Are the Colorado Avalanche Good Enough to Make a Deep Playoff Run Next Season?
The Colorado Avalanche have had a very busy off season as they seek to get beyond the first round of the playoffs. Chris Meli of Locked on Avalanche joins us to discuss that and whether this team is better or not. Coming up next on today’s Locked on NHL podcast. Your Locked On NHL, your daily podcast on the National Hockey League, part of the Locked On podcast network, your team every day. Gil Martin here. Welcome everybody to the Monday edition of the Locked On NHL podcast, part of the Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day. I want to thank everyone who makes Locked on NHL your first listen every day. Don’t forget to subscribe on YouTube or wherever you listen to podcasts so you never miss an episode. Today’s episode is brought to you by FanDuel right now. New FanDuel customers can get $150 in bonus bets if your first $5 bet wins. It is my pleasure to welcome back to the show the host of Locked On Avalanche, Chris Meli. And uh Chris, it’s been a very busy off season for the ABS. lot of changes, new additions, some of it focusing on the blue line. Talk to me about the new players and how they fit in. Well, I it’s interesting that you say it’s been busy. It’s been busy of of things going out and not necessarily coming in. Uh it it’s been kind of a just a slowm moving off season so far for the but still an an entertaining and interesting one. Um, you know, their big signing so far has been Brent Burns. Yeah. A 40-year-old defenseman. They signed for $1 million. That’s that’s the excitement part of free agency when it when it comes to the Avalanche. But it is, you know, it is kind of an exciting signing. I I would say, you know, just because of the name, uh, the character that he is. Um, that’s all well and good, but what he could potentially bring to the Avalanche is something that they’ve been been longing for for quite a while, and that’s size. Um, he’s he’s a beast of a man, right? So, they up until now, they had Josh Manson, and that was really it for for what their muscle would be. Um, but they don’t play that style of we’re going to go out and just beat the snot out of you. Uh, but it would be nice to have guys that just are kind of like protectors. And Brent Burns is not a guy like he he’s not throwing his weight around anymore. He’s 40 years old. Like, you know, if he does that, he could break a hip. We don’t we don’t want that happening. So, but but he’s an imposing figure, right? If if people start messing with, you know, the superstars, he’s got no problem getting in. So, they just wanted guys like that. And he has an offensive touch for the size that he is. So, um, in in that aspect, uh, that’s really been it. And that’s an okay signing. It’s not going to, you know, uh, break uh, break the earth. It’s not going to, you know, there’s there’s really nothing other than just like, okay, good, good signing. Good signing. Okay. Where things are better is like, you know, they’ve got some extensions. I mentioned Josh Manson. They just extended him um, two years and he’s making 4.5 going into this year. And then, uh, after that, they got him for two more years. They brought him down to 3.9. Again, not a terrible move the with the salary cap going up uh and his number coming down. I think that’s a pretty good bit of business there for what he can provide for you. So, uh and then we’ll get to the Brock Nelson one in a minute because he was obviously signed. But, so it’s been it’s been okay moves and moves that you understand. Uh, did the Avalanche do anything, you know, bring in any big names? Nope. And we still have a long way to go in the offseason because they they do have some cap space and some cap flexibility. And I think that was the thing a lot of people when they moved out Coyle um and Miles Wood in that deal to Columbus that freed up some much neededed cap space. So I think people had the mindset of like uh oh, the Avalanche are going to be players here in some capacity. It’s not like they had Anaheim Mighty Ducks money, but they had some money to do something with and they really didn’t use it. That doesn’t mean they won’t. Uh, but they just didn’t right off the bat of free agency. Let’s talk about the Brock Nelson extension. I know it’s been controversial to some fans. Uh, what is your take on it and how do you see Brock Nelson fitting into this lineup? The 2C position has been something the Avalanche have been trying to shore up for years since Nasam Kadri left for for years and it whatever they the solution they thought they had just has not worked. Um and I think Brock Nelson is as much of a sure thing at that position uh than they’ve than they’ve ever had since since Kadri. Um I the the number that he signed for 7.5 was the AAV for three years. I think that is the the sticking point for some of the fan base. They’re not too thrilled with that. Is it an overpay? I maybe by a little bit. I don’t think it’s an overpay by like millions of dollars where you you know you could have got something somewhere else for a little bit cheaper. So, and I think it’s I think it’s like the the the number um I think it’s the what Nelson did when he came over to the Avalanche in a short amount of time. It was good, not great. Uh but I I think it’s tough for a guy who’s played with one team for as long as he did to come over on a trade deadline and then just set the world on fire. I mean, some guys are able to do that. I think Brock Nelson fine, but I do feel like with an off season uh in Colorado now he’s got that that extension and going into a full year with the team. I I have zero pro. I think he will be just fine. And I think the third kind of cog in this wheel for Avalanche fans is like I mentioned before because they’ve gone through so many two C’s. I think Avalanche fans are are tired of saying like, “Yep, this is our guy.” And then it doesn’t work out. This is our guy and then it doesn’t work out. So, I think they want