Rumor: 2026 Free Agent Frenzy

[AvsWraith]

Take on a flyer on Pool party? Decent year in the Swiss league last season.

 

[RoyIsALegend]

Think Edmonton would want to get rid of the podkolzin contract?

No, they love him.

Take on a flyer on Pool party? Decent year in the Swiss league last season.

Nope, he’s an idiot. Would struggle mightily in Bednar’s system.

 

[EdAVSfan]

Come to think of it, the best thing the Avs could do is to sign a forward with a Burns-esque contract.
1M plus bonuses. For example you sign P Kane for 1M + 3M in bonuses.

This way, they stay, 3M under the cap to start the season and that will grow to like 13-14M trade deadline space. You can easily add 10M in additions at the deadline (they won’t add that much) and apply all bonuses to this year.

Biggest problem is none of the 35+ guys are all that appealing this year.

 

[The AntiBob]

How about a trade for Justin Brazeau? 1.5m cap hit

 

[hockeyfish]

Come to think of it, the best thing the Avs could do is to sign a forward with a Burns-esque contract.
1M plus bonuses. For example you sign P Kane for 1M + 3M in bonuses.

This way, they stay, 3M under the cap to start the season and that will grow to like 13-14M trade deadline space. You can easily add 10M in additions at the deadline (they won’t add that much) and apply all bonuses to this year.

Biggest problem is none of the 35+ guys are all that appealing this year.

I really don’t care about the cap implications, to be honest. I just don’t want any more player my age or older.

A month ago, I sneezed weird and wound up bed ridden for a week. I routinely yell at teenagers having fun for no reason.

It’s absurd have become the oldest team in the league. I thought they were going in a different direction for a bit, until the signed Burns again.

 

[a mangy Meowth]

How about a trade for Justin Brazeau? 1.5m cap hit

Why? Because he's big?

 

[Metallo]

I'm sure the Avs are ready to punt the whole of Burns bonuses to next year. I would not be supprised if they budget for a 20 man roster and taxi squad a bunch a players back and forth from Loveland.

 

[The AntiBob]

Why? Because he's big?

34 points, 17 goals, cheap, gets the avs bump to get a decent contract, cheap, RW. 28 years old, 17 goals, see how he does with Nelson and Gabe..

 

[shadow1]

Come to think of it, the best thing the Avs could do is to sign a forward with a Burns-esque contract.
1M plus bonuses. For example you sign P Kane for 1M + 3M in bonuses.

This way, they stay, 3M under the cap to start the season and that will grow to like 13-14M trade deadline space. You can easily add 10M in additions at the deadline (they won’t add that much) and apply all bonuses to this year.

Biggest problem is none of the 35+ guys are all that appealing this year.

As free agency nears, the Wild have business to attend to beyond Dylan Larkin

Larkin is the player the Wild want, but they will also need to re-sign or replace players like Mats Zuccarello and Vladimir Tarasenko.

www.nytimes.com

According to league sources, granted anonymity to discuss talks that aren’t public, Zuccarello is pretty ticked about how things have gone. So even if the Wild circled back, there’s a very good bet he’d test free agency with so many teams in need of a point-producing winger like him, even though he’ll be 39 by the time next season begins. The Los Angeles Kings and Anaheim Ducks would both make sense as suitors

Another name to consider. Zuccarello will be 39 when the season starts, I would've guessed 35 or 36. He's been crazy productive in his old age, like a Pavelski-lite.

I remember Colorado was linked to him in the 2019 offseason.

 

[Tommy Shelby]

The depth D I'm hoping they sign is Reilly.

Other guys I'd be okay with are Carlile, Bean or Hutton

Shea is still my dream choice but he will be too expensive, unfortunately

Who I think we end up with is Bryson or Thompson

 

[forsbergavs32]

I’d like to pluck Amadio out of Ottawa. Has some good offensive touch, solid defensively, would fit well on the 3rd line.

 

[AvsWraith]

Surprised the Nurse trade didn't happen at the draft, thought it would.

Guess Edmonton won't retain the 60% or so that teams are probably asking for.

edit: fixed

 

[hockeyfish]

Surprised the Nurse trade didn't happen at the draft, thought it would. Guess Edmonton won't retain the 60% or so that teams are probably asking for.

How would they retain 60%?

 

[AvsWraith]

How would they retain 60%?

