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Avalanche Mailbag 1.0: Stanley Cup Window, Offseason vs Mid-Season Trades, and the Landeskog Effect

Aarif Deen — Tue, 15 Jul 2025 23:07:54 +0000

This one was a whopper of a mailbag that I’ve decided to split it into two parts. The second half will be released Wednesday morning.

Thanks to all who asked questions! Enjoy.

Question from Sasha Landprecht

From 2020-2025, the Avs could’ve had 3 Cups. But after their Cup win, It seems like it went downhill with Gabe Landeskog’s injury and Valeri Nichuhskin’s issues. Do you think their cup window has shut?

Aarif’s Response

This upcoming season is going to tell us a lot about where this team currently stands.

They played a great series against Dallas but fell short on the PP and couldn’t hold third period leads. It was a frustrating loss that’ll sit with them for a while. But with No. 92 and No. 13 seemingly figured out now, we’re going to see what they’re made of.

In short, no, I don’t believe their Cup window has shut. They have more in them with this group. And then they can extend it if the pieces around Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, Devon Toews, and Landeskog, etc. are refreshed in the next few years.

This is going to be their roster to open a season since 2021.

Question from Stephen Moss

I do not expect the Avs to make any significant trades until after the season starts. None of the teams in the NHL are prepared to let go of any quality centers before the season starts. Once players start under-performing or out play their current contacts and appear to be unable to be extended (contracts) with their current teams, the trades will begin. Then the available cap space will be used on incoming quality players. What do you think?

Aarif’s Response

As much as I’m trying to bring a center trade to life, your scenario is probably more likely. It’s not any harder to add a middle six center mid season, and there’s nothing wrong with fixing that part of your lineup later on.

Right now, the Avalanche have a solid top six. Like, a really good one. One of the best in the NHL. They also have a great top pair on the blueline, a bunch of really good middle pair defensemen (albeit the puzzle pieces are still being figured out), and their goaltending tandem is top notch. Those are all things that are going to lead this team right out of the gate.

The third line looks shoddy right now, and Logan O’Connor’s injury adds more holes in the bottom six in general. But these are easier spots to fill mid-season than what they had to deal with this past year. Or even in 2023-24.

When they won the Stanley Cup, they added a top four defenseman in Josh Manson, they added a top-six forward in Artturi Lehkonen, who ended up bumping Andre Burakovsky down, and they added two pieces to their bottom six in Andrew Cogliano and Nico Sturm. Don’t forget, when they first got Sturm, he was expected to be the full-time 4C in the postseason. Darren Helm doing what he did sort of came out of nowhere.

It’s not abnormal to add that many guys around the core. But they’ve been so stuck for years now with Landeskog’s uncertainty, no 2C, goaltending issues, etc. Those all seem to be fixed now. Hopefully.

So yes, I agree. Pieces will become more available, and the Avs can scour the market after seeing what they have in house first.

Question from Jared Williss

Who is the most realistic trade target to address the open slot on the third line?

Aarif’s Response

I keep going back to J.T. Compher as the most likely option because the Red Wings would like to get out from under that contract. They’d have to retain to do it, though. There are plenty of wingers around the NHL that can also fit. Even free agents.

One guy I’d like to see Avs keep an eye on is Lawson Crouse. He’s got two years remaining on his deal at $4.3 million, but he could be someone worth taking a chance on to bounce back from a bad year.

Question from Donald Cooley

Will there be a “Landeskog effect” this year? Will having the captain back help get this team back to the mindset required to win the cup?

Aarif’s Response

I don’t want to over or undervalue how big a deal this is. I’m trying not to. But there was a calm in Chris MacFarland’s demeanor after the draft because he knows he can plan for Landeskog being back in the lineup. That in itself is huge.

Then when you add in having him for an entire season in the dressing room? You can’t put a price on that. It’s going to be massive for this team. If you followed along all year, you probably saw me write quite a bit about the sometimes missing leadership in the room after a tough loss.

Question from PhatMatt

With all the hype talk around Joel Kiviranta and now Nikolai Kovalenko back in Russia, why haven’t they signed Kiviranta? Are they not happy with his play? Are they playing hardball?

Aarif’s Response

I actually do think they’re playing a little bit of hardball. MacFarland mentioned two weeks ago that he was still in touch with his pending UFA’s but wanted to let the market breathe a little bit. That says to me that they want Kiviranta back and he probably wants to stay, but they want to make sure they aren’t overpaying him.

