The Avalanche’s general manager feels calm, and more comfortable with what he has to work with.

He’s got clarity on the captain, all of his top forwards are healthy and available, and following a cap-clearing trade, he has cap space to maneuver with. What a difference a year makes. Especially as it pertains to Gabe Landeskog and planning around his hefty $7 million salary.

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

“The last three years we didn’t know (if he would play). So you’re in that wonky space of if he comes back, what do we do, and how do you plan for that exactly? And last year, Val was also suspended,” MacFarland said Saturday at Ball Arena. ” Those are vice-like grips on what you’re doing in the summer, because if you don’t have escape hatches, sometimes teams will look to exploit you if you have to get in those situations where you have to move money suddenly.”

Last year, MacFarland straight up told us that his targets would be low AAV signings. He got Parker Kelly on a low-cost deal and it paid off. But Oliver Kylington, Calvin de Haan, and Erik Brannstrom didn’t work out. This time around, there is a possibility that things could really get shaken up.

Is it finally time to remake the defense after the top pair? Who is going to play in the bottom six? Pretty much everything is on the table outside the core group and the goaltending tandem.

Here are the takeaways from MacFarland’s press conference, just days away from the opening of unrestricted free agency.

They Finally Can Operate Without LTIR

Landeskog’s playoff return has almost made me forget that the Avalanche haven’t played a regular season with their captain since March 2022. And for the first time in four years, the front office can plan for opening night without wondering if they can spend Landeskog’s salary on a replacement.

That, in itself, is huge. MacFarland spoke about the possibility of being able to accrue cap space leading up to the trade deadline, something you can’t do when you’re operating in LTIR. If, for example, you enter opening night with around $250,000 in cap space, that daily number accrues over the season and allows you to spend more at the trade deadline.

Logan O’Connor will start the season injured, but depending on the moves they make, they still could probably be under the cap even with O’Connor and his replacement accounted for. Having cap space means less assets get sent out the door for salary retention.

Read More: Deen’s Daily: MacKinnon Has Had Enough; MacFarland Talks Coyle, Wood Trade; Marner to Vegas?!

MacFarland Loves Making Trades. Could More Be Coming?

I’ve written about this before but, traditionally, this front office prefers trades to signing free agents. I asked MacFarland about this, and he said it’s a case by case type of thing. But here’s what he had to say about the plan heading into July.

“We’re going to look at all options. It may not be free agency. We’ll do our assessments, and we’ll see where those markets go, in terms of the terms and the dollars, and maybe a trade is the better way to go,” MacFarland said. “I think we’ve got to look to add at forward and on the back end. So we’ll look at every avenue possible until we find the right fits.”

Martin Necas Extension? Maybe?

MacFarland is well versed at saying a lot, but also not saying much at the same time. Sometimes it’s unnecessary to read too much into what he says. But other times it’s smarter to grab onto clues to really figure out what he’s saying. Is this one of those times? Maybe.

Here’s what he said when I asked him about Necas being eligible for an extension on July 1, and if he has confidence that a new deal can be signed before the season begins.

“I’m not going to comment on any pending contracts or anything like that today, but we’ll chat with a bunch of our guys that are going into the last year in the weeks ahead, and we’ll see if we can find common ground,” MacFarland said. “But Marty played very well for us. He’s a he’s a dynamic winger. I think he was top 20 in the league in scoring, so we’re super excited to have him.”

Is this a non answer? Or is the lack of clarity in his response code for “we have no idea how this is going to turn out.”

I guess we’ll find out soon. This remains the biggest story of the summer for the Avs, in my opinion.

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

Is Drouin Returning? How about Lindgren or Kiviranta?

The Avalanche have three notable pending UFA’s. Technically four, but I’ll get to that shortly.

I asked MacFarland specifically about Jonathan Drouin, and he touched on all three guys. It sounds like there’s a possibility that any one of them could be signed before Tuesday. Here’s what the GM had to say.

“We obviously have a plethora of our own free agents, with Kiviranta, Drouin, and Lindgren,” he said. “We’ll never say never on any of those guys. But I think we’re going to breathe a little bit here and see what shakes off the tree. And if we decide to see if there’s a deal over the next two days before July 1 hits, and it makes sense, maybe we will. But on Tuesday, we’ll be looking to improve the team.”

The fourth free agent I hinted at, is, of course, Erik Johnson. Should I be reading between the lines, or did MacFarland simply forget to mention him when he began his response?

Defense Changes Are Coming

Going back to reading between the lines, it sure sounds like MacFarland wants to shake up the blueline. I’ll drop the full quote of what he had to say when he was asked about changes on defense after the top pair.

“We’re very fortunate, obviously, to have Taser and Cale and Sam Girard and Josh Manson. Sam Malinski also played very well. I’d be very curious to see Keaton Middleton’s continued evolvement as training camp comes,” MacFarland said. “But whether (we add) a second pair guy, or a number five type of guy hat can be paired with Malinski, I think we have guys that can play decent minutes throughout our lineup.

