The Avs lost to a team they could have beaten in 5 games and to me there’s two main pointers, the lack of physical presence (Missing Landy and Manson definitely didn’t help that) but more importantly the lack of a quality 2C, so the most logical thing to do is get better in both of these departments, preferably getting a quality but also physical 2C
This free agency class has no one worth signing for any term that can fit this need, so let’s review some potential trade partners.
Elias Lindholm: 28 1 X 4,850,000
Mark Scheifele: 30 1 X 6,125,000
Pierre-Luc Dubois: 24 0 (RFA)
Nick Schmaltz: 27 3 X 5,850,000
Ranked by value (Cost to acquire)
1 Dubois
2 Schmaltz
3 Lindholm
4 Scheifele
Looking through assets we have to offer
2023 1st: On the Athletic fan survey, 50.3% of voters said to trade this pick to acquire a player who can contribute next year, with that being said in this great draft class this pick definitely helps out getting one of these guys, and would most likely be needed in a trade to get any of them
Alex Newhook: Despite lots of negative feed towards Newhook, he ranks 7th in GP, and 9th in both points and goals, in terms of all players selected in his draft. He is a young speedy winger/center who comes in on most teams third line and bring exactly that. Alex is due for a bridge deal with his contract being projected to be 2 X $2,258,630 via AFPAnalytics. With all this being said, I’m not keen on giving a Newhook away unless we are getting someone with term, which would be unsure of when trading for Lindholm and Scheifele, so I would only deal Newhook for Schmaltz or Dubois (Assuming extension is in place)
Sean Behrens: Young left shot defencemen prospect current playing in college. Has decent value as a side piece for any of these guys, but trading him would kill any type of quality defensive prospect we have, so to protect our future at LD, I would only trade Behrens if we weren’t trading Girard, as that’s two LD with multiple years on our team gone which I would hurt longer term. If we were trading Toews in the other hand, it wouldn’t kill trading Behrens, but not sure if other teams would want to be getting multiple defencemen back for a center.
Oskar Olausson: Late first rounder in 2021 forward who has improved a lot, just not on the stat sheet so I’m not sure if he would have lots of value, depends what other teams think of him. I wouldn’t trade Olausson if we were also trading Newhook, would rather trade Behrens instead of two forwards
Devon Toews: Most valueable tradable asset has one year on his contract probably gets atleast 6,5 million next season, quality top pairing dman who can easily eat up 25 minutes a night, wouldn’t trade him unless it’s for any of theee 4 guys above. Trading Toews also opens up the 1LD spot for Byram which is nice aswell.
Sammy Girard: top 4 LD signed long term on a pretty good contract, wouldn’t trade him unless we have an extension on Toews, but wouod still much rather trade toews then Girard.
AFTER ALL THIS WHAT ONE OF THESE MOCK TRADES MAKE SENSE
I don't think Calgary needs Toews, but if they do, I don't see why Colorado adds.
I'm not sure Schmaltz is a C, so that may not work, and forget about 30 year old Scheifele and permanent malcontent PLD.
I'm reasonably convinced that next year's 2C won't be any of the obvious names. Lindholm makes a lot of sense, but I don't see the teams as good trade partners.
A ufa signing like O'Reilly is probably the best bet since all of these guys probably couldn't be resigned anyways. Schmaltz could be the guy too but there seems to be disagreement about him being a center or not (pretty sure he was playing C when he was traded for Strome).
The Avs lost to Seattle because of injuries and absences of top players and their depth was terrible - the bottom six needs a lot of work.
Hard "no" on Scheifele under any scenario - it would be like having to deal with the Kadri situation all over again without getting the other two years and him not being all that well-liked.
Lindholm would be a great get but can they afford him going forward and would Calgary deal him to a WC rival without something they really need coming back?
Schmaltz would be fine but he's not a big body so that doesn't help in the "physical presence" category. He's a good player but is he what they're looking for in a "legit" 2C? Not too sure about that.