This allows him to see what other teams feel his value is before circling back with the Avs. I still think he returns, I’m just curious if the Avs can keep him on a one-year deal, which I suspect is their preference.

Question from Ty Hall

I like the RFA options for replacing the 3C, but realistically they probably won’t be available. When I think of a Cup contender I think of a shutdown veteran third line especially at center for D zone draws. What are the best options to fit that build?

Aarif’s Response

Thanks for reading my trade targets piece! Those RFA options were somewhat a pipe dream.

I already answered a previous question similar to this and mentioned Compher. But, I think names we aren’t thinking of will become available as the season goes on. I tried my best at identifying someone like Jean-Gabriel Pageau in a previous article. So that’s someone to keep an eye on, if the Islanders don’t bounce back the way they’re hoping to. Players of that ilk will probably be who they’d want if not Compher.

I really thought Nic Roy would be a great fit but understood why Vegas was never going to trade him to Colorado.

Question from Kathrynn Bartlett

Do you think Jack Drury will start the season as the Avs 3C or their 4C?

Aarif’s Response

As things currently stand, he’ll start as the third-line center. This would allow Jared Bednar an opportunity to try guys like Zakhar Bardakov to see what he has in the early months of the season. Mid-season trades are easy for this team to make — they proved that last year. If you’re using the middle of the season to fill out complementary roles, rather than a starting goalie or a 2C like last season, then it should be easier than what this front office is used to.

Question from Reece

Do you think dumping Charlie Coyle just to get rid of wood was worth it? I know the idea was to get more cap space but having Coyle as 3C just made the Avs feel more dangerous than they have since the cup run.

Aarif’s Response

Charlie Coyle as a 3C looked insanely strong on this team. Unfortunately, the $5.25 million was tough to make work. Avs have cap flexibility right now and it’s a great thing to have, especially going towards the trade deadline.

I think they just felt that clearing Coyle’s large salary in addition to Wood’s $2.5 million was worthwhile for that flexibility and ability to do things later. I agree with it because I think they’re also taking into account how Coyle will be used, and perhaps they just didn’t think he was going to be used enough to justify his cap hit and keeping Wood.

Question from Caleb

Do the Avs really not have a contingency plan for Landeskog? There are multiple holes to fill, and the chances of him being healthy for an entire 82 game season are slim to none. Having no depth seems extremely risky?

Aarif’s Response

The short answer is, no, there is no contingency plan. They waited three years to see if he can get healthy, and having that four-game playoff stint went a long way in feeling a lot better about him moving forward. He looked great and entered right in the middle of a heated series against another strong team. And played a ton of minutes.

Are his chances of playing 82 games, or close to it, slim to none? I wouldn’t say that. But I think the contingency plan for him is the same as if they were planning for a Lehkonen, Nichushkin, or Necas injury.

Someone like Colton. Or other middle six forwards.

Colton is on the third line, and he’s a viable option to play in the top six when someone else is absent. And I’m sure they’ll have another addition to replace one of Wood or Coyle too, who could be a viable option to step in as needed.

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Deen’s Daily: Avs Took Advantage of Coyle’s Market Value; Devils Dealing Top Defenseman?

Aarif Deen — Sun, 06 Jul 2025 22:30:15 +0000

The Avs have cap flexibility thanks to their center depth entering the draft. Also, the New Jersey Devils might be looking to move a massive piece off of their blueline.

All that and more on this edition of Deen’s Daily — July 6.

Colorado Hockey Now

This feels like the type of summer that’s going to drag out a little bit longer than usual. At least when it comes to roster movement.

Many of you are confused as to why the Avalanche shed Charlie Coyle and Miles Wood off the roster without replacing them. The short answer is, the UFA market wasn’t as strong as years past, and it’ll likely take a late signing or more importantly, a trade, to fill those spots.

I released a UFA Board that targets five forwards the Avs could look at. But I also do believe Chris MacFarland is keeping a closer eye on the trade market. He admitted that much on July 3 when he spoke to media after the Brent Burns signing.

Also, the Coyle trade was more than just about recouping assets. Colorado used the value of their third-line center to strategically move off of a bad contract. It’s the second time they were able to do that in a short span with Coyle.

And it was well worth it to gain the flexibility and assets they got for future moves. Even if those moves don’t happen right away.