“If you’re just looking at the obvious, to continue the left-right theme, a left shot would go a long way. And if he was 6’3, 220 lbs and skates like the wind and pounds people, we’d love to find that. But those are unicorns. I don’t think we have these specifics. Just, does it make us better, and how do we get it? Is it a trade? Is there a UFA that makes us better? And if we can’t find it, then we’re gonna have great competition with some of the depth with the Eagles.

“We’ll definitely look at improving that slot one way or the other here.”

Read More: Avalanche Select UMass Defenseman Francesco Dell’Elce, Two Others in 2025 NHL Entry Draft

O’Connor’s Hip Surgery

Speaking of O’Connor, the hip surgery he had was not on the same hip as the one he operated on in 2024. So, thankfully, it’s not a re-aggravated injury.

Coaching Staff Hires

The Avs still need a new power-play coach to assist on Jared Bednar’s staff. They also need to replace Aaron Schneekloth and Dan Hinote, who departed the AHL Colorado Eagles for NHL jobs this summer.

“We have got a lot of great candidates, and that process is ongoing,” MacFarland said of the AHL openings. “Similar here with our assistant coach position. I don’t know exactly the timeline, but I would like it to be sooner, rather than later, that we get those three positions filled.”

The Sidney Crosby Rumors Reached The Front Office

MacFarland was jokingly asked about how Georges Laraque’s tweet, and eventually Kevin Weekes’ coded comments on live television sort of led to this crazy idea that Sidney Crosby could be heading to Colorado. Did he hear about it? And if so, what was the reaction?

“You get texts. I think Joe (Sakic) got something,” he said. “You get used to it. Like most of the time it’s just good fodder, right? It’s good chatter. So obviously I’m not going to comment on rumors or other teams (players), but it makes for good hockey talk, that’s for sure.”

Somebody texting Sakic to ask if the Avs are actually getting Crosby is hilarious. Imagine trying to work through an NHL Draft and suddenly being blindsided with something like that.

The post Chris MacFarland Ahead of Free Agency: ‘We’ll Look At Every Avenue’ to Improve Roster appeared first on Colorado Hockey Now.

He recorded a hat trick for the second consecutive game and broke an NHL record by factoring in on 12 consecutive goals for his team — a streak that is still active and could be extended in Game 2. Rantanen, as of right now, is the early (very early) favorite for the Conn Smythe Trophy.

I just thought it was fascinating to see him continue to build on what he did in Games 5-7 against the Avs while this was already scheduled to be posted. I can’t imagine Chris MacFarland is having fun watching this. I truly do wonder what’s going through Nathan MacKinnon’s head every time he sees his guy score goals at this epic pace.

Anyway, let’s get to what I had written before the game.

Understandably so, several of the mailbag questions were about Rantanen and his role in the Avalanche’s first-round elimination.

The Avs are probably going to see a lot of Rantanen in the postseason over the next eight years. I don’t think we’ll rehash the trade every single time, but given how Rantanen was dealt to Carolina and eliminated the Avs 99 days later with Dallas, I could see why many are still asking about him.

In the second edition of the post-playoff mailbag, I’m answering all questions related to Rantanen and the year that was for the superstar and his saga with the Avalanche.

Read More: Avalanche Mailbag 1.0: Coaching, Management, & What Went Wrong in the Playoffs?

Question from George

Why do you think the Avs chose to blindside Mikko and not tell him first that they would trade him?

Aarif’s Response

I think the easiest way to answer this is to look at how he performed in Carolina. If Rantanen knew the Avs were trying to trade him, it probably would’ve affected his on-ice performance before a deal was made. Granted, he only had four assists in the six-game homestand right before he was dealt, so he wasn’t playing all that great anyway.

More importantly, it would’ve angered his agent and probably led to public comments that would’ve made any trade hard to get to the finish line. Especially for the assets Colorado received. Rantanen didn’t want to leave and if he knew this was coming before it did, his agent would’ve backed him and publicly scolded the Avs for not negotiating. It would’ve been a mess.

Still, I  just don’t think it was the right move. There are layers to this and it’s why I wrote what I wrote last weekend about Chris MacFarland’s job. Trading Rantanen is a decision. There are reasons why it was made. And I get that. I agreed with it at the time and still understand why they felt they needed to do it. Even if I don’t entirely agree anymore.

But dealing him and making it a surprise blew up in the Avs’ face. Joe Sakic said on Tuesday that he and MacFarland found out that Rantanen wasn’t going to sign in Carolina the same time as all of us. That, too, is a problem.

I know they traded him in January because Carolina was contemplating dealing Martin Necas to Vancouver in a separate deal, and the Avs didn’t want to lose out on that player. But, if you’re not going to sign Rantanen, and you’re not going to work with him to pick a team in the East and sign there longterm, then you should’ve at least traded him much closer to the deadline — even if it were a surprise — so he doesn’t end up in Dallas in the same season.

Call it hindsight if you want. But they should’ve planned for these scenarios. If not, it just means they didn’t value Rantanen as the level of superstar that deserves the respect to have these scenarios planned for.

And by all accounts, that seems to be the case. I don’t believe that they only traded him because he’s a third superstar they can’t afford. I think they’re banking on him not being worth his new contract. Which might be the case in a few years (if at all). But that’s still an epic failure of a mindset to have in the prime of his career when you’re trying to win another Stanley Cup. It’s win now, isn’t it?