Dubois seems too risky in terms of his impending UFA status - he'd have to sign a new deal right away to make that trade happen and, to be fair, what you have there is too high a price - Toews is a legit top-20 D which is worth every bit as much as a 2C
IMO, Toews is the guy they should be dangling out there to get a young(ish) 2C - the Avs need someone under team control for the foreseeable future that fits their Cup window and Toews is a piece that can bring that back so long as he's going to a team that needs him and can re-sign him.
The Avs lost to Seattle because of injuries and absences of top players and their depth was terrible - the bottom six needs a lot of work.
Hard "no" on Scheifele under any scenario - it would be like having to deal with the Kadri situation all over again without getting the other two years and him not being all that well-liked.
Lindholm would be a great get but can they afford him going forward and would Calgary deal him to a WC rival without something they really need coming back?
Schmaltz would be fine but he's not a big body so that doesn't help in the "physical presence" category. He's a good player but is he what they're looking for in a "legit" 2C? Not too sure about that.
Dubois seems too risky in terms of his impending UFA status - he'd have to sign a new deal right away to make that trade happen and, to be fair, what you have there is too high a price - Toews is a legit top-20 D which is worth every bit as much as a 2C
IMO, Toews is the guy they should be dangling out there to get a young(ish) 2C - the Avs need someone under team control for the foreseeable future that fits their Cup window and Toews is a piece that can bring that back so long as he's going to a team that needs him and can re-sign him.
Quoting: Anus_McLeod
I don't think Calgary needs Toews, but if they do, I don't see why Colorado adds.
I'm not sure Schmaltz is a C, so that may not work, and forget about 30 year old Scheifele and permanent malcontent PLD.
I'm reasonably convinced that next year's 2C won't be any of the obvious names. Lindholm makes a lot of sense, but I don't see the teams as good trade partners.
Hard to say - the UFA market sucks but I suppose it's possible ROR would be willing to come back and play out the remainder of his career getting more shots at the Cup. I do worry that he's lost too much foot speed to keep up. I tend to agree with Anus that they'll likely go off the board and fill that spot with someone none of us are talking about.
I do think the Avs biggest trade bait to dangle is Toews. Like a user above said. Avs still have a good enough defensive core to compensate. The avs have seemingly always struggled with drafting players outside the first round. I think I read somewhere that they are last in games played for players third round and below. The bottom 6 was a huge problem in the playoffs and that also needs to be addressed. I'm hoping Ben Meyers can stick around and really find some offence and shine next year in the bottom 6. The avs could really afford to graduate players and give them a real shot. Always liked Maltsev. But the avs seem kinda sour on him. Maybe give Foudy a long look next season. See what you have in Polin, Pavel, Beaucage, Steinberg and Malinski. See what Aamodt or Clurman are. Figure out the enigma that is Ryan Merkley. I think the avs should see what some of these guys are. Especially a speedster like Foudy. And add to that bottom 6 accordingly. Don't get me wrong. I loved guys like Cogs, Helmer and the Johnson's. They all bring a huge boost to the locker room. But it might be time for them to go cheaper and figure out what they have in some of these players that have spent a few season in the AHL. See if you can get an NHL player out of a few of them. And then shore up the bottom 6 as necessary.
The Avs lost to Seattle because of injuries and absences of top players and their depth was terrible - the bottom six needs a lot of work.
Hard "no" on Scheifele under any scenario - it would be like having to deal with the Kadri situation all over again without getting the other two years and him not being all that well-liked.
Lindholm would be a great get but can they afford him going forward and would Calgary deal him to a WC rival without something they really need coming back?
Schmaltz would be fine but he's not a big body so that doesn't help in the "physical presence" category. He's a good player but is he what they're looking for in a "legit" 2C? Not too sure about that.
Dubois seems too risky in terms of his impending UFA status - he'd have to sign a new deal right away to make that trade happen and, to be fair, what you have there is too high a price - Toews is a legit top-20 D which is worth every bit as much as a 2C
IMO, Toews is the guy they should be dangling out there to get a young(ish) 2C - the Avs need someone under team control for the foreseeable future that fits their Cup window and Toews is a piece that can bring that back so long as he's going to a team that needs him and can re-sign him.
The Avs lost to Seattle because of injuries and absences of top players and their depth was terrible - the bottom six needs a lot of work.