Around The NHL

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: Three teams that could use Rickard Rakell.

New Jersey Hockey Now: The Devils had a prominent defenseman on the market last week. Could he still be moved?

San Jose Hockey Now: Alex Nedeljkovic was not expecting a trade this summer. He’s now part of the Sharks’ new tandem with Yaroslav Askarov.

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Report: Avalanche Used Charlie Coyle to Solve Their Miles Wood Problem

Aarif Deen — Sun, 06 Jul 2025 20:20:13 +0000

The Avalanche weren’t going to trade Charlie Coyle unless they were absolutely blown away by an offer.

That was the message from the start of the offseason, as soon as teams started to call for Colorado’s veteran third-line center. Given the lack of options on the market, any team needing depth at the position was going to need to overpay for what would usually be the cost for someone of Coyle’s caliber.

But there was more to it.

NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman recently said on Sportsnet’s 32 Thoughts podcast that the Avalanche were leveraging Coyle to clear another contract off the books.

“The thing I heard about Coyle is that, Colorado made it very clear that if you were going to get him, you were probably going to have to take Miles Wood, too,” Friedman said. “Wood needed a change of scenery, it just didn’t work out in Colorado.

“Columbus could do that. That is one way that Columbus’ cap flexibility won the day for them. They got Coyle because they were willing to take Wood.”

Ultimately, in the span of three months, the Avalanche used Coyle’s value to rid themselves of two contracts that weren’t working out for them. Colorado got Coyle and a fifth-round draft pick from the Boston Bruins in a deal for Will Zellers, a second-round draft pick, and Casey Mittelstadt, who was on the first of a three-year deal paying him $5.75 million per season. Mittelstadt is already slotted in as the third-best center on Boston’s depth chart, behind Elias Lindholm and Pavel Zacha. There’s no saying if he’ll fit in on that team.

Was it an overpay? Sure, if you consider who Colorado gave up to get Mittelstadt in the first place. But selling off a mid-level prospect and a second-round draft pick was great to get off a player that wasn’t working for them, and eating a large portion of their cap.

Wood was in a similar situation. His first year with the Avs was fine, but last season was a mess. He’s now dealing with back issues and might never be the same player, at least not in Colorado. With four years remaining at $2.5 million per season, getting off of his deal without having to pay to do so, was something Chris MacFarland needed to do.

When you consider that Columbus gave up a prospect better than Zellers in Gavin Brindley, in addition to a second-round draft pick and a third-round draft pick, it’s a great deal for Coyle, who was slotted in as a third-line center. And it also meant moving on from Wood.

If you combine all the trades, the Avs basically swapped Zellers for Brindley, swapped second-round draft picks, and gained a third and fifth round pick to get off of Mittelstadt and Wood’s combined $8.25 million in cap space, and in the process they got Coyle for a playoff run that admittedly should’ve gone better than it did this past season.

It’s a tidy bit of business that finally gives Colorado cap flexibility for the first time since they won the Stanley Cup in 2022.

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Deen’s View: With Coyle and Wood Gone, Avalanche’s Main Focus Should Shift to Defense (+)

Aarif Deen — Sat, 28 Jun 2025 12:00:07 +0000

The Avalanche didn’t want to trade Charlie Coyle. They liked having a strong core down the middle that rivals the best teams in the league. But an opportunity to clear cap space came, and general manager Chris MacFarland plucked one of his centers off a roster that he really wanted to bring back. “We believed […]

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Avs Still Have Work to Do After Coyle, Wood, and Brindley Trade

Colleen Flynn — Sat, 28 Jun 2025 02:02:00 +0000

The Colorado Avalanche didn’t have a first-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, but they still made an impact on Draft Day. Miles Wood and Charlie Coyle were traded to the Columbus Blue Jackets for forward Gavin Brindley, a third-round pick in this year’s draft and a conditional 2027 second-round pick.

“Going back to his draft year, he’s a high-motor, tenacious player that plays with really good pace. That book has just traveled and followed him to pro hockey,” Avs GM Chris MacFarland said about the 20-year-old Florida native on Friday at a media conference. “When we were talking with them, he was a player that our pro scouts piggybacked on to what our amateur side was seeing and thought it was a good player that plays the way we like to play.”

