Josh Manson Archives | Colorado Hockey Now

Deen’s Daily: Josh Manson Pens Beautiful Tribute to His Late Mother Lana

Aarif Deen — Tue, 05 Aug 2025 17:34:44 +0000

Josh Manson, through the Players Tribute, penned a beautiful letter to his late mother, Lana, on Tuesday.

All that and more on this edition of Deen’s Daily — August 5.

Colorado Hockey Now

It’s been two years since Manson lost his mother to cancer. On the anniversary of her passing, he penned a beautiful and moving tribute to his mom, and it’s one of the better stories I’ve read this summer. The link is below.

READ MORE: Mom — By Josh Manson

I’ll never forget the shirts Ryan Johansen and the rest of his Avalanche teammates had made for Manson during the mother’s trip in November 2023. I know Johansen’s time here wasn’t remembered fondly, but that’s one memory that has and will always stick out for me. Johansen spoke eloquently back then about how the idea came to be. And how he ran the idea by Josh before having the shirts made.

Josh Manson says the shirts for the Mom's trip was Ryan Johansen's idea. He approached Manson two weeks ago to run it by him.

Once Josh gave his blessing, Ryan quickly had the shirts made and distributed pic.twitter.com/3wKayGCj8O

— Aarif Deen (@runwriteAarif) November 6, 2023

Around The NHL

New Jersey Hockey Now: The contract dilemma the Devils are dealing with, and why it’s not yet time to panic.

Detroit Hockey Now: How do you win over a fan base? Tell a reporter that you want to emulate the game of a franchise legend. That’s what Czech goalie prospect Michael Postava did after signing with the Red Wings in June. He wants to be the next Dominik Hasek.

Florida Hockey Now: Believe it or not, that whopping seven-year, $70 million contract that Sergei Bobrovsky signed is down to the final year. Our folks over at FHN wrote about what a Bobrovsky extension could look like. It’s crazy to see how much has changed regarding the general thought of that deal since 2023. It was once an anchor, and now one of the better goalie deals in the league.

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Deen’s Daily: Manson Re-Signs; Dallas Dumps Dumba — RHD Always Have Value

Aarif Deen — Thu, 10 Jul 2025 23:00:05 +0000

The Stars signed a right-shot defenseman last year that didn’t work for them. And now he’s on his way out of town. Also, the Avalanche locked up one of their four RHD to an extension.

All that and more on this edition of Deen’s Daily — July 10.

Colorado Hockey Now

I didn’t expect the Avalanche to re-sign Josh Manson, especially a year out from the end of his current contract. And it’s not for anything that has to do with his play. It’s his injury struggles that made me think they might move on from the almost 34-year-old.

But here we are. The front office likely saw value in extending him, even if it means taking a chance on a player that has missed 95 regular-season games in his three full seasons with the Avs. In the end, right-shot defensemen are a rarity and very valuable in the NHL. With the rising cap, the Avalanche felt letting Manson go might be a mistake.

I’ll have more thoughts about the Manson deal tomorrow, but you can read the details of his extension below for now.

I’ve also got more coming later today on some trade targets the Avs could look at to solve their 3C problem. I gave out a spoiler yesterday on one of those names.

Around The NHL

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: The Pens are the one team in the league to openly admit they’re rebuilding this offseason. One of the perks of that is using your cap space to acquire assets. Pittsburgh took on Dumba from the Dallas Stars, and got a free 2028 second-round draft pick in the process.

The Stars obviously need the cap space now.

I don’t think Dumba is going to be much of a player, but he’s also a RHD. If (big if) he has a solid three or four months, he’ll be highly sought after at the trade deadline, when teams are desperately scouring the market for righty’s on the blueline. This gives Pittsburgh an opportunity to gain more assets than the draft pick they already got.

Like I said, finding an NHL caliber RHD is hard. We’ll see how this plays out.