Question from Steve

Could MacFarland really have put a stipulation in the Rantanen trade that Carolina couldn’t trade Rantanen to a Western Conference team? I see that mentioned a lot, but was that truly an option?

Aarif’s Response

I don’t believe that’s something he could’ve done. But like I said, the best solution to this would’ve been trading him closer to March 7, to not give the second team much time to deal him again. It took Carolina about two-ish weeks before they realized that Rantanen wasn’t working there and wasn’t going to sign.

If the Avs traded him closer to deadline day, he would’ve at least been there for this postseason, which means you’re not facing him for at least this season with the Dallas Stars.

Could Rantanen have just walked on July 1 and signed with Dallas then? Yes. But it still eliminates him from this year’s first round, which would’ve given the Avs a much better shot at getting to the second round and beyond.

Question from Jeffrey Anderson

Did Mikko’s agent get too greedy and play hardball with CMac for Leon Draisaitl money? Did CMac not want to pay Mikko because of cap space, and he was our third-best superstar and he also wanted to get a return for him before Mikko left as a free agent? Maybe nobody knows what really happened?

Aarif’s Response

This is all pretty much confirmed at this point. Sakic said he knows where they were and where the agent was in negotiations at the time of the trade. MacFarland has been clear about needing to pay Cale Makar and having depth rather than paying three superstars.

But it doesn’t change the fact that the difference in their negotiations could’ve been made up over time. The agent is difficult and proved this in the 2019 negotiation. But you’re not signing the agent, you’re signing the player. You work through this stuff.

I know Nathan MacKinnon signed a full season out. So did Cale Makar. But it doesn’t always work that way.

Gabe Landeskog waited until literally the last minute before free agency before signing. Nobody ever calls him selfish for waiting until the end to get way more money than the Avs probably wanted to offer. Why is Rantanen any different for taking the same approach?

Historically, superstar players, if they’re not getting the offer they want, don’t sign in October or January. They sign closer to the trade deadline or July 1 as the two sides work on closing the gap. Especially when the player wants to stay and the team wants him to stay. But, hey, maybe they didn’t want him.

It also rubs me the wrong way that Rantanen walked into MacFarland’s office two days before the trade and told the GM that he wanted to stay and was flexible. And then he was traded 48 hours later.

Before Rantanen ever publicly shared that story, it was reported by Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos. People knew about this before Rantanen spoke to the media. So we can’t necessarily say Rantanen made it up.

Anyway, it’s all in the past. I don’t think the Avs are out of their Stanley Cup window by any means. They can win another Cup and probably beat Rantanen’s Dallas Stars on the way to it.

Question from Christopher

If you had been MacFarland, how much money would you have given to Rantanen?

Aarif’s Response

Eight years, $96 million. That was what I predicted he’d get back in 2023 when MacKinnon’s deal kicked in. That was what I still felt he’d end up with last fall after Draisaitl’s deal. And that was what he signed for in Dallas.

I know a lot happened for him and his agent to accept that number with the Stars. And the no-tax thing certainly helps. But I still believe they would’ve closed the gap in negotiations closer to the trade deadline or in June. The front office didn’t give this enough time to play out. Negotiations like this aren’t supposed to be easy.

No matter how hard a bargain the agent was driving, Rantanen didn’t want to leave. He would’ve stepped in and made sure that didn’t happen. The Avs didn’t give him a chance to get to that point, which means they didn’t value him enough to keep chugging along until that point.

The post Avalanche Mailbag 2.0: Revisiting the Mikko Rantanen Saga appeared first on Colorado Hockey Now.

All that and more on this edition of Deen’s Daily — May 8.

Colorado Hockey Now

The worst part about the Avs going out in the first round is that we’re still so far away from the draft and free agency. Which means we’ve got more time to talk through what went wrong in the playoffs before looking ahead and speculating on the moves to come.

After the loss this weekend, I sent out a mailbag to collect questions about all of the above. I got way more than I thought, which is awesome. We’ve got a passionate Avalanche fanbase and community here, and it’s great to see how much everyone cares.

I decided to split the questions into segments, with the first one getting released yesterday. It covers everything about Jared Bednar’s job. Chris MacFarland’s moves and what went wrong in the postseason.

Read More: What Went Wrong in Avs’ Shocking Early Postseason End?

Stanley Cup Playoff Recap

Game 2 — Toronto Maple Leafs vs Florida Panthers: Are the Maple Leafs for real? It sure feels like it. They don’t seem to fold or get rattled as easily as years past. They stopped the Senators’ comeback attempt in Round 1, and they didn’t let the Anthony Stolarz injury sink them in Game 1 against Florida. In Game 2, the Panthers led 1-0 and 2-1, but Toronto took a 3-2 lead into the second intermission. They went on to win 4-3 to gain a 2-0 series lead as the series shifts to Florida. This is already the farthest Toronto has made it in the postseason in 21 years.

