Replacing Kadri as the #2 Center is a tall task and one that we have no cap room to do so with experience and talent. Kadri carried the team during MacKinnon's injury absence in the regular season and provided long-awaited secondary scoring during the playoffs that made the difference in closing out series'. Avs fans know all too well how many years we relied solely on the elite top line of Landeskog-MacKinnon-Rantanen; only to see playoff opponents try to put a chokehold on them and nobody else stepped up; round 2 flame-outs every time.

If we want to repeat as champs we have to restock the middle 6 and with our wingers in place it now comes down to the #2 Center (which then dictate the 3rd line center).

Options:
Option 1: Mikko Rantanen - Avs experimented with him there during playoffs due to injuries and it wasn't horrible. Rantanen is a play driver, distributor and defensively sound. A full regular season could give him the playing experience needed to make this permanent transition. Playing alongside Finnish best friend Lehkonen could be an amazing combination; but moving off the vaunted top line would certainly impact his offensive numbers. In this scenario putting Compher on the RW serves as a way to utilize JT's offensive aggressiveness paired with two defensively responsible players while also providing a right hand shot and someone who can win face-offs while Rantanen continues to develop that skill (almost like a RH version of what Landeskog does for MacKinnon). This combination would allow Newhook to play and develop as the 3rd line center and sheltering his minutes to more offensive zone starts.

Option 2: J.T. Compher - The "easy" solution is just promote Compher from 3C to 2C with Lehkonen on the LW and either Rantanen or Nichushkin on the RW. A Lehkonen-Compher-Nichuschkin line carries a different skillset but could be an extremely effective "shutdown" line that also has some scoring punch; thus allowing the Avs to reunite the elite trio on the top line. A Lehkonen-Compher-Rantanen line gives a little bit more balanced scoring between the two lines. This scenario is a one-year situation with Compher not having a contract extension (and fairly unlikely with the cap situation next year); but it does maximize what we get out of him while he is here and helps set himself up for a bigger UFA payday next year; and the Avs would then be back in the "2C conversation" again next year.

Option 3: Alex Newhook - The promised "#2 Center of the future" has arrived. In this scenario Newhook takes the leap and jumps straight into his sophomore year as the 2C on a line with Lehkonen and Nichushkin/Rantanen. In either scenario there is elite defensive wingers to help shelter/mentor Newhook in his development as well as scoring threats to produce solid numbers. This probably serves the long-term interests of the club best; but it could also setup for a big RFA payday in 2023-24 for the youngster.

Option 4: Evan Rodriguez, recent UFA signing to a 1 year deal. E-Rod could slot in directly at 2C, 2RW allowing Rants to play center; 3C or 3RW. Adding him in the off-season gives the Avs valuable forward depth and flexibility without costing an obvious asset.

The remaining cap space will likely accrue to around $6-9 million by the trade deadline so they will still have the space to take on a hefty contract; it isn't $18 million so E-Rod does come with a little bit of "opportunity cost" but that is true for every roster over the minimum.