I don't want to sound rude but I think you're way undervaluing what Ryan O'Reilly and JT Compher get on the open market. Both guys end up around $5.5 million in my opinion, certainly not $4 million.

I’m beginning to hate the idea of ROR coming back. He’s 32 and he’s going to command a whole ton of money for a long term. If we wanted to sign a 2C at a high cap hit until their late 30s, we’d have resigned Nazem Kadri.

eh, if it's $5mil, it might feel like a lot this coming year, but it'll be buried in years 3 & 4. It might be a little high for a 3C but not painful and he'll be a pretty solid 3C. If he's still 2C midway thru the season after next (24-25), the Avs have other problems.

Kadri was at $4.5m, now at 7. We couldn't have done it. That makes $5mil palatable.

I think ROR is simply going to chase the money now (as he pretty much always has). I don't see him returning to the cap-strapped Avs and definitely not at that money.