Game 1 — Winnipeg Jets vs Dallas Stars: One of the things that sank the Avs was the play of Rantanen. He factored in on every goal in the Stars’ four-goal comeback surge in the third period of Game 7. And against Winnipeg in Game 1, Rantanen recorded a hat trick in his second consecutive game to help Dallas take the series opener by a final score of 3-2. Rantanen is the third player to ever score hat tricks in consecutive playoff games and the first in nearly 40 years. He also set an NHL record by factoring in on 12 consecutive goals for his team. That streak is still active and can be extended in Game 2.

Tonight’s Schedule

• Game 2: Carolina Hurricanes at Washington Capitals (5 pm MT on ESPN)
• Game 1: Edmonton Oilers at Vegas Golden Knights (7:30 pm MT on ESPN)

Around The NHL

Utah Mammoth: The team in Utah finally has a name and logo. What are your thoughts? I’m sure some of you, especially those local in Colorado, have some opinions.

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: The latest trade target that makes sense for the Pens. (And hey, maybe even the Avs).

Philly Hockey Now: Exploring trade options for the Flyers.

NYI Hockey Now: Isles GM Update: Who is the favorite for the job?

Vegas Hockey Now: What led to the Golden Knights’ Game 1 loss to Edmonton?

Florida Hockey Now: Aaron Ekblad, who returned from his suspension, called Brandon Hagel’s comments a reasonable response.

Chicago Hockey Now: Three Blackhawks prospects are excelling in the Calder Cup playoffs.

The post Deen’s Daily: Mikko Rantanen Breaks Another Record; Leafs Are For Real; Utah Mammoth! appeared first on Colorado Hockey Now.

I’ve decided to separate the questions into segments because there are just way too many to fit into one story.

On the first edition of the post-playoffs mailbag, I’m covering everything about Jared Bednar’s job, Chris MacFarland’s moves, and what went wrong in the series against the Dallas Stars.

Enjoy!

Questions from Trey and Steeve

Trey: For the last several years, the Avs continue to play a 55-minute game. Problem – Coaching.
In the last 8 years, the special team has been the same, they aren’t fooling anyone. Problem – Coaching.
In the past several seasons, players continue to stop moving and watch the puck. Problem – Coaching.
When you can only play one way and have no ability to adapt. Problem – Coaching.
All problems with this team point to coaching. Why is Bednar being retained?

Steve: Why would you decide to give Bednar another chance? Would you trust that things might be different next time?

Aarif’s Response

I understand the many, many reasons why people are calling for Jared Bednar to get fired. But I still don’t think it’s the right move. When you have a coach who can carry a half-completed roster to high seeds year in and year out, he’s a guy worth keeping around. Over the past two seasons, management has given Bednar scraps to work with until the trade deadline and he’s still made it work while always finishing closer to the top of the standings than the wildcard.

I know having Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, and Mikko Rantanen helped in each of the last two regular seasons, but we can’t have it both ways. We can’t credit the superstars when the team plays well but go after the coach when Rantanen is traded away and Makar struggles to produce.

Teams that win as much as the Avs have don’t fire coaches like Bednar. Chicago stuck it out with Joel Quenneville in their golden era and it paid off with three Stanley Cups. The Pittsburgh Penguins kept Mike Sullivan around until it was time to rebuild. The Tampa Bay Lightning are riding with Jon Cooper for at least another year.

Since 2018-19, the Avalanche have 50 playoff wins. The only team with more is Tampa Bay at 52. And since then, Colorado leads the league in regular season wins.

At some point a team needs a new voice. I just don’t believe that time is now.

Question from Stetcher

Why has the media always tried to protect Bednar despite the fact that he had been demonstrating for a few years that he was no longer the solution?

Aarif’s Response

The simple answer is, he’s a great coach.

Question from Tony

Tony: Do you think that the Avalanche firing assistant coach Ray Bennett is really going to change things on the power play?

Aarif’s Response

I do think it’ll change things, yes. Honestly, I’m surprised it took this long for any kind of change to be made to Bednar’s staff. Not because Nolan Pratt or Bennett are bad coaches, but because changing an assistant coach is a simple move that can go a long way.

I’m not entirely sure who the Avs go after just yet but the loss of Rantanen means the power play is going to have a different look anyway. May as well get a fresh voice in there to help create new magic.

Questions from Zach Moody, Jeffrey Anderson, and Chris Duncan

Zach: How does Chris MacFarland keep his job when he hasn’t been able to secure a sustainable future for the franchise? Besides the acquisitions of the goalies this season, MacFarland has traded away every valuable asset for pure rentals the past two seasons. The pieces received for Bowen Byram, the 4th overall pick from 2019, have essentially disappeared. They have 33-year-old Charlie Coyle as a result and lost a second-round pick and Will Zellers in the process. Trading away a first-round pick for the rental of Sean Walker and getting rid of that terrible Ryan Johansen gamble. Trading away Calum Ritchie with a 2026 first-round pick for rental Brock Nelson, trading away 2025 second-round pick in the Lindgren trade too.

Chris: Byram for Mittelstadt, Moose for Necas, Mittelstadt for Coyle, Johansen and a first for Sean Walker, and Ritchie and a first for Nelson. Outside of Blackwood it feels like MacFarland lost most of the trades he made. Outside of Nikolai Kovalenko, who was used to acquire Blackwood, it feels like they haven’t found a contributor in the farm system in years. Feels like these issues compound each other. I don’t think there’s an easy solution but I feel confident in saying MacFarland won’t find a solution if there is one to be found. Is it time for him to go?

