Confirmed with Link: Avs acquire C Brock Nelson (50% retained) + F William Dufour for F Cal Ritchie + D Oliver Kylington + 2026 1st + Cond. 2028 3rd

[Duder54]

The West is going to be an absolute slaughterhouse this year. Some legit Cup contenders going out in the first round.

 

[Valushkin]

People who watch him play seem to disagree. If he is as good as people say, he should be ready to contribute sooner rather than later.

I’m not saying he’s gonna be a bust, but he wasn’t gonna be the Avs 2C in the near future and help them win the cup. Definitely not in the next couple of years. I watched Ritchie play with the Avs and in the world juniors

 

[Richard88]

Any chance Mittelstadt becomes available now? Clear up space to re-sign Nelson and recoup some of the lost assets?

Mittelstadt probably isn't available unless there's an offer that's too good to turn down that also makes the current roster better. Having strong center depth in the playoffs is important and holding onto him will also hedge against the risk of Nelson walking in UFA and leaving us with no 2C next year.

 

[Vaslof]

Statistically, going after the best rental very rarely works out. When Avs won in 2022, we didn't go after the best rentals at all. We made shrewd moves for players to fix our holes by giving a ton of prime assets, but also had years left. This move isn't shrewd at all, it is just going after the best player. Yes, he fixes a hole we have, but I suggest we could have done better.

This is true. The consensus best player available will have the most bidders, driving up the price. You're not gonna get a "steal" of a trade. This was however better than doing nothing, and seeing as it's basically deadline day it was the right time to pull the trigger.

 

[PainForShane]

I'm a neutral here but I really like this trade for the Avs. This team has been missing a 2C for so, so long, except that one year with Naz when they won the cup. Anyway, should be able to resign him to something reasonable if he ends up fitting in on the team and dressing room, he should still be a top six forward for a few more years at least.

Good return as well for NYI. Hopefully it ends up being a win-win

 

[MattMartin]

Think you folks will like this...

 

[Richard88]

You still have $1.4M

What are you gonna go pick us up?!

Good question. So right now we have the 23 man roster below, with $1.399m in capspace.

The two positions that stick out the most are 3RW and RHD. I'd love to upgrade on one of the bottom 6 forwards to give the third line a legitimate scoring threat.

I don't think there's appetite to waive Middleton as he plays a playoff style physical game, so if you upgrade on D it likely needs to be Malinski going out the other way.

Either way we're at 23 players on the roster so any moves now require one-in one-out.

For bigger moves the only obvious way to open up space would be to remove Wood's $2.5m, leaving $3.899m in space. Some have suggested now moving Mittelstadt but that's not something I'd be looking to do; I like the center depth and we will need him next year if Nelson walks.

I'd love to go after Carlo. His $4.1m caphit would need more than just Wood going out though... Either you need Boston to retain ~$200k, or to send Malinski the other way as well and roll with a 22 man roster.

Alternatively you could spend $3.899m on a 3RW. There would be a lot of options with that sort of capspace to work with.

Whatever the case Cmac has put himself in a good position now, with 24hrs left to min-max the lineup.

 

[Murzu]

"Avs don't trade 1st rounders" -HFAvs a few years ago
"Avs don't win bidding wars" -HFAvs a few hours ago
"Our GM does nothing but sleeps" -HFAvs everytime Sakic/CMac hasn't made a move in a few days
"Avs clearly don't value C position" -HFAvs for years

The biggest balls in the league: Sakic and CMac. Especially the latter one, the guy is playing EASports this year and we should love everything about it.

CMac has had his bad moments. RyJo gamble, trusting Georgiev to start the season of 24-25, Byram for Mittelstadt isn't looking too hot right now.. but everytime he has made mistakes, he has been active in fixing 'em. And CMac doesn't seem to give up - when Miller wouldn't waive to come here, he locks into next target in Nelson. He has a vision and works until it's fulfilled.

