Colorado Avalanche Prospects in the AHL Bowen Byram and Nathan MacKinnon [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MTk4ODMwMzE2NDczODIwOTM1/usatsi_20572347.jpg] Bowen Byram and Nathan MacKinnon Now that we’re in the NHL’s 2023 off-season, we’re analyzing every team’s 2023 off-season and their status heading into the 2023-24 regular season. We’ve made our way alphabetically through the league’s teams, and today, we’re breaking down the fortunes – and some misfortune – of the Colorado Avalanche [https://puckpedia.com/team/colorado-avalanche]: 2022-23 Grade: B BIGGEST POSITIVE HEADING INTO THE OFF-SEASON Despite the Avalanche getting eliminated in the first round of the 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs, Colorado has a better-than-average chance at improving on it in 2023-24. Why? In part because, unlike this past season, the Avs know they will be without the services of captain and star forward Gabriel Landeskog [https://puckpedia.com/player/gabriel-landeskog] for the entire season. Landeskog’s health was an ongoing concern in '22-23, but there wasn’t an official red light applied to his season until the year had been completed. Now, they can use Landeskog’s $7-million salary cap hit (as per PuckPedia [https://puckpedia.com/team/colorado-avalanche]) to add veteran talent who can step up and provide winning results now, not later. The Avalanche currently have $12.575 million in cap space without factoring in Landeskog’s contract. Even with $19.575 million in cap space, however, they also only have 13 signed players, which means GM Chris MacFarland will have to be judicious in how he spends his money in free agency and trades this summer. He will be able to afford a high-impact player, most likely one who can bulk up their bottom-nine group of forwards. And having the chance to play alongside superstar center Nathan MacKinnon [https://puckpedia.com/player/nathan-mackinnon] and elite sniper Mikko Rantanen [https://puckpedia.com/player/mikko-rantanen] makes the Avs one of the more attractive options for players looking to find a new home this off-season. MacKinnon and Rantanen are both young men – the former is 27 years old, while the latter is 26 – and they’re approaching their prime as elite NHL contributors. Many NHL teams are without a single player of their caliber, let alone two, so MacFarland has to be in win-now mode with his moves this summer. Though they’ll continue to miss what Landeskog brings to the table, they can at least proceed knowing the health of all their players. BIGGEST NEED HEADING INTO THE OFF-SEASON As noted, Colorado’s bottom nine forwards aren’t the deepest group in the league, particularly since they only have six healthy forwards under contract on their active roster. That number would change if MacFarland brings back some of their current UFAs, such as Evan Rodrigues [https://puckpedia.com/player/evan-rodrigues] and J.T. Compher [https://puckpedia.com/player/jt-compher], but they will need a stronger scoring punch on the third and fourth lines. The reality is the Avalanche can’t rely on their top four defensemen and their goalies to win them more games than they lose. They need dynamic, creative forces in the offensive zone, and they need winning experience to augment that created by their core. If MacFarland does have any extra money, he could also do worse than to sign or trade for a bottom-six force on defense. Jack Johnson [https://puckpedia.com/player/jack-johnson] and Erik Johnson [https://puckpedia.com/player/erik-johnson] filled that role in 2022-23, but both are UFAs. Even then, both are now in their mid-thirties. A serviceable, low-salaried presence on their final pair would take some pressure off star blueliners Cale Makar [https://puckpedia.com/player/cale-makar] and Devon Toews [https://puckpedia.com/player/devon-toews] to do all the heavy lifting. But there’s no question the more urgently needed area for attention is up front. If, say, Vancouver winger Brock Boeser or UFA winger Patrick Kane [https://puckpedia.com/player/patrick-kane] shows up on Colorado’s radar, don’t be surprised. Those are precisely the type of players the Avs want at this moment in their competitive cycle. BOTTOM LINE FOR THEM THIS OFF-SEASON When you win a Stanley Cup anytime within the past four or five years, you get a little extra landing space and understanding if things don’t go your way. That’s where the Avalanche are right now. The memories of a Cup championship are still fresh, and though they were eliminated in Round 1 by the upstart Seattle Kraken [https://puckpedia.com/team/seattle-kraken], the series went the full seven games. With a more fortunate bounce here or there – and/or with Landeskog in the lineup – Colorado’s fortunes would’ve been significantly improved. In MacKinnon, Rantanen, Makar and Toews, the Avs have foundational talent that’s going to put them in the playoff mix until further notice. However, Colorado fans will not be nearly as understanding if the Avalanche get eliminated in the first round of the 2024 post-season. There are too many game-changers in their lineup to be squeezed out by a less-talented group the way they were squeezed out by Seattle. With Landeskog’s long-term playing status still in question, it may well be time for the Avs to invest his long-term salary – he’s signed through the summer of 2029 – in a high-end competitor who can function as a major generator of offense. But with improved depth, Colorado once again can be a legitimate playoff threat, and their fans can rest assured this past season was a blip on the radar and not a harbinger of struggles to come.