The move freed up $7.75 million and added a highly-touted prospect to the development pool. But there are still moves to be made for the team to solidify its bottom six. The top six are locked in with Gabe Landeskog’s return and multi-year contracts for Nathan MacKinnon, Valeri Nichushkin, Artturi Lehkonen and Brock Nelson. Martin Necas is in the final year of his contract this upcoming season. The unknown is Jonathan Drouin, who is an unrestricted free agent come July 1.

The Avs were eliminated in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs in seven games by the Dallas Stars. MacFarland and president of hockey operations, Joe Sakic, said in their end-of-the-season exit conference that they felt they had the team to win a Stanley Cup. Offseason changes were undoubtedly going to be made.

“When you have expectations to try and win, you’re going to make decisions on trying to win. I think that’s what we’ve done and this year it didn’t work,” MacFarland said. “We all still feel the sting of that, but we feel we have a good hockey team and a competitive team, and it just didn’t work.”

Avalanche management still has work to do. MacFarland mentioned that a qualifying offer needed to be made to defenseman Sam Malinski, along with “holes” in the roster requiring attention.

“We’ve got (Zakhar) Bardakov coming over, so we’re excited to see what he can do in that mix in training camp. We know what we’ve got in terms of cap space and roster holes, so you do the math, you try and figure out what’s the average that we can spend and how do we put it together and make the math work,” MacFarland said. “We’ll look at anything we can to improve, including the back end. The only area really that we’re probably set as we sit tonight is in net.”

Colorado has one pick each in the third, fourth, and seventh rounds in this year’s draft. Stay tuned for more action in the near future.

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Deen’s Daily: Habs Land Dobson; Coyle, Wood Traded Away; Avs Making Space — Is Byram Returning?

Aarif Deen — Sat, 28 Jun 2025 00:43:17 +0000

The hours leading up to the draft had two notable trades and a re-signing. The Avs traded away Charlie Coyle and Miles Wood. Are they making space to possibly bring back Bowen Byram?

All that and more on this edition of Deen’s Daily — June 27.

Colorado Hockey Now

The Avs made one of two trades that broke before the NHL Draft on Friday. And they cleared a whole heap of cap space in the process.

Heading to Columbus are Charlie Coyle and Miles Wood. Heading to Colorado is prospect Gavin Brindley, and two draft picks. Get the full details of the trade below.

Before the trade was announced, I answered questions in a quick pre-draft mailbag. And yes, clearing cap space was among those questions.

There have been rumors for weeks that a Coyle trade might happen. I still didn’t know if it would, but here we are.

What are the Avs’ next moves? One report has them linked to Bowen Byram. I still don’t think Byram would want to return and play behind Devon Toews and Cale Makar. But the report is out there.

Around The NHL

The NHL Draft is currently in process, and oh boy is it a slog. I’d take The Sphere over this any day of the week. I’d take anything over this.

Anyway, we’ll save draft recap stuff for tomorrow. But first, we’ve got another trade and a big extension to talk about.

NYI Hockey Now: The Islanders obviously selected Matthew Schaefer No. 1 overall. But before that, they acquired the No. 16 and No. 17 overall draft picks from the Montreal Canadiens. Noah Dobson was obviously the big piece going the other why. Here’s why he didn’t re-sign with the Islanders.

Montreal Hockey Now: It’s an incredible move for a team that just qualified for the playoffs and took that next step in their rebuild. Here’s why the Habs were smart to sell off assets for Dobson.

Florida Hockey Now: It’s official. Conn Smythe Trophy Winner Sam Bennett is re-signing with the Florida Panthers. I will say, he didn’t take as big a pay cut as I thought he would. The details of his contract are here.

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: Here’s the latest on the Pens trade rumors.

Also, the CBA extension became official on Friday, pending a vote from the teams and players. Here are details of what’s coming in 12 months.

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Avalanche Clear Cap Space, Trade Coyle and Wood to Columbus For Prospect, Two Draft Picks

Aarif Deen — Fri, 27 Jun 2025 19:22:36 +0000

The Avalanche traded center Charlie Coyle and winger Miles Wood to the Columbus Blue Jackets in a cap-clearing move on Friday. In return, they received a 2027 second-round draft pick, a 2025 third-round draft pick (77th overall), and prospect Gavin Brindley.

Brindley, was drafted No. 34 overall in 2023. The 20-year-old was available when the Avs selected Calum Ritchie and Mikhail Gulyayev late in the first round that year, and Colorado was very interested.

