NHL Rumors Heat Up: Are the Colorado Avalanche and Edmonton Oilers Poised for Game-Changing Moves?
Here’s the thing about the Colorado Avalanche heading into next season: they’re sitting on roughly $8.7 million in salary cap space with 18 players locked in, but the real puzzle lies with six key pending unrestricted free agents. Not all of them will stick around, and some could demand a price that makes you blink twice. Take Brock Nelson, for example—the Avs traded away their top prospect Calum Ritchie just to acquire him, and while the center market is thin this offseason, it’s far from guaranteed he’ll stay put. Minnesota’s hometown pull looms large, especially given he turned down a hefty $7.5 million per year deal from the Islanders. Then there’s Jonathan Drouin, whose injury woes keep piling up; he might only return if he’s willing to sign a modest short-term contract. Ryan Lindgren’s current $4.5 million price tag might be a stretch for Colorado, while Joel Kiviranta’s 16-goal season came with some unsustainable shooting percentages, making overpaying for him a risk. Jimmy Vesey didn’t feature in the playoffs but remains a potentially cheap depth piece, and Erik Johnson’s future hinges on whether he wants another season at near league minimum salary. These weigh heavily on GM decisions as the offseason heat builds — and the cap clock’s ticking. LEARN MORE
Notes on six Colorado Avalanche pending UFAs
Evan Rawal of the Denver Gazette: The Colorado Avalanche have a $8.7 million in projected salary cap space for next season with 18 players under contract. They have six pending UFAs, all won’t be back, and some won’t come cheap.
Brock Nelson – The Avs gave up their top prospect in Calum Ritchie to get him, and it’s a weak center free agent class. He’ll be a priority but does he want to stay? He may want to play in his hometown of Minnesota. He turned down $7.5 million per for three years from the Islanders.
Jonathan Drouin – Another injury-riddled season for Drouin, and he could be back if he’d take a cheap, short-term deal.
Ryan Lindgren – If he’s looking for his current $4.5 million, it will likely be too much for the Avs.
Joel Kiviranta – Potted 16 goals, but shooting 19% up from his career average of 8%. Overpaying for a depth player is never good.
Jimmy Vesey – Didn’t play in the playoffs, but he could be a good, cheap, depth option.
Erik Johnson – Will he want to play another season? It would cost around the league minimum if he wants to play.
The Edmonton Oilers will have a lot of questions to answer and decisions to make this offseason
Kurt Leavins of the Edmonton Journal: Edmonton Oilers GM Stan Bowman will have some big decisions to make this offseason.
Forward Viktor Arvidsson has a year left on his contract, a no-movement clause, and wasn’t as productive as you’d hope beside Leon Draisaitl.
Corey Perry will be 40 when next season starts. Will he want to play another year, and will the Oilers want to bring him back?
Will the Oilers want to bring Connor Brown and Trent Frederic back? Should Matt Savoie and Noah Philp be on their opening day roster?
NHL Rumors: The Los Angeles Kings, Their Offseason, and a GM Search
What would it cost to bring defenseman John Klingberg back, and will he be able to stay healthy long-term?
Defenseman Evan Bouchard is a pending UFA and will require a nice raise.
What to do with their goaltending – Calvin Pickard, Stuart Skinner, or someone else?
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