Montreal Hockey Now: Zach Bolduc is ready for any role the Habs have for him. I still love this trade for them, and have no idea why the Blues felt the need to give him up for Logan Mailloux. It’s that damned RHD they wanted. They likely overpaid for it.

NYI Hockey Now: The Isles aren’t trading their starting goalie, Oilers fans.

Chicago Hockey Now: What should the Blackhawks do with Anton Frondell?

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Avalanche Sign Josh Manson to Two-Year Extension

Aarif Deen — Thu, 10 Jul 2025 21:01:19 +0000

Josh Manson is remaining with the Avalanche for the foreseeable future.

With a year still remaining on his last contract, the veteran blueliner signed a two-year contract extension with the Avs on Thursday, keeping him under contract with the club through the 2027-28 season.

Manson’s new deal is worth $3.95 million per season, according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. It’s a slight discount from his current $4.5 million AAV.

Manson, who will turn 34 when the season begins, was arguably Colorado’s best and most consistent defenseman in the first-round series loss to the Dallas Stars. He provides a physical element the team doesn’t have much of, especially on the blueline.

I wondered if Manson would be traded after the Brent Burns signing, but it was mostly because of his injury struggles. Manson has missed 95 regular-season games through the first three years of his contract, which includes 34 injury absences during the 2024-25 regular season.

Prioritizing a new deal with Manson a year before he hits the market is a sign that the team likely knows the market for right-shot defensemen, even if playing on the third pair, is only going to continue to rise.

The Avs acquired Manson ahead of the 2022 trade deadline. He became a key piece of the top four for the Stanley Cup run that season before landing a four-year, $18 million extension with the Avalanche that summer.

The native of Hinsdale, Ill., had a goal and 14 assists in 48 games this past season. In 2023-24, Manson played 76 games for the Avalanche and scored a career-high eight goals.

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Deen’s View: At 40, Burns Isn’t Done Yet — But Where Does He Fit on Colorado’s Blue Line? (+)

Aarif Deen — Thu, 03 Jul 2025 11:00:52 +0000

Brent Burns is 40 years old, but it’s not going to stop him from being a contributor for the Avalanche. After all, this is a player who has spent the last two years of his career with the Stanley Cup hopeful Carolina Hurricanes. He ran their power play, he played over 20 minutes per game, and […]

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Avalanche Mailbag: Defense Upgrades, Necas Extension, Offloading Salary, & More

Aarif Deen — Fri, 27 Jun 2025 18:08:21 +0000

Here are my responses from a quick Avalanche Mailbag ahead of the NHL Draft.

Question From Scott

Do you think the Avs make a trade before the end of the NHL Draft and if so who do you think gets traded?

Aarif’s Response

I do think there will be a trade this weekend at some point. Whether it’s for roster players, or cap-clearing moves to set them up for additions on July 1. The Avs have two picks in the draft, and I don’t think they’re going to trade for additional picks. That means their priority this weekend is mostly the trade market and figuring out ways to maneuver off cap space.

So in short, yes. I do see at least one trade happening this weekend. If I had to predict one name right now, I’d say it’s Samuel Girard.

Question From Gabriel Gingras

I really like Jordan Kyrou as a player, with Martin Necas rumored to seek a big deal, do you think a deal between division rivals of Necas for Kyrou would make sense ?

Aarif’s Response

Kyrou is a fine player, but this type of trade wouldn’t make sense for the Blues. They’d be trading a young forward with cost certainty for one who needs a new contract and will more than likely make more than Kyrou.

The Blues need help on defense, and they’re rumored to be interested in Bowen Byram. They were also in on Noah Dobson. If they deal Kyrou, I’d imagine it’s for help on the blueline.

Question From Alex

What are the odds that Miles Wood is attached to a trade deal before or during the draft?

Aarif’s Response

I’d say it’s pretty low odds this weekend, but those odds can go up after the first few days of free agency. This is strictly speculation on my behalf, though.

The contracts handed out on July 1 are going to shock a lot of people. There will be a new standard for player salaries that we all need to get used to.