Jeffrey: Why are Joe Sakic and the Kroenke’s going to allow Chris MacFarland to be GM going forward?

Aarif’s Response

Chris MacFarland is a smart hockey mind and was a big part of what the Avs built in 2022. I’m not going to take any of that away from him. He was also the one that recommended Bednar for the coaching position when Patrick Roy suddenly quit. But I also agree that the moves since 2022 haven’t worked out — and that aligns with the time he became the day-to-day guy as the GM.

I wrote what I wrote last week because the Rantanen saga was the cherry on top of some already questionable moves. To me, MacFarland is developing a bit of a reputation of constantly putting out fires he created.

The Byram trade tree is an epic failure. Why was Coyle acquired without salary retention? How do you commit to a third-line center at $5.25 million when you already have MacKinnon at $12.6 million and no 2C? Are you planning on playing Coyle at 2C?

The moves he made around the deadline this year mortgaged quite a bit of assets. I knew back then that he was overpaying while fixing mistakes he created in the past. But it doesn’t change the fact that he built an excellent roster. It was easy to put these thoughts on hold for a long playoff run. Unfortunately, that roster only won three playoff games. Now we’re back to square one.

It’s all very strange, and it’s why I felt the team needed a change. Hopefully he’s learned from his past mistakes. He’s got what it takes to build a roster but the desperation moves over the past two deadlines were way too much.

But no excuses now. You have clarity on both Gabe Landeskog and Valeri Nichushkin. You have your goaltending solved. Build your roster in the oddseason and give Bednar the group he’s going to have through the season and into the playoffs. Maybe that way the Avs can win the division and not get stuck in the 2v3 matchup like the last two years.

MacFarland should’ve been let go. I stand by that. But it doesn’t mean he can’t fix this. I’m excited to see what he pulls off over the next four months or so. But all I know is, other contenders usually use the deadline to find additional help. The Avs, these last two years, have been using the deadline to fill positions that should’ve been filled in the summer.

Question from Derek S.

Do you think MacFarland regrets the trades made over the last two years?

Aarif’s Response

Yes. The Byram trade, the Ryan Johnasen failure, the Nelson deal, and many more.

Question from Chris

How much of this can be traced back to not re-signing Nazem Kadri? Feels like we’ve gutted the organization trying to fill that 2C spot.

Aarif’s Response

Pretty much all of it. Not signing Kadri was a massive mistake and it’s why I’m not a fan of the direction MacFarland has chosen to go since then. I’ve defended him quite a bit over the years because I do think he’s done a lot of great things.

But losing Kadri led to the Johansen experiment, which led to the loss of a first-round pick, then the loss of Byram for Casey Mittelstadt, then Mittelstadt, a second-round pick, and Will Zellers for Coyle.

It would’ve been tight to sign Kadri in the summer of 2022, but that would’ve only been tight for one year and then you have your reliable 2C locked up for a reasonable cap hit without losing all those assets in an attempt to replace him. I still stand by the thought that they should’ve signed him and dealt J.T. Compher to make space. But it’s all in the past now.

Oh, by the way, it would’ve been the same with Rantanen. The cap situation is tight right now and would’ve been tighter if Rantanen hypothetically signed the same deal here as he did in Dallas. But it would’ve only been tight for one year before the cap starts to make meteoric rises. Then you have your superstar winger locked up in his prime and can build around him.

Question from Blake Martinez

What was MacFarland’s worst decision and Bednar’s worst decision since they were in office.

Aarif’s Response

MacFarland: The Byram trade. Mittelstadt wasn’t the guy to offload Byram for. With MacKinnon at 1C, the Avs always were better when someone like Ryan O’Reilly or Kadri played 2C — guys that play a strong two-way game, win faceoffs, and kill penalties. Mittelstadt isn’t that.

About a month before that trade, I went on a podcast with the guys at Guerilla Sports and said the Avs should find a way to use Byram as a the main piece to pry Joel Eriksson Ek out of Minnesota. That would’ve been a much better fit. (And yes I know, it takes two to tango and there are no guarantees that the Wild would’ve wanted to move him).

Bednar: I think overplaying Alexandar Georgiev in the regular season each of the past two seasons wasn’t great. But then again, it goes back to roster build and the lack of a true backup goalie.

Questions from QuaidHowser and avsfan1701

QuaidHowser: Do you think the Avs front office will ever understand that come playoff-time it’s better to have at least two or three big bruiser-type physical defenseman on their blueline as opposed to small, finesse guys like Samuel Girard & Sam Malinski who are easily worked by opposing forecheckers?

avsfan1701: How should they address the second and third defense lines? They seemed to be more ineffective and prone to errors during the postseason?

Aarif’s Response

I do think this is something that needs to be rectified this offseason. Girard is a wonderful player but I do think it’s time for him to move on. With Cale Makar and Devon Toews on the top pair, you need a bigger body playing the role of your No. 3 defenseman eating up big minutes.

