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The Colorado Avalanche returned to the playoffs for an eighth straight season. This year, the Avalanche would fall in the first round to the Dallas Stars. Colorado was busy in the trade market during the season, but now needs to make moves to improve their roster for the 2025-26 campaign. These are the three players that the Avalanche must move in this 2025 NHL offseason.
The Avalanche are in a difficult situation this offseason. They do not have a first, second, or third-round draft pick for each of the next two seasons. Further, they have just a fourth and seventh-round pick in this draft. They have already made one big move this summer. Brock Nelson has re-signed with the Avalanche after joining the team via a trade during the season. Still, his contract was for $7.5 million per year. This has put Colorado in a difficult cap situation. They are projected to have just $1.975 million in cap space for the rest of the offseason.
Colorado now has to figure out how to keep improving while also improving their salary cap situation. They have just six current free agents, but do not have a lot of draft capital, nor major prospects in the pipeline.
Charlie Coyle is traded again
During the regular season, the Avalanche traded for Coyle, moving Casey Middlestadt to the Bruins. Coyle would end up being the third-line center in his time with the Aves, sitting behind Nathan MacKinnon and Nelson from the top two lines. He was solid in his time in Colorado, scoring two goals while also having 11 assists. Still, his production did take an overall decline this past year. His total of 17 goals and 18 assists gave him just 35 points. That was the lowest since the shortened 2021-22 season, and his fewest in a full season since 2018-19.
Still, his advanced metrics show continued production. Coyle's IPP number, which is the percentage of time he is credited with a point when a goal is scored with him on the ice, stayed consistent with his career averages. Further, his creation of high-danger scoring chances also stayed consistent. Coyle has shown to be a solid second or third-line center in the NHL, but the Avalanche still need to move him.
To begin with, he will turn 34 during the season. While that is not old, there will be a decline in the years to come. Secondly, he will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the next season. With the Avalanche having salary cap issues, it is unlikely they can spend money on a third-line center at the rate that Coyle will demand. That means they need to trade him now to get the most value. Finally, he costs $5.25 million this year. With players like Jack Drury and Parker Kelly on the roster, and able to play that third-line center, it may be worth making the move this summer.
Could the Avalanche trade a goaltender?
The potential future of the Avalanche goaltending situation has recently signed his entry-level contract. Ilya Nabokov, a 2024 pick of the Avalanche, signed his deal and could be coming over from the KHL soon. He has been solid in his last two seasons with Metallurg Magnitogorsk, but may not be ready to make the jump to the NHL yet. Still, Colorado may need to make another move in the net. They have been trying to find a solution for their goaltending woes since losing Darcy Kuemper after winning the Cup in 2021.
This year, they traded away Alexandar Georgiev and Justus Annunen while bringing in Scott Wedgewood and Mackenzie Blackwood. Wedgewood was solid in his time with the Aves this year. He played in 19 games, going 13-4-1 with a 1.99 goals-against average and a .917 save percentage. He has not been the everyday goaltender for a team before, but did make 28 starts in the 2023-24 season, while also making 32 starts in the 2021-22 campaign. In his career, he has a 2.88 goals-against average and a .906 save percentage. At a cost of just $1.5 million this year, he is a value for the Avalanche.
Meanwhile, Blackwood joined the Avalanche from the San Jose Sharks and then signed a new five-year deal. Blackwood was solid this year, going 28-21-6 with a 2.55 goals-against average and a .912 save percentage this season. While Blackwood is a quality goaltender, his cost is what makes it so that he needs to be moved. At a cost of $5.25 million per year, the Aves could save money while also allowing Wedgewood to take over as the primary goaltender until Nabokov is ready.
Will Martin Necas be moved?
Necas was another mid-season acquisition for the Avalanche this year, but could also be moved this offseason. Necas was great this season for the Avalanche. He scored 11 goals and 17 assists this year in 30 games with Colorado. Overall, he had the best season of his career, scoring 27 total goals while adding 56 assists, good for 83 total points. He was also great on the powerplay, with 12 goals and 25 assists. Necas was playing on the top line with MacKinnon and Artturi Lehkonen at the end of the season, but he may be too expensive for the Avalanche to keep around.
Currently, he is slated to make $6.5 million this season and will be a free agent at the end of the year. Further, his salary is expected to jump up to over $9 million on his next contract. While the Avalanche would like to keep Necas, the salary cap ramifications may force the move. He is expected to be highly sought after if placed on the market, and unlike other players the Avalanche could trade, he does not have a no-trade clause. They could bring in some blue line help while also recouping some of the draft picks they lost from prior trades by making this move.
Losing Necas would most likely mean keeping Coyle or re-signing free agent Jonathan Drouin, but could help out in the long term. Overall, the Avalanche have a solid roster, and the re-signing of Nelson gives them some flexibility with players. Still, in order to ensure long-term success, they need to make moves this offseason to help with the salary cap, and trading away a high-priced player may be the best solution.