Listed at 5’9, 168 lbs, Brindley spent two years with the Michigan Wolverines, capped off with a 53-point season in 40 games in 2024. He played one NHL game for the Jackets after signing his entry level deal.

Last season, Brindley played 53 games for the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters and had 17 points. He spent the majority of the year as a right-winger but played center a handful of games, too.

So basically…

OUT:
Casey Mittelstadt
Miles Wood
Will Zellers
2nd Round Pick

IN:
Gavin Brindley
2nd Round Pick
3rd Round Pick
(Coyle for one playoff run)

5 months ago the Avs had a struggling $5.75 million center and a $2.5 million winger. Both now off the books.

— Aarif Deen (@runwriteAarif) June 27, 2025

Coyle, 33, is in the final year of a contract paying him $5.25 million. He was acquired by the Avs at the March 7 trade deadline in a deal that sent Casey Mittelstadt, prospect Will Zellers and a second-round draft pick to the Boston Bruins.

Coyle finished the regular season strong after a slow offensive start with the Avs. He had two goals and 13 points in 19 regular-season games before scoring just one goal in a seven-game series loss to the Dallas Stars.

The Avs locked up Brock Nelson for $7.5 million earlier in the month to center the second line, and Coyle’s salary was likely too much of a luxury. Before the trade, Colorado had just $1.2 million in available cap space and still had a handful of spots that needed to be filled.

With Nelson and eventually John Tavares both signing before the first day of free agency, a weak center market become even weaker. Coyle, who is a strong middle-six center, likely became an asset that the Avs could cash in on.

And they did. They used Coyle’s value to rid themselves of Wood’s contract. Wood has four years and a $2.5 million AAV remaining on his deal. He struggled with injuries for most of the 2024-25 season, and was a healthy scratch in the playoffs for all but one game.

The Avs are clearing $7.75 million of cap space with this trade, which means they have nearly $9 million in space heading into tonight’s NHL Draft.

The second-round pick in 2027 will be the lower of the two picks the Jackets own that year.

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3 Names to Watch: Big Decisions Loom for the Avalanche Heading Into NHL Draft

Aarif Deen — Wed, 25 Jun 2025 18:42:43 +0000

What a difference a year makes. Last summer Chris MacFarland was handcuffed by uncertainty with Gabe Landeskog and Valeri Nichushkin. One hadn’t played in two years and was questionable to return, and the other was in the midst of a six-month suspension and had a murky future with the club.

The two combined to make over $13 million and the Avs had very little space to maneuver.

But this year feels different. Landeskog and Nichushkin are healthy and ready for the upcoming season. But that’s not all.

Even though they currently have only $1.2 million in cap space, the Avalanche, who have a strong forward group already under contract, continue to get mentioned around NHL circles as a team to watch.

They have three names that are appearing on trade boards and mentioned among NHL Insiders. They’re all under contract, all have value, and any one of them can shake up the roster if dealt.

Here are the three names to watch just 48 hours away from the start of the NHL Draft.

Martin Necas

This is more under the radar, but it hasn’t entirely gone away. Even though Martin Necas isn’t top of mind as a player to watch this offseason, he’s still often mentioned as someone that could be moved. Why? It’s simple. Necas is a year away from unrestricted free agency, and it’s entirely possible that he’s seeking a contract value that the Avs don’t want to pay.

Necas was the main piece that was acquired in the blockbuster Mikko Rantanen trade last January. Rantanen was dealt because he was eligible to be a UFA on July 1 and contract talks were seemingly going nowhere. I still stand by the thought that the Avs can’t possibly start the season without Necas either locked in to a new deal or traded. You can’t let this linger like you did with Rantanen.

You can’t do that to your core again.

Charlie Coyle

The Avs have one of the deepest center groups in the NHL. Having Jack Drury on the fourth line for one more season is, at least to me, the right move. You know for sure he can handle that role and overachieve in it. You don’t want to thrust him into a permanent 3C role just yet. That’s why Charlie Coyle is such a valuable piece right now.

With that being said, if the right offer comes around for Coyle — an overpayment from a desperate team — then perhaps the front office will actually entertain moving him. But only if they have their sights set on a replacement. I’d still prefer they have Drury on the fourth line.

The UFA center market is bare, and teams that miss out on John Tavares might be desperate enough to overpay for Coyle as a 2C. I look at Toronto as an example of a team that could use him. If they don’t sign Tavares, they’ll need help. And Coyle is the type of locker room presence that they need.

