What is JTC to the Avs? Is he a legit #2 Center option going forward? A 3C with upside? A middle six character guy?

With Byram and Newhook RFA deals coming up; the Cap either going up $1 million next year then a big jump or going up $4 million then another $4ish million should the Avs re-sign him before the season is over?

Can we afford to lose JTC with the rest of the UFA market at center looking pretty poor for the Avs:

Ryan O'Reilly
Max Domi
Ivan Barbashev
Erik Haula
Evan Rodriguez
Frederick Gaudreau
Jordan Staal
Alex Kerfoot
David Kampf
Noel Acciari
Nick Bjugstad
Jonathan Toews


High Ceiling comps:
Andrew Copp 5 x $5.625 + 5 w/ M-NTC.
Charlie Coyle 6 x $5.25 + 6 w/ NMC; M-NTC.
Joel Eriksson-Ek 8 x $5.25 + 5 w/ NMC.
Yanni Gourde 6 x $5.167 + 6 w/ NTC; M-NTC.
Rickard Rakell 6 x $5.0 + 6 w/ M-NTC.
J.G. Pageau 6 x $5.0 + 6 w/ NTC; M-NTC.
Mikael Granlund 4 x $5.0.

Middle Tier comps:
Alex Wennberg 3 x $4.5.
Christian Dvorak 6 x $4.45 + 2 w/ M-NTC.
Trevor Moore 5 x $4.2 + 1 w/ M-NTC.
Jack Roslovic 2 x $4.0.
Boone Jenner 4 x $3.75 + 4 w/ M-NTC.

Bargain / Floor Comps:
Nicholas Paul 7 x $3.15 + 7 w/ NTC; M-NTC.
Scott Laughton 5 x $3.0.
Nicolas Roy 5 x $3.0.

As an NHL player; I suspect that JTC is comparable to Charlie Coyle, JG Pageau, Alex Wennberg, Jack Roslovic, and Nick Paul as a guy who really is a 3C but who can also play up when needed or shift to wing when needed.

On the open market it appears likely that he can cash-in on his career year with a $5 million+ deal; very likely more given the state of the UFA market next season.

We cannot afford that while dealing with RFA's Byram ($4 million AAV?) and Newhook ($2 million AAV?) and completing a roster with ~$900k deals next year.

The question is: are the Avs and JTC likely to arrive at a deal that discounts his AAV by giving him a long-term deal with No-Trade or No-Move protections?

The Nick Paul signing is the best comp for the current cap environment on a serious cup contender. His deal seems heavily discounted for those reasons and I hope/wonder if JTC would do the same to stay in Colorado essentially the rest of his career?

So, I honestly think he signs a shorter deal if he stays in Colorado. Because he might want $5M plus, I don't know how likely resigning him is to long term, and I feel like the Avs would want to keep him around if possible. Then, maybe in a year or two when they have cap space, they can sign a big contract.