 

[Tommy Shelby]

I’d like to pluck Amadio out of Ottawa. Has some good offensive touch, solid defensively, would fit well on the 3rd line.

50% retained at the deadline would be my guess

 

[Balthazar]

- Yamamoto had a good comeback year but he's not someone I'm enthralled with, yet he seems like a low cost option the Avs would target.

Didn't you hate that guy in Edmonton?? Now you want him?

 

[CobraAcesS]

As free agency nears, the Wild have business to attend to beyond Dylan Larkin

Larkin is the player the Wild want, but they will also need to re-sign or replace players like Mats Zuccarello and Vladimir Tarasenko.

www.nytimes.com

Another name to consider. Zuccarello will be 39 when the season starts, I would've guessed 35 or 36. He's been crazy productive in his old age, like a Pavelski-lite.

I remember Colorado was linked to him in the 2019 offseason.

Didn't Giroux have a solid year last year? I'd take any of the three really. They're all intelligent players.

 

[RoyIsALegend]

Do you guys think we should sign an undrafted goalie???

Pipeline is a little thin.

NHL:

• Mackenzie Blackwood (29) - $5.25m x 4y (6 team NTC)
• Scott Wedgewood (31) - $2.5m x 1y

AHL/ECHL:

• Nikita Novosyolov (22) - $980k x 2y
• Ilya Nabokov (23) - $975k x 1y
• Trent Miner (25) - $875k x 1y
• Magnus Chrona (25) - UFA (signed 2 year contract with Brynas IF in SHL)

Unsigned:

• Shamil Shmakov (26) - indefinite rights
• Ivan Yunin (20) - indefinite rights
• Louka Cloutier (19) - rights until June 1, 2028
• Tobias Tvrznik (18) - rights until June 1, 2029
• Alexandre Raymond (18) - rights until June 1, 2030

 

[AvsWraith]

Edit: Just make Kent Johnson an Av, Man. Is that too much to ask?

 

[shadow1]

Didn't Giroux have a solid year last year? I'd take any of the three really. They're all intelligent players.

Giroux had an amazing first ~50 games, but ran out of gas. Only had 10 points in his final 27 games and was down to 14 minutes a night in Feb-Apr.

His defensive metrics are still amazing. Considering the budget, he'd be a solid middle-six option who can PP2/PK2, IMO.

 

[hockeyfish]

Giroux had an amazing first ~50 games, but ran out of gas. Only had 10 points in his final 27 games and was down to 14 minutes a night in Feb-Apr.

His defensive metrics are still amazing. Considering the budget, he'd be a solid middle-six option who can PP2/PK2, IMO.

That’s kind of the problem though. Do we think these old guys can actually skate a full 82 games under Bednar and still have something left for the playoffs?

 

[Balthazar]

Giroux had an amazing first ~50 games, but ran out of gas. Only had 10 points in his final 27 games and was down to 14 minutes a night in Feb-Apr.

His defensive metrics are still amazing. Considering the budget, he'd be a solid middle-six option who can PP2/PK2, IMO.

He's a year older now, Bednar would overplay the shit out of him and get through his gas tank in 25 games.

 

[shadow1]

That’s kind of the problem though. Do we think these old guys can actually skate a full 82 games under Bednar and still have something left for the playoffs?

I think so. Helm was amazing during the Cup run. EJ and JJ were on that team as well. Cogliano was always top-notch during his three playoff runs.

The bigger concern for me would be injuries. Giroux is like Burns, he never misses games. But does he play through injuries that limit his effectiveness? I've heard a few times now that Burns dealt with two significant injuries last season. It showed big time.

 

[dahrougem2]

Didn't you hate that guy in Edmonton?? Now you want him?

He showed more battle and tenacity last year in Utah than he ever did in Edmonton.

 

[hockeyfish]

I think so. Helm was amazing during the Cup run. EJ and JJ were on that team as well. Cogliano was always top-notch during his three playoff runs.

The bigger concern for me would be injuries. Giroux is like Burns, he never misses games. But does he play through injuries that limit his effectiveness? I've heard a few times now that Burns dealt with two significant injuries last season. It showed big time.

I know Cogs was a deadline pickup, can’t remember if JJ or Helm were.

But either way, I don’t think any of them were playing more than 4th line/ 3rd pairing minutes. That not bad when you have a young core. Our core now is much older, and has been joined with old man Nelson and Kadri.