Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports
The Colorado Avalanche have been one of the NHL’s biggest unfortunate surprises this season, and they’ve also been one of the streakiest teams in the league. The Avs began the year on a four-game losing stretch, won the following five games, and they’re now on a three-game losing skid. And in those past three defeats, Colorado has used three different goalies and got the same result each time – a 5-2 loss.
As a result, the Avalanche are now the league’s worst defensive team – averaging a whopping 4.25 goals-against per game – and nine of their next 10 games are against solid teams: Seattle, Winnipeg, Washington (twice), Carolina, Nashville, L.A., Florida and Tampa Bay.
Yikes. Yikes-and-a-half.
The pre-season worries about this Colorado team were well-founded. They have nowhere near the depth they had a few years ago when they won the third Stanley Cup in franchise history. And now, Avs brass, Joe Sakic and Chris MacFarland, have more than a little work to do to salvage their season.
Clearly, Colorado needs help on defense, but so do many NHL teams, and there isn’t a wellspring of talent on ‘D’ available to anyone. Per Puck Pedia, the Avalanche currently have $7.27 million in salary cap space – enough to swing a deal for a veteran or two – but with their current spell of injuries, it’s their forward group that is easiest to address right now.
To that end, could the Avs make a move for Islanders veteran center Brock Nelson? The 33-year-old center has a cap hit of $6 million, but he’s a pure rental who’s in the final season of his current contract. Whether that makes him more or less attractive to Sakic and MacFarland is up for debate, but Nelson’s experience and accomplishment – and the Islanders’ struggles at the moment – make him a strong fit with Colorado.
Another option for the Avs is Toronto Maple Leafs left winger Nick Robertson, a healthy scratch of late for the Buds. Robertson is a far cheaper asset at just $875,000 for this season, and if Colorado can come up with a solid option of draft picks and/or prospects, they can add a youngster with speed and skill who would get much more opportunity than he’s getting in Leaf Land right now.
Another relatively cheap alternative is Utah Hockey Club center Michael Carcone, a 28-year-old who has appeared in only three games this season. Carcone is earning $775,000 this year, and his 21-goal performance for Utah/Arizona last season should be enticing for the Avs. Carcone will be a UFA this summer, so he’s a low-risk asset who could still be a long-term fit with Colorado.
Certainly, the Avalanche can’t try to out-score their defensive deficiencies, but their present-day defense corps doesn’t have many parts Avs management would want to give up on. Maybe there’s a third-pair D-man who could fill a need for Colorado, but the Avs aren’t easily going to find a difference-maker in their own zone – and that’s why a trade for a forward is probably the easiest option for MacFarland and Sakic to pull off.
Whatever the case, the clock is ticking on the Avalanche. They’re presently the third-worst team in the Central Division, just one standings point ahead of the Predators and Chicago Blackhawks. Nobody saw that coming, but now that the Avs are where they are, Colorado brass has to do something to change things up.
The status quo isn’t a good direction for Colorado, and the sooner the Avalanche addresses their unfortunate circumstance, the easier their road to redemption will be.
Get the latest news and trending stories right to your inbox by subscribing to The Hockey News newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or by visiting our forum.