It helps in the regular season and even more in the playoffs. I’m not sure who they could get, or what the market is for someone like Girard, but I do think it’s something they should look into. That way you have your top pair, and you have sam Malinski on the third pair. The other three defensemen should all be bigger bruisers (like Josh Manson, if he’s not dealt).

Question from Jenny

If we only look at the Avalanche team and not the opponent, who are the culprits of the elimination (forwards, defensemen, goaltender, coach, GM) and why?

Aarif’s Response

I love this question. That series was truly a game of inches and I think there’s plenty of blame to go around on Colorado’s side without even digging into the other team’s coaching or individual performances.

For me, the lack of adjustments on the power play rubbed me the wrong way. They should’ve elevated Valeri Nichushkin to the top unit. And him and Landeskog should’ve been parked in front of the net. It was stagnant and changes weren’t being made quick enough.

I thought Blackwood was great to start the series but a touch leaky in the later stages. But I’m not placing any blame on him. Jake Oettinger outplayed him but not by much.

Question from Michael

Since taking office, do you think MacFarland has done a good job and why?

Aarif’s Response

Let’s take a look at some of the successful moves he’s made.

He did a great job getting value for Alex Newhook. He basically turned him into Ross Colton and Mikhail Gulyeyev — a late first-round pick in 2023. If the Avs trade Colton this summer, I’m curious to see what they get for him too.

Also, the goaltending moves were excellent. Scott Wedgewood was a perfect addition for his role and they got him at a very low cost. And Blackwood for basically Kovalenko and a second-round pick? Sign me up. That’s a steal. I also like the Jonathan Drouin experiment and how that’s played out. I know he struggled in the postseason but he was a great help over the last two Landeskog-less seasons.

With that being said … Far too many misses offset the good he’s done. Many of which I’ve referenced in some of my responses above.

The post Avalanche Mailbag 1.0: Coaching, Management, & What Went Wrong in the Playoffs? appeared first on Colorado Hockey Now.

“I went through as a player as well. Sometimes things just aren’t going to go your way. I look at Cale (Makar). Like Cale played so well. He had as many chances in the playoffs as he did in the regular season on a per-game thing,” Sakic said. “It might have gotten blocked, great saves, just missing the net at times. Those things happen, but it doesn’t mean you don’t play well. Sometimes it is just not going your way. And it was bad timing for some guys. We just missed on some opportunities and we didn’t capitalize.”

The Avalanche’s former franchise forward said the most challenging aspect of the untimely ending was that management genuinely believed it had a strong contender. The numerous moves made during the season, including trading Mikko Rantanen more than a month before the trade deadline for Martin Necas, were to shore up a team to go deep into the postseason.

5 Takeaways: Sakic, MacFarland Discuss Disappointing End To Season

“It stings right now. Next year is going to come here and we’re going to have another competitive team that’s going to have the same goal in mind and try to win. Everybody’s frustrated. Everybody’s disappointed, just because we felt we were this close to moving on,” Sakic said.

Rantanen played a big part in knocking the Avs out in the first round. Several reporters asked GM Chris MacFarland and Sakic about trading him to the Carolina Hurricanes and how he ended up back in the Central Division.

“We heard after the fact he wasn’t planning on signing an extension with Carolina, that there was a possibility (he could move again). But … no. This stings not because Mikko was on the other side. It stings because we felt we were close. We did those deals because it was wide open, a lot of really good teams, equal teams. (We) wanted to put ourselves in a position to be one of those teams that had a legit shot to win the Stanley Cup,” Sakic said.

Watch Full Press Conference on Colorado Hockey Now’s YouTube Channel

Coming so close but failing to get past the first round raises several questions about what needs improvement. Management will need to make decisions on a few unrestricted free agents, including Brock Nelson, Jonathan Drouin, Joel Kiviranta, Jimmy Vesey, Ryan Lindgren, and Erik Johnson.

“We’ll look at our cap space, and we’ll look at our internal free agents and the external free agents, and see where the holes are, and see if the math works, and find out where we can improve the team. Our goal is always to improve the team next year …,” MacFarland said. “And we’ve got a lot of players that are coming back here, that are obviously good hockey players. So that’s for the next few months here to dial that in for sure.”

A positive from the short-lived playoff run was the return of the team’s captain, Gabriel Landeskog. Aside from that, the front office will have to find a new assistant coach to help the power play after firing Ray Bennett. They will have to face the same conundrum as it has in the last few seasons — who will be the No. 2 center? What other moves need to be made so they don’t just come close again? We’ll see what happens in the offseason.

The post What Went Wrong in Avs’ Shocking Early Postseason End? appeared first on Colorado Hockey Now.

This year looks a little bit different. The Avs bowed out in the first round after an epic Game 7 third-period collapse to the Dallas Stars. MacFarland held court to talk about how it all unfolded, but he was accompanied by team president Joe Sakic. That in itself was new. Sakic hasn’t spoken publicly in this manner since handing the reins over to MacFarland in 2022.

Given how things ended and the Mikko Rantanen saga, it was a good move for Sakic to also be there. MacFarland has spoken about Rantanen on multiple occassions.

Before diving into my five takeaways, I did want to note that MacFarland said the only notable injury was Ross Colton’s pulled groin. Others played with bumps and bruises but nothing worth mentioning. Simply, the Avs were beat by a better team.