I don't want to hear any of the four sentences anymore. Blaa blaa blaa. Our management means business, even if they're not perfect - they're still smart and good at this thing. I love this duo of Sakic and CMac.

 

[Richard88]

This photo reminds me of the lad who's on Cobra Kai that only talks about getting into MIT and then somehow gets that hot Mean Girls girlfriend, who has no business of getting.


Not disagreeing, but if Devils would somehow do Mittelstadt+ for Nemec, you gotta take it.

CMac just traded futures to go all in. I doubt he's going to turn around and trade a center for futures. It's extremely unlikely that Mittelstadt gets moved in anything but a hockey trade, which itself is pretty unlikely.

Edit: But in the event that NJ offer Nemec, yeah I'd think about that and try to bring in a 3C to replace Mittelstadt in a separate trade. That feels more like an offseason move though, and dependent on re-signing Nelson to an extent.

 

[Miri]

They can't trade Mittelstadt until they know whether or not Nelson will re-sign. Otherwise they'll be left with nobody at 2C next year.

Speaking of which. NYI apparently offered Nelson a 3 year deal, but he wanted 4/5. In the Avs position 4 years would probably be fine at a reasonable caphit. The last year or two would probably be bad but the first two years are the most important for the window anyhow.

We should aim to keep whoever between Mitts and Nelson will be easier to either drop or use as tradebait to help us get McJesus year from now

 

[Ceremony]

Not wild about giving up our only forward prospect for a guy who's 34 to start next season. Hopefully it works.

 

[DrunkTurtle]

Not wild about giving up our only forward prospect for a guy who's 34 to start next season. Hopefully it works.

The Avs have to go for it. They can still win a cup the next few seasons, after that the time is up. f*** the prospects/picks.

 

[weremarkar]

The Avs have to go for it. They can still win a cup the next few seasons, after that the time is up. f*** the prospects/picks.

This ^ was a little upset about Ritchie but fk it this guy seems to play avs style Hockey his playoff numbers are not bad. in just a couple more seasons and this core is done I just hope he resigns so they don't gotta keep finding a 2c every year

 

[Grigowski]

Not wild about giving up our only forward prospect for a guy who's 34 to start next season. Hopefully it works.

Thats what "all in" looks like.... You cant play it "safe" with the reigning Hart-winner and best D-Man in the league right now in their prime......

You do this trade, simple as that. If Ritchie becomes a No 1 center for the Islanders, well, so be it. If Nelson helpes us win another cup, or 2 in the meantime, who the f*** chares?

Nelson was one of the biggest fishes out there, and we got him. We needed a 2C because the player we thought who could be fell of a cliff. And we got a great one, a veteran.

 

[Grackle Party]

Not wild about giving up our only forward prospect for a guy who's 34 to start next season. Hopefully it works.

This is the best way Cal Ritchie can help the current team compete for cups

 

[arun]

CMac just traded futures to go all in. I doubt he's going to turn around and trade a center for futures. It's extremely unlikely that Mittelstadt gets moved in anything but a hockey trade, which itself is pretty unlikely.

Edit: But in the event that NJ offer Nemec, yeah I'd think about that and try to bring in a 3C to replace Mittelstadt in a separate trade. That feels more like an offseason move though, and dependent on re-signing Nelson to an extent.

I’d do mitts for nemec in a heartbeat

 

[Arto Kilponen]

Thats what "all in" looks like.... You cant play it "safe" with the reigning Hart-winner and best D-Man in the league right now in their prime......

You do this trade, simple as that. If Ritchie becomes a No 1 center for the Islanders, well, so be it. If Nelson helpes us win another cup, or 2 in the meantime, who the f*** chares?

Nelson was one of the biggest fishes out there, and we got him. We needed a 2C because the player we thought who could be fell of a cliff. And we got a great one, a veteran.