Montreal is another team to watch. The Habs need help at 2C and Coyle is very much a Martin St. Louis type of guy.

Samuel Girard

Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff has been all over this one. Seravalli has mentioned multiple times on Daily Faceoff Live and on the DFO Rundown podcast that the Avs have been trying to trade Samuel Girard for three summers.

What’s holding up a deal? Teams are putting a limit on the number of undersized defensemen they’d like to have on their roster, according to Seravalli.

Girard is a valuable top-four blueliner who can play upwards of 20 minutes per game with ease. There’s a place for him somewhere, maybe even with the Avs for another year, but we’ll have to see what the offers look like first.

I do believe the Avs need a major shakeup to their defense core after the top pair. Moving Girard would be the first step.

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Deen’s Daily: The Importance of Having Center Depth; Rumored Offer For Noah Dobson

Aarif Deen — Sun, 22 Jun 2025 22:07:50 +0000

Could the Avalanche be seeking more center depth just in case? Also, Noah Dobson is garnering a lot of interest and one Eastern Conference team is rumored to be making a big offer.

All that and more on this edition of Deen’s Daily — June 22.

Colorado Hockey Now

What if, rather than trading Charlie Coyle, the Avs double down on center depth and have several natural centermen shift to the wing? It appears they had that thought process when they heavily targeted Jonathan Toews earlier in the week.

You can never have too many centers. Colorado tried to shift natural wingers like Ross Colton to center, but the transition is usually much easier the other way. They didn’t get Toews — he’s off to Winnipeg. But maybe another bottom six depth center makes more sense? I guess we’ll find out by July 1.

Around The NHL

Detroit Hockey Now: The Red Wings are rumored to be making a big offer for Noah Dobson. Could a former Avs centerman be part of the package?

NYI Hockey Now: We’re five days away from the draft, and the Islanders selecting No. 1 overall for the first time in 25 years. This, and the Dobson rumors, are both huge steps in their build back to relevancy.

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: It’s going to be a big week ahead for the Pens. Should they trade up in the draft?

Ottawa Hockey Now: The Sens are betting on talent with the extension they gave Fabian Zetterlund.

Chicago Hockey Now: T.J. Brodie cleared waivers. Next up: buyout.

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What the Avs Were Reportedly Planning If They Had Landed Jonathan Toews

Aarif Deen — Sun, 22 Jun 2025 21:51:28 +0000

The Avalanche were very serious about their pursuit for Jonathan Toews. The former Chicago Blackhawks captain ended up signing a one-year bonus laden contract with his hometown Winnipeg Jets earlier in the week. But Colorado was reportedly the runner-up, according to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic and TSN.

“The Avs are trying to find their way back to another Stanley Cup, and adding Toews to that talented mix would have put him in a position where he didn’t have to lead but could find a way to become impactful,” LeBrun wrote. “Colorado was seriously interested, had a chance to talk with Toews and felt it had a good role for him.”

On a team that already has Nathan MacKinnon, Brock Nelson, Charlie Coyle, and Jack Drury lining up down the middle, the role for Toews seemed somewhat mystifying on this current iteration of the Avs. He’s always played center, and general Manager Chris MacFarland went out of his way to lock up Brock Nelson just a few weeks ago.

But LeBrun had more thoughts about the role for Toews in Colorado, as he noted that Coyle could’ve easily slid to the wing.

In that scenario, it says that the Avalanche were basically trying to bring Toews in to be the third-line center.

I went back and forth several times about whether I felt Toews could be a good fit before the Jets landed him. But I always felt he would be the one shifting to the wing and providing added depth and a veteran presence similar to that of Zach Parise in 2024. But it doesn’t seem like he’s looking to play that limited a role.

Toews feels like he has something to give for a Stanley Cup contending team, and the Avs were trying really hard to make it happen.

I wrote yesterday about the thought of Coyle being shopped, given the lack of centers on the market. But this Toews story suggests that Colorado is thinking differently. The team wants center depth. Since 2022, it feels like they’ve only ever had two good centers at any given time. Now, with Parker Kelly on the fourth line wing, they have five. Adding Toews would’ve given them six center options, with Coyle also shifting to the right wing.

You can never have too many centermen, and Colorado’s front office is very much aware of that.

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