some to see Brock Nelson really be like, you don’t have to worry about this position anymore before as fans are like, “Okay, we’re we’re buying in.” So, I think it’s those three things are kind of keeping fans from getting too excited about it. But, personally, it’s nice. I I feel like you don’t have to worry about the 2C problem right now for three years, which is a nice nice little nonpro to have. Yeah. fans, I guess, once bitten, twice shy. So, yeah. I mean, no doubt. You you talked about cap space being available. What needs to still be done for this team this off season? And could it wait until we get closer to the trade deadline? Uh, the ABS are usually pretty active in the trade deadline. Um, but they’re also pretty or I say active, not like they’re making moves every day, but later in the off season they that’s when they typically will go and pluck some guys that haven’t signed yet um in free agency or make a trade or something like that. So, what they need is it’s funny because I feel like we’ve just moved the problem that we had at 2C and moved that down to the 3C. So it it could be, you know, because you got rid of Charlie Coyle who was going to be your 3C and right now it’s it’s what you that that kind of revolving door and we’ll just throw something in there, see what works. Um I feel like that’s the 3C problem right now. You could put Ross Colton in there if you wanted to. Um you could move up Jack Drury if you wanted to. Uh, but I that I that is if you move Drury up there, you’re kind of giving him more of a role than he’s ever really had, right? And do you want to do you want to take that chance? Who knows? We’ll we’ll see. But they need right now they need depth. Their top six is set. They they have a dangerous dangerous top six. Um they have good players in their bottom six, but they need to fill it out. They need to to flesh it out more. Um, you know, a guy like Yo Kivir, who had a really good season for them last year, he’s still a free agent. He hasn’t signed with anybody yet. I I you know, that could be one of those guys as the weeks go on into this off season. Maybe they bring him back. I’m sure he’s out there trying to capitalize on the season that he had last year. Not that he’s going to make $45 million next year, but because he had a really good season in a contract year, uh he’s probably testing to see if he can get the most money. Um and then kind of weigh it against is it as good as an opportunity as I can play in in Colorado. So moves like that, um well, you know, they lost Jonathan Drew to to you guys, right? Um so they there are some some holes to fill in in the bottom six. Uh, and I think that’s kind of where they have to kind of keep their their mindset for for the rest of the offseason. Any particular candidates that you think stand out right now? Um, I like Russellic. I I think he and he was one of the guys on on my list of free agency that um I I think would be a good good fit. And I should say my my list that I did have was getting crossed off very quickly as free agency was going on and the Az were nowhere near any of these players. He’s the last one remaining on my list. Uh, so I think he would be good. I I mentioned Kibby Ra. I think bringing him back would be good. I was okay if they were going to bring back Drew. I think Drew lost a lot of a lot of favor with the fan base. Maybe I think the guys want to bring him back. I they weren’t going to touch what what the Islanders paid for him. So um because they do have to be a little bit frugal with their money. So I don’t they couldn’t have gone that high. Um, but yeah, I think if you can bring Kivy Ra back and I think you can get a guy like Roselovic there, um, then you have Logan Oconor who will start the season injured. He’s going to miss about the first week or excuse me, first month, month and a half of the season. Um, you have Drury, you have Parker Kelly down there. So, you have good players down there. It’s just you do need those one or two other guys to to solidify everything because your defense is is good. They could be making moves on defense, too. don’t they they they they like what they have, but there could be a move coming where maybe a guy like Sam Gerard could be on the way out if it happens. Okay. If it doesn’t happen, I think they like Sammy G and and he’ll be with them for the year. All right, Chris, why don’t you tell our viewers and our listeners where they could find the podcast and where they could find you on social media. Yeah, podcast anywhere you listen to uh podcast. Follow along there. over on social media on Twitter X. It’s uh lopn_valanche and of course on our uh uh YouTube channel. Subscribe to that as well. All right, Chris, thanks so much. Anytime. Yo, today’s episode is brought to you by Indeed. You just realized your business needed to hire someone yesterday. How can you find amazing candidates fast? Easy. Just use Indeed. When it comes to hiring, Indeed is all you need. Stop struggling to get your job post seen on other sites. Indeed sponsored jobs puts your post at the top of the page and helps you reach the right candidates faster. I’ve been in that spot when you need to hire like yesterday. The pressure is on and every day without the right person is a setback. That’s exactly where Indeed sponsored jobs come in handy. They make sure that your post is seen by the right candidates right now. Now you can speed up your hiring process with a $75 sponsored job credit. 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The Colorado Avalanche have made some moves to improve the team but they probably aren’t done just yet.
Chris Micieli of Locked On Avalanche joins us to discuss the Avs offseason, where they improved and what it will take to get the team back for a long playoff run.
All this and more on today’s Locked On NHL Podcast with Gil Martin.
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1 comment
The Dallas Stars have had the Avalanche’s number the past couple of years in the playoffs.