I'm referring to _way_ back in the history, but widely considered as the best deal in NHL history for both of the teams was between Dallas and Calgary on Dec. 19, 1995. Dallas got the piece that took them to the Stanley Cup (ok, sure, four years later) and Calgary got Jarome Iginla, who became the face of the franchise. I'm sure a ton of Dallas fans were back then like "you have to be an absolute idiot to do such trade", but in the end, I can't say either team really lost the trade.

The point here being that you actually have to give something to get something. Now the price was this and we'll see whether it pays off. We don't know if Avalanche in 2025 wins Stanley Cup. We don't know if Brock Nelson re-signs to Colorado. We don't know if Calum Ritchie will ever play another game in the NHL. We don't know who Islanders will draft. We just don't know. What we do know is that MacFarland is trying his everything to win the Stanley Cup in 2025.

 

[Richard88]

I'm referring to _way_ back in the history, but widely considered as the best deal in NHL history for both of the teams was between Dallas and Calgary on Dec. 19, 1995. Dallas got the piece that took them to the Stanley Cup (ok, sure, four years later) and Calgary got Jarome Iginla, who became the face of the franchise. I'm sure a ton of Dallas fans were back then like "you have to be an absolute idiot to do such trade", but in the end, I can't say either team really lost the trade.

The point here being that you actually have to give something to get something. Now the price was this and we'll see whether it pays off. We don't know if Avalanche in 2025 wins Stanley Cup. We don't know if Brock Nelson re-signs to Colorado. We don't know if Calum Ritchie will ever play another game in the NHL. We don't know who Islanders will draft. We just don't know. What we do know is that MacFarland is trying his everything to win the Stanley Cup in 2025.

Around that time the Avs also paid a hefty price to rent Theo Fleury, and didn't win a cup. Robyn Regehr would have been pretty useful from 2001-2006-ish.

 

[Arto Kilponen]

Around that time the Avs also paid a hefty price to rent Theo Fleury, and didn't win a cup. Robyn Regehr would have been pretty useful from 2001-2006-ish.

And a couple of years later they paid an insanely big price to get Rob Blake and won the Stanley Cup. I personally rather take one Stanley Cup and one "I guess that was a nice try" instead of two "almost Stanley Cups".

 

[Miri]

Around that time the Avs also paid a hefty price to rent Theo Fleury, and didn't win a cup. Robyn Regehr would have been pretty useful from 2001-2006-ish.

Our window was closed past 2002. We just did not realize at the time. If We could not beat SJ in 2004 with team we had, Regehr would not have made difference.

I was not high on Nelson, but going all in is a right choice. We are going to suck once MacK/Makar years are up, its inevitable. We are not Dallas to draft the likes of Hintz, Robertson, Johnston, Harley, Benn, etc… in late first or second and keep being relevant.

 

[Vaslof]

Not wild about giving up our only forward prospect for a guy who's 34 to start next season. Hopefully it works.

Crosby would have been 38 to start next season

It is true that at these ages players can fall off a cliff, but for now he's only signed for this season. It's not like we're committed to him long term at a high cap hit. Kadri for example is getting 7M a year for the seasons he is aged 34 to 38. If we re-sign Nelson it will hopefully not be to a 5x7M.

 

[Chileiceman]

CMac ain't messing around.

 

[Avsfan1921]

No way this is Brock Nelson is it? Gotta be a grandkid or something, I don’t think they had color photos when he was a kid.

 

[niwotsblessing]

CMac is not fvcking around.

All y'all wanted center depth, now we have it. All y'all wanted a VG+ 2C, now we have one. All y'all wanted sound defense, getting Kylington off the roster solidifies the back end. All y'all didn't want to waste MacKinnon and Makar's prime years, this trade is for you. All y'all will be mesmerized by "Baby Face" Nelson and Nuke on the second line, nobody has a defense that will contain those two.

Lord Stanley is coming home to Denver.

 

[Richard88]

Kylington
DeHaan
Brännström

All of the bottom pairing experiments from last summer are now gone.