So basically, I feel like once teams see what depth players sign for, the ones that miss out would be more inclined to circle back to Colorado and ask for Wood, even if it’s for free — for future considerations. The general thought is, if Wood was a UFA on Tuesday, would a team sign him to a four-year deal worth $10 million? Perhaps. The new salaries handed out might make that more of a reality and easier to stomach for an acquiring team.

Question From Ryan

On a scale of 1-to-10 what do you think the likelihood of Necas signing a contract extension before the season is? If so, what do you think the AAV would come in at?

Aarif’s Response

I don’t know how to put a number on this one. I’ve said before, and I still believe that the front office would be crazy to let the season start without clarity on a Necas contract. If it’s not signed, then it needs to at least be close.

I just don’t have a good feeling about it in general, and haven’t since the Avs lost Game 7. If you’re trading Mikko Rantanen to clear cap space and not be top-heavy, then you should’ve gotten a player back with cost certainty. If, for example, Necas had the Tage Thompson contract (five more years at $7.14 million), then I’d understand their thought process a lot more.

Necas wants to get paid, and he’s going to want a massive raise off the $6.5 million he currently makes. I shudder at the thought of him making even $9.5 million and only saving roughly $3 million off what you could’ve probably signed Rantanen for.

All that’s to say, if Necas loves it here enough to sign long-term now, he’ll do it. But I think he wants to bet on himself if he’s not getting a massive payday this summer. Which is why I still believe they should trade him. And they should acquire a player who has term on his deal.

For all we know, they might already have a reasonable extension prepared with Necas and ready to sign in July. We’ll find out soon, I guess.

Question From Jeffrey Anderson

Aarif, do you see Nick Hague or K’Andre Miller helping Avs second pairing? If so, do you think that the Avs could be successful including Girard or Josh Manson in a 1-for-1 trade with Vegas or New York for either player? Do you see any realistic scenario where they could land Vladislav Gavrikov or Ivan Provorov to vastly improve the D?

Aarif’s Response

I’d much rather prefer Miller, but I’m well aware he would require a bigger contract than Hague. I don’t think Vegas wants money back for Hague, anyway. But I do think you can entice the Rangers with one of Girard or Manson (plus more) for Miller.

I’ve gone back and forth on whether they should go the trade route (Byram or Miller, etc.) or free agency (Gavrikov or Provorov) but if there truly is a market for Girard (even if it’s just draft picks), I’d love to see the Avs get Provorov, for example, and then use their trade chips like Girard to restock the cupboards ahead of the trade deadline. Provorov might get a bigger payday, but you don’t have to trade for him. You keep those assets and can use them for other stuff.

Question From Jeremy

On the record as saying the Avs center depth 1-4 is as good as any team outside the Panthers, maybe. Assuming Sam Bennett re-signs there.

But if they do decide to move Charlie Coyle, I’m sure the Leafs would be interested. Thoughts on Coyle for Brendan Carlo straight up? He checks a lot of boxes for the Avs. He’s signed for two more years at a very, very modest $3.4 million. He’s big, tough to play against with plenty of postseason experience & is a legit top-four D.

Aarif’s Response

With John Tavares officially locked up, I wonder if the Leafs would even want Coyle. I think their top choice might be Brad Marchand, but they do want to shore up their center depth. Carlo would be an interesting acquisition and one that makes sense. I just hate the thought of losing Coyle unless you have a clear replacement for him.

The best part about Coyle is, he’s only got one year remaining on his contract. I’m of the belief that it’s too early to upgrade Jack Drury to 3C, but that thought could change next summer after seeing a full season of Drury here. Coyle gives you time to see what you really have with Drury before he’s due a raise, and perhaps even an upgrade to the third line.

It’s somewhat comparable to having Scott Wedgewood for another year before rushing Ilya Nabokov into a full-time NHL role. If you’re trading Coyle, you need another one-year stop gap. And one that can also help you win in that one year.

