights to feel Rantanen nostalgia, we can just watch him kick the shit out of us for the next 8 years live!

Firing Bednar is a must, at this point. Can't bring him and the rest of the coaches back. It's the only thing left to change. CMac already blew up the core.

 

[LOFIN]

The staff needs to go yesterday. Bednar's position is going to be discussed after Kroenke and Sakic sit down and discuss where CMac stands. If there is even a bit of doubt, you keep Bednar with a different staff. And then if need be, fire them together when the time comes. The new GM then picks his own HC. And if Kroenke and Sakic come to the conclusion that CMac has their full trust, then you might move on from Bednar now.

 

[flyfysher]

Bennett (PP) and Pratt (PK) should definitely be out. I’d be open to replacing JB but with who?

 

[chet1926]

I refuse to watch another Bednar and staff coached game. Yeah he won a Cup, but has failed miserably every other year. Not even one legit run other than 22. So if he's back next year, I won't be watching.

Yeah I'll still cheer for the team but I'm not going to watch it isn't fun knowing that we'll beat the teams that we should but the second even a slightly competent team rolls in, we'll get crushed. Then we'll make the playoffs just to get outcoached by f***ing DeBoer.

You can't have a loss like that without getting a pink slip. This team and fan base deserves better than this shit year in and year out. Something has to change.

 

[GeoRox89]

Fire the coaching staff into the moon. Hire someone who can adjust and doesn’t have a rigid system that only a small amount of players fit. Hire someone who will teach the D to play the man more often and clear the crease

Go offer an utterly obnoxious amount of money to bring Tanguay home to fix the PP. Could easily have won this series if we had Tanguay instead of Bennett who has been useless for years

Have to look at changing out CMac for someone else too

Time to move on from Girard for a bigger physical D who can play in another coach’s system. Would take a run at re-uniting Middsy with his brother if the Wild don’t re-sign him. He’d give the second pairing a different look and also shown he can play with guys like Karlsson and Spurgeon so should be able to take shifts with Makar

Could go either way with Nelson. Backed ourselves into a corner at 2C and he’s bound to be better in a different system. Depends how much he wants

If he doesn’t price himself out and you can move G then I’d look at keeping Lindgren as well. He played well when he first came and was a physical presence. Another coach would let him play the way he’s most effective again

Bednar is a good coach but he’s gone stale here and 2022 bought him a lot longer than most coaches who can only get past the 2nd round once would get. He’ll do well with some young team but you can’t run it back with the same group and coaching staff again. Nuggets aggressively blew it up right before the playoffs and they came out an emphatically won game 7 a year after blowing it worse than the Avs last night. Avs need to be just as aggressive with their changes

 

[Grackle Party]

Ive been a supporter of CMAC and liked most of his moves. However if you make the move with Mikko and it comes back to bite you I think its time to go.

The special teams were abysmal for the most part and a big reason that series was lost.

I think its time for a full reset. Time for a new coaching staff and a new GM. The grass isnt always greener but the results just havent been there and there are some disturbing hallmarks of these teams that need to change.

 

[Chiarelli]

Have a good summer friends

 

[pont]

is the cap for next season confirmed on 95M already? assuming that is the cap...

let Nelson, Vesey and EJ go.
re-sign Drouin, Lindgren, Kiviranta and Malinski. the first two IF they are willing to sign for cheap.
trade Wood for broken planks.

from there, the lineup is basically set (20 men, no scratches) with over 11M to sign those four. should be more than enough. so time to start the shakeup:

Girard, Colton and Wedgewood traded for picks, prospects, bags of pucks, whatever. replace them with Ivan, Gulyaev and Nabokov. thats over 8M in cap space. gamble not once, but twice: sign on free agency Donato and Roslovic. (ps: our old friend Pepe is Roslovic`s agent, should help get it done) or could be even bolder and instead of one of them, bring back Du...

I agree with most of what you say here, but I would let Drouin walk. He is hurt all the time and needs the absolute perfect linemates/situation to be productive. Too high maintenance for my liking.

 

[LOFIN]

I agree with most of what you say here, but I would let Drouin walk. He is hurt all the time and needs the absolute perfect linemates/situation to be productive. Too high maintenance for my liking.

If Drouin signs for dirt cheap (which he ought to, because who the hell would pay him), then I say keep him around. When healthy, he's a good producer for the regular season and you need those guys too.

 

[the_fan]

You know CMac and Bednar gonna put on their nerd glasses, look at the analytic numbers and see that they outplayed Dallas and they’re gonna stay path. Don’t really see any big changes players or coaching.

The way we lost game 7 was just mental weakness as it often happens with this team. They gave up one goal, still being up by one and couldn’t recover from it. When they gave up the tying goal then took a penalty, we already knew it was over. Just the same old predictable team.

 

[SoundwaveIsCharisma]

Have a good summer friends

I will say, since the Cup year the Avs haven’t found a good anthem. I think it’s like Chicago’s cup run with Chelsea Dagger, you need a unifying song

 

[CharlesPuck]

Watching the Stars attack and kill our penalties and EN situations vs the Avs doing the same was alarming.

It honestly looked like Dallas could take their time and do whatever they wanted.

Then it looked like there was 10 Stars on the ice defending us and we couldn’t get any room.

Not sure how we fix that but it was so clear Dallas had the game plan to shut us down.

 

[The Merchant]

 

[the_fan]

If we are making a coaching change, CMac needs to be replaced too. The whole thing needs to be changed from top to bottom. Only changing the coach won’t be enough IMO.

I really don’t know what’s the next mistake CMac is gonna make. Is he gonna overpay an aging Nelson, or let him go then trade more assets for another 2C which doesn’t work out again? I really don’t want him making anymore moves.

 

[S E P H]

Has anybody been fired or traded yet?

 

[LOFIN]

If we are making a coaching change, CMac needs to be replaced too. The whole thing needs to be changed from top to bottom. Only changing the coach won’t be enough IMO.

I'm willing to give CMac an opportunity to hire his own coach, if the ownership and Sakic still have faith in him.

 

[the_fan]

I'm willing to give CMac an opportunity to hire his own coach, if the ownership and Sakic still have faith in him.

I really don’t know how they can still have faith in CMac after losing Kadri, Mikko trade and emptying the draft and prospect pool on failed attempts to fix the 2C which he created in first place. He needs to go

 

[The Moops]

@forsbergavs32 can you just ban me for a few months so I stop instinctively coming here and raging?