Hard "no" on Scheifele under any scenario - it would be like having to deal with the Kadri situation all over again without getting the other two years and him not being all that well-liked.
Lindholm would be a great get but can they afford him going forward and would Calgary deal him to a WC rival without something they really need coming back?
Schmaltz would be fine but he's not a big body so that doesn't help in the "physical presence" category. He's a good player but is he what they're looking for in a "legit" 2C? Not too sure about that.
Dubois seems too risky in terms of his impending UFA status - he'd have to sign a new deal right away to make that trade happen and, to be fair, what you have there is too high a price - Toews is a legit top-20 D which is worth every bit as much as a 2C
IMO, Toews is the guy they should be dangling out there to get a young(ish) 2C - the Avs need someone under team control for the foreseeable future that fits their Cup window and Toews is a piece that can bring that back so long as he's going to a team that needs him and can re-sign him.
This is the big takeaway from this past season. Despite all the injuries and distractions, the Avs still clawed to first in the division, but the bottom 6 became too much of an impediment long-term. Even so, a lot of our guys still had numbers comparable to some of the over-priced UFAs out there. Focus on building the bottom 6 with some grinders and aggressive guys (e.g. Haula, Fast), especially those who don't mind mixing it up in front of the net. If a guy like Barbashev is not too expensive (maybe $4M?) I wouldn't be opposed to adding him longer-term. I really can't think of many trades worth Newy, Byram/Toews, or the already thin crop of prospects and picks we have, especially for 2Cs that all seem aging, or bad attitude, or not true 2C's.
I do think the Avs biggest trade bait to dangle is Toews. Like a user above said. Avs still have a good enough defensive core to compensate. The avs have seemingly always struggled with drafting players outside the first round. I think I read somewhere that they are last in games played for players third round and below. The bottom 6 was a huge problem in the playoffs and that also needs to be addressed. I'm hoping Ben Meyers can stick around and really find some offence and shine next year in the bottom 6. The avs could really afford to graduate players and give them a real shot. Always liked Maltsev. But the avs seem kinda sour on him. Maybe give Foudy a long look next season. See what you have in Polin, Pavel, Beaucage, Steinberg and Malinski. See what Aamodt or Clurman are. Figure out the enigma that is Ryan Merkley. I think the avs should see what some of these guys are. Especially a speedster like Foudy. And add to that bottom 6 accordingly. Don't get me wrong. I loved guys like Cogs, Helmer and the Johnson's. They all bring a huge boost to the locker room. But it might be time for them to go cheaper and figure out what they have in some of these players that have spent a few season in the AHL. See if you can get an NHL player out of a few of them. And then shore up the bottom 6 as necessary.
As much as I hate to say it, it is time to move on from Cogs and EJ/JJ. I'd love to get looks at some of the guys you mention, but it's hard to just throw them in there without some veteran help and consistentcy around them. That was part of the problem last year. It was an uncontrolled experiment where the bottom 6 was constantly rotating. I was hard on a guy like Meyers, but I did feel bad that he often had to play with different lines and couldn't find his footing. Having to throw in the young guys because there is no one else sucks. I hope we can work them in this season when we choose vs. because we have to.
The AVs best option for a middle 6 Center is to use Girard in a true player for player trade. The center won’t be as good as the guys here, It would be the best option without compromising the future of the team.
Calgary would decline. Towes isn't a need. We would probably be looking for a center coming back.
It would depend on which D can Calgary move, and can Calgary sign Towes long term. If you're getting a center back, or a nice return for Tanev/Hanifin then you at least consider it. That move doesn't make sense as a standalone move but could work out with moving some of the D to other teams.
I personally don't see COL moving Towes for anything. I think they will be looking to lock him up long term. I would go for it, because Towes is one of my favorite D in the entire league. He's absolutely amazing defensively, and would be the best D for the Flames.
The AVs best option for a middle 6 Center is to use Girard in a true player for player trade. The center won’t be as good as the guys here, It would be the best option without compromising the future of the team.
Better yet: trade Toews. They'll get more back and actually have space to re-sign whomever they acquire. And they have Toews' replacement sitting right there in Byram whom they also need to re-sign. Because that's what it really comes down to, Byram or Toews long-term because they can't have both.
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