Question From Balon

Is there a chance the Avs make a competitive offer for Mitch Marner?

Aarif’s Response

There’s always a chance. But they’d have to clear a ton of cap space beforehand, which is risky, unless you know you’re going to get him. So I’d say it’s a very low chance. I think Marner might be the first big-name free agent the Avs won’t be circling around as much.

Question From ourpetsheadsarefallingoff

How do performance bonuses work against the salary cap? Jonathan Toews and Jamie Benn are both on deals that pay bonuses for games played and for winning the Stanley Cup. It seems like the bonuses aren’t paid this year if it means it pushes the team over the cap and instead get paid next year. This seems like clever cap circumvention especially with the cap going up so much each year right now, deferring these payments and AAV could be really helpful. Could the Avs go the same approach for a contract with someone like Jonathan Drouin?

Aarif’s Response

You’re somewhat accurate here with the first part of your question. The bonuses still get paid this year, but their additional cap hit is carried over to next season. For example, Toews can make up to $5 million in additional bonuses. If he hits $3 million of it, but the Jets end the season with only $1 million in cap space to spare, it means the extra $2 million will be deducted from next year’s cap.

It’s definitely a clever way to somewhat circumvent the cap, but it’s not as prevalent as you’d think. The Avs can’t sign Drouin to a contract like that because it’s only available to players above a certain age, or one’s coming off a severe injury (Landeskog, for example, would be eligible for this if he was a UFA this summer).

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Deen’s View: Nelson Deal Sets the Table — Now the Real Work Begins for the Avalanche (+)

Aarif Deen — Wed, 04 Jun 2025 17:37:58 +0000

The biggest question surrounding the Avalanche heading into the offseason was the lack of uncertainty at the second-line center position. But not anymore. Colorado announced on Wednesday that Brock Nelson, the centerman they acquired from the New York Islanders for Calum Ritchie and a first-round draft pick on March 6, is staying. Nelson signed a […]

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Avalanche Trade Talk: Is Vegas’ Nicolas Hague a Worthy Target?

Aarif Deen — Tue, 03 Jun 2025 20:38:51 +0000

We’re often fed with hype of player movement heading into each offseason. Usually, at least to me, the results don’t match that hype and somewhat underdeliver. But this year has my attention.

The rising salary cap, the upcoming new CBA, pressure in smaller markets to win, and a weaker free agent class are all reasons why the trade market might very well deliver this summer. And the rumors are already starting to ramp up.

In Vegas, the Golden Knights, who are never shy to making bold moves, are reportedly shopping one of their young defensemen. Nicolas Hague — drafted in the second round in 2017 — is a restricted free agent and is garnering interest from around the league.

Hague, 26, is a tough customer. He doesn’t quite throw his body around as much as he should for someone listed at 6’6, 230 lbs. But he’s a towering force that plays on the penalty kill and could provide more of that mean, rugged presence that the Avs need on the blueline.

The only issue would be finding the right fit for him in the lineup.

The Knights have Alex Pietrangelo, Noah Hanifin, and Shea Theodore in a class above the rest on their blueline. They each play significant minutes and are offensive puck-movers (albeit Pietrangelo is starting to slow down somewhat).

Brayden McNabb rounds out their top four, keeping Hague on the third pair with Zac Whitecloud. All that’s to say, Hague averaged only 17 minutes per game this past season. And it’s probably because there wasn’t much of an opportunity for him to rise in the lineup.

He’s also not known to be much of a point producer and doesn’t play on the power play. But the Avs have plenty of that. They often hold the league’s highest offensive contributions from defensemen.

Given the limited role he played, it’s a little difficult to truly gauge where his ceiling is. Bringing him in to be a third pair left-shot defenseman (like Ryan Lindgren was) would be extremely valuable to the Avalanche.

But at what cost?