No excuses from management.

“It wasn’t about the officiating at all. We just didn’t get it done,” MacFarland said. “We had three third-period leads, with 12 minutes to go and some crucial times where we had to come through, whether it was on special teams or whatever, to step on their throat early in the series and we didn’t do it.”

Added Sakic: “I went through as a player as well. Sometimes things just aren’t going to go your way. I look at Cale (Makar). Like Cale played so well. He had as many chances in the playoffs as he did in the regular season on a per-game thing. It might have gotten blocked, great saves, just missing the net at times. Those things happen, but it doesn’t mean you don’t play well. Sometimes it is just not going your way.

5 Takeaways

Ray Bennett Fired

Jared Bednar was given a full vote of confidence from the front office. But one of his longtime assistant coaches, Ray Bennett, was let go on Tuesday. Bennett has been on the Avs’ staff since 2017 and handled the power play.

The team has had a top 10 power play for several years but given how things unfolded in the postseason, it was time to move on. There’s no word yet on who will be hired to replace him, but they’ll have a full summer to find someone, although I doubt it takes that long.

I’ll write about some potential suitors soon.

Rantanen Trade? No Regrets. No Comments

This was expected. Neither MacFarland or Sakic were going to say anything different. Sakic reiterated what MacFarland told us back in January about the team’s lack of depth and making a tough decision to move on from a star player given the cap crunch.

But the part that stuck out to me was that neither would admit that it stung a little bit extra that Rantanen did what he did in that series. Neither was willing to comment on the trade that sent him from Carolina to Dallas or if they regretted not working with the superstar forward to ensure he signs in the Eastern Conference.

I know they saw my story and I still stand by it. It’s a fireable offense to let things play out the way they did. That opinion won’t change, even if MacFarland has a great offseason and rebuilds this team to a point where they can content again next year. And the reality is, he probably will.

Trading Rantanen is one thing. But finding out he wasn’t going to sign in Carolina at the same time as all of us is a bad look.

“We wanted to have him signed,” Sakic said. “I’m not going to go into details and talk about negotiations, but I know his agents. They know where they were at before the trade was made.”

Necas Extension Talks

Martin Necas is heading to the World Championships to play for Czech Republic. Him and Nathan MacKinnon will be the only two Avs players participating in the tournament.

I asked about getting a head start on the Necas negotiations — if the team is ready to sign him this summer a year before he becomes an unrestricted free agent or if they need to see more.

“In terms of any player, whether it’s Marty Necas or Parker Kelly, or anybody who’s got one year left and getting ahead of it type of thing, yeah, we’ll look at all that and try and see,” MacFarland said. “It takes takes two parties that have to want to get a deal done. We all know where the cap is going the following year. So we got to look at what those challenges are, and make those decisions.

“But when you have a year out, it’s not as pressing, obviously, if it’s a guy that’s up on June 30. But yes, we will look at all those things and see if we can make the puzzle pieces work and have those discussions like we do every year.”

I personally don’t think management should let this get to opening night without a contract. If they feel Necas is a long-term piece, get him signed by October. Don’t let this hang over your head like the Rantanen saga.

Landeskog’s Return is a Big Positive

Having Landeskog back and playing the way he did is one of the bright spots of an otherwise disappointing postseason. The most important part is, they can now plan to have him when building the roster. There isn’t this weirdness with accounting for his money while not knowing if or when he’ll play again.

The Avs are ultimately going into the offseason with all of their top four wingers under contract and healthy. They have Valeri Nichushkin, Artturi Lehkonen, Necas, and Landeskog all accounted for. They have a gaping hole at second line center and will look at bringing back Brock Nelson if he’s interested (I have my doubts that he stays).

But, they know Landeskog is back, he’s making $7 million, and is worth that cap hit. That’s a big, big positive.

Speaking of Landeskog, they also were asked about him not playing until Game 3 and said it was because of conditioning and ensuring he was up to speed and when he felt comfortable. I believe this.

I don’t buy for a second that they saved Landeskog for his return to be at Ball Arena. It’s the playoffs. If he and the coaching staff felt comfortable playing Game 1 or Game 2, he would’ve been in the lineup. Every extra day he had to practice and get up to speed at the NHL level helped.

Nabokov and Gulyeyev

These might be the only two high-pick prospects left in the Avalanche’s system that are worth following. Mikhail Gulyayev has one year remaining on his contract in the KHL and that was all MacFarland had to say about the possibility of him coming over to North America for the upcoming season.

As for the goalie, Ilya Nabokov, things are still up in the air.

“We have had discussions with Nabokov’s agent,” MacFarland said. “We’ll see if we can find (a deal). We would like to get something done there.”

Evan Rawal of the Gazette reported that Nabokov is taking his time to decide if he’d like to make the leap to North America.

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The head coach is remaining on board with full confidence from general manager Chris MacFarland and team president Joe Sakic. However, assistant coach Ray Bennett was let go by the organization on Tuesday.

The announcement was made at Tuesday afternoon’s season-ending press conference with MacFarland and Sakic

Bennett, who was hired in 2017 to join Bednar’s staff, was in charge of the power play. Colorado was ranked 14th out of 16 playoff teams on the man advantage.