It’s unclear, as of now, to determine what kind of contract Hague is looking for. His qualifying offering is $2.7 million, and he was making a shade under $2.3 million in each of the last three seasons. But he’s likely looking for a bigger cap hit, more term, and a stable role on the Knights or elsewhere.

Is he worthy of second-line minutes? Perhaps. That’s something the Avs’ pro scouts might need to dig into. But it would also mean Colorado would have to move Samuel Girard and perhaps even bring in a new righty for Hague to play with. Unless the team is fine with Josh Manson being the more offensively gifted of the two on the second pair.

Hague is an intriguing player and certainly could be a fit if it makes sense for Colorado from a salary standpoint. I still do believe the priority for Chris MacFarland should be to rebuild the general look of the bottom four on defense. Whether that means trading Manson or demoting him to the third pair, while also shipping Girard out.

If so, maybe there could be a fit.

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Avalanche Mailbag: Send Us Your Avalanche Offseason Mock Trades!

Aarif Deen — Mon, 19 May 2025 13:00:39 +0000

This exercise was a big hit around the trade deadline, so I felt I’d bring it back for the offseason.

Joe Sakic and Chris MacFarland are known to build their roster more through trades rather than free agency. And this summer feels like they’ve got a great opportunity to reshuffle the deck, if they choose to do so. They’ve certainly got the assets for it.

Ross Colton? Samuel Girard? Josh Manson? To a lesser extent, Miles Wood?

What if they go big and trade Valeri Nichushkin? I highly doubt it, but you never know.

Also, I’ve written about this before, but Martin Necas is a year away from unrestricted free agency. If negotiations don’t go well, is the front office ready to risk another season without a contract like they did with Mikko Rantanen?

These are all questions that need to be answered.

With that being said, is there a player you’d like the Avs to target? Want our thoughts on whether we think you’re offering a good deal?

Send us your mock trades and we’ll analyze them. Please try to keep them realistic and cap-compliant, albeit it is the offseason, so there’s more flexibility for teams. I’m also not opposed to digging into a crazy deal or two.

Get your mock trades in by noon MT Wednesday!

All mock trades must be submitted in the comments section below.

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Season Over: Mikko Rantanen Gets Last Laugh — Avalanche Blow It in Game 7

Aarif Deen — Sun, 04 May 2025 03:55:30 +0000

Mikko Rantanen was stunned when he was traded away from the Avalanche on Jan. 24. And 99 days later, the superstar forward stunned the Avs with a masterful third-period performance to end Colorado’s season.

Rantanen scored an empty-net goal to finish the hat trick while adding an assist on the eventual game-winning goal to lead the Dallas Stars to a 4-2 Game 7 victory. The Avs led 2-0 with 12:11 remaining before the collapse began. The game winner was scored with Jack Drury in the penalty box — one of the two pieces Colorado got for Rantanen when they sent him to the Carolina Hurricanes.

Now, Colorado heads into the offseason with far more questions than answers while watching the superstar they traded advance to the second round after getting the last laugh.

Still, Rantanen wouldn’t commit that getting revenge was top of mind. Even after scoring a hat trick and recording four points in the last 12 minutes. Even after leading the series with 12 points. Even after getting 11 points in the last three games, and was everything the Stars wanted when they traded for him.

It was another reminder of just how much respect he has for his teammates. And how badly he wanted to stay.

“It’s only a couple of months since I was still with [Colorado] and chasing a playoff spot,” Rantanen said after the game. “Now, all of a sudden, a couple months later, playing against them in a Game 7.”

Colorado’s goals came from Josh Manson and Nathan MacKinnon. The second tally came early in the third period to make it 2-0. It felt like the Avs were going to find a way to win a Game 7 for the first time in the MacKinnon era. It felt like they had what it takes.

But Rantanen had other thoughts.

Rantanen’s first goal was a wrister from the slot. The Avs gave him room to walk in, and he wired it past Mackenzie Blackwood to bring the Stars within a goal.

Three minutes later, Dallas forward Matt Duchene was called for tripping, sending the Avs on the power play with a chance to restore their two-goal lead.

Instead, Makar broke his stick off a shot from the point and had to track back and defend without one. He ended up getting called for tripping on the desperation play, which led to 47 seconds of 4-on-4 before a Dallas power play. Colorado finished 0-for-3 on the man advantage.

On that Stars power play, Rantanen swung around the net and completed the wrap-around with a puck that caromed in off of Samuel Girard. Dallas had not completed a two-goal comeback in the third period all season.

But it was a brand new game.

Two minutes later, Drury was called for holding, a penalty that simply can’t happen at that point in the game. He argued his case all the way to the box. It was the game changer. The one that sank the Avs.

Wyatt Johnston scored 17 seconds later to give Dallas its first lead of the game with just 3:56 remaining. Both Duchene and Rantanen assisted on the goal.

Colorado pulled its goalie to attempt to tie it up, but to no avail. Rantanen added an empty-net goal in the dying seconds to complete the hat trick and send his former team packing.

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Practice Report: Landeskog Takes Part In Avalanche’s Full-Team Practice

Aarif Deen — Wed, 16 Apr 2025 20:03:08 +0000

In the Avalanche’s first full-team practice in preparation for the playoffs, 15 forwards, eight defenseman, and two goalies participated in the skate.

Most notably, captain Gabriel Landeskog, fresh off a two-game conditioning stint in the AHL, was on the extras line with Miles Wood and Jimmy Vesey.

Landeskog was a full participant, taking contact and ramping up his conditioning with hopes of being part of the Stanley Cup playoffs. The team cannot technically activate him off long-term injury reserve until Friday, after the regular season is completed.

“Really excited to see him get back on the ice and do what he loves to do,” Avs general manager Chris MacFarland said, holding his annual press conference before the start of the postseason. “I think the two games in Loveland were successful because Gabe was on the ice and was able to play.”

It’s not yet clear if Landeskog will be in the lineup for Game 1 this weekend. It feels like it’s leaning toward it, but as is usually the case for the playoffs, the team is keeping all decisions close to the vest.

Assuming everyone stays healthy this week, Landeskog would need to unseat a regular from the forward group, whether it’s Parker Kelly or Joel Kiviranta, for example.

“The conditioning part is going to be a work in progress. That should only improve as we dig in,” MacFarland said. “He just did something that he hasn’t done in three years, he played a game and then he played a game the next night.

“Now it’s read and react and see how he is in the morning and go from there. Day by day.”

Ryan Lindgren Skates On His Own

Defenseman Ryan Lindgren was on the ice early before practice working with skills coach Toby Petersen. Lindgren skated with the team for about 15 minutes before leaving early. His status is still uncertain for the start of the playoffs. What he’s able to do on Friday will help clue us in on whether he’ll be ready for Game 1. The Avs are off on Thursday.

Another defenseman who has missed time is Josh Manson. He’s been out since March 14 and only played in 48 games. Manson was a full practice participant for the second day in a row after also skating in Tuesday’s optional.

Again, the Avs aren’t going to share any information about player availability, but it’s leaning toward Manson being healthy. We’ll have to see what happens between now and Friday’s flight to Dallas.

The schedule has not yet been released but the expectation is for Game 1 to be on Saturday at American Airlines Center.

Avalanche Practice Lines

Artturi Lehkonen — Nathan MacKinnon — Martin Necas
Jonathan Drouin — Brock Nelson — Valeri Nichushkin
Joel Kiviranta — Charlie Coyle — Ross Colton
Parker Kelly — Jack Drury — Logan O’Connor
Gabriel Landeskog — Miles Wood — Jimmy Vesey

Defense participants: Cale Makar, Devon Toews, Samuel Girard, Erik Johnson, Josh Manson, Keaton Middleton, and Sam Malinski (Ryan Lindgren for 15 minutes)

Mackenzie Blackwood
Scott Wedgewood

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