When you look at how we lost, we just feel maybe a different voice should help,” Sakic said. “Our power plays have been top-10 over the last few years, but we feel the way things ended, maybe a different voice going into next year could help that.”

The Avs were 3-for-22 on the man advantage in their seven-game series against the Dallas Stars, and Nathan MacKinnon had all three of those goals. In a game of inches, every opportunity matters.

“But ultimately, execution, it comes from the players. Your top players,” Sakic said. “We have some of the top players in the world on our team. They’re the ones out there that need to execute. So it just ran dry at the wrong time. It’s tough to make a change. You don’t like to do that, but we feel moving forward, we’re hoping that a change of voice might help our power play going into next year.”

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Rantanen was sent to Carolina, and MacKinnon was left saddened.

“Really great friend. Nine years, 10 years together, won a Cup, obviously. It’s just sad,” MacKinnon told reporters following Saturday’s 3-1 loss to Boston. “I mean, I don’t know exactly what happened. I called Mikko pretty shortly after. We talked for close to 20 minutes.

“But yeah, it’s just unfortunate. Losing a great friend, great teammate. I’m gonna miss him.”

Rantanen was a pending unrestricted free agent and contract talks between his representation and the Avalanche’s front office were not going well. Kudos to the player for not letting it affect his play this season.

Things seemed to be shifting towards this over the past few weeks. But it doesn’t change the fact that it was still a shock.

MacKinnon compared it to Gabriel Landeskog’s negotiations in his pending UFA 2021 season. He always felt like things would get figured out.

“I’ve been asking him, like, is it, you know, it’s just tough, like, you don’t want to get in someone’s business,” MacKinnon said, referring to Rantanen’s negotiations with the team. “It’s just hard. I remember when Gabe didn’t sign, it went to the last hour, and he was up. So I just assumed it would be kind of the same thing.

“I never thought in a million years he’d leave. So, yeah, it just sucks.”

MacKinnon said the leadership group had to address the team following the trade. Landeskog, who is with the team on the road trip, led the way.

“Me and Cale spoke last night. Landy [too],” MacKinnon said. “A lot of the guys are just shocked. I mean, pretty crazy someone like that getting traded right now. He’s a big, big part of our team, our culture. I mean, he’s been here from the dog days in 16-17, all the way up to now, and helped grow this organization into a Stanley Cup winner and being a contender every season, he’s a big, big reason why, because of him.”

MacKinnon continued: “But, you know, that’s just one part of it. Mostly we spend time together off the ice, so that’s probably the part we’ll miss most. He’s goofy, just a great, great teammate, a great person.”

The Avs were trying to keep Rantanen below MacKinnon’s $12.6 million cap number. For many reasons.

For starters, they didn’t want another forward making more than MacKinnon, who is arguably one of the top two or three best skaters in the NHL. But they also needed to make sure they could later afford to sign Cale Makar to what’s expected to be another league-altering contract extension in about 18 months.

Did the internal cap matter for MacKinnon?

“I don’t care. I mean, I was making [$6.3 million] for a long time. I don’t know if I was top five on the team,” MacKinnon said. “Anyone who really knows me knows I really don’t care about money. It’s the last thing on my mind. And whoever’s up, I mean, if Cale is up, who knows, he’d get 20. So it is what it is.

“You have to talk to Joe and CMac. I want guys to get paid. I think he’s earned it. Mikko has earned a big payday. He scored 50, 100 points every season.”

Saddened but also curious, MacKinnon still isn’t entirely sure how this happened.

“Like I said, I don’t know exactly what happened. I’ll have to talk to Chris and Joe and Mikko, and I’m sure there are lots of sides to every story,” he said. “But I just know I’m going to miss him, and he’s such a great person. So it’s going to be tough.”

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

Colorado Hockey Now

Playing without Miles Wood, Oliver Kylington, Ivan Ivan, Valeri Nichushkin, Scott Wedgewood, and Samuel Girard, the Avalanche faced a team that was more injured than them. Sure, the number of injuries Colorado has is greater than Minnesota’s, but the Wild hosted the Avs without its top three defensemen Jared Spurgeon, Jonas Brodin, and Brock Faber, as well as top superstar forward Kirill Kaprizov.

Colorado isn’t often in a game where the more significant injuries are on the other side. But Jared Bednar’s club took advantage of the decimated Wild and came out with a big win.

Around the NHL

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: Sidney Crosby’s latest victim on the all-time points chart was none other than Avalanche legend Joe Sakic. Crosby had a goal and two assists to lead the Pens over Edmonton. Catch the game’s Report Card here, courtesy of Dan Kingerski.

Montreal Hockey Now: Jake Evans has become a hot commodity on the trade market but the Habs are also interested in keeping him if the contract makes sense. What kind of deal should the 28-year-old sign?

New Jersey Hockey Now: The Devils’ poor string of games continued with an OT loss to the struggling New York Rangers.

Detroit Hockey Now: Can’t win a lot of games if you aren’t shooting the puck. And with Todd McLellan at the helm, the Red Wings have learned that.

Boston Hockey Now: The Bruins sank to a new low on Thursday in their latest loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning.

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