Blink and the Colorado Avalanche will be starting their stretch run toward the NHL playoffs. Blink again, and the trade deadline will have come and gone.

For the players who aren’t out in Milan, the work has already begun. The Avalanche returned to practice Tuesday and will keep working until their season officially resumes Wednesday in Utah. Nine days after the Avalanche play the Mammoth, it will be trade deadline day March 7.

What does general manager Chris MacFarland have up his sleeve? Well, something. We know he’s not one to sit tight, despite the start to the season the Avalanche had. If anything, the stumble in January with a few players missing shows this team is not perfect and could use some additional depth down the stretch. It would seem unlikely that the Avalanche make anywhere near the splash this season at the deadline that they did last season, especially given their lack of trade assets, but MacFarland will no doubt look to improve his team.

What do they need and who might fit? Here are just a few names that would make sense for the Avalanche to look into.

Trade needs

Bottom-six forward – Ideally, MacFarland would be able to add another center, one that could push Jack Drury to the fourth line. Whether someone like that is available is still unclear, as the center market looks dry.

Depth defenseman – When healthy, Colorado’s top six on defense is as good as any in the NHL. After those six, the depth dries up pretty quickly. MacFarland would be wise to add at least one more defenseman, preferably one with some size, to better equip the Avalanche for a long playoff run.

Columbus Blue Jackets center Boone Jenner (38) in the first period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Potential trade targets

Centers Boone Jenner ($3.75M, pending UFA) and Charlie Coyle ($5.25M, pending UFA), Columbus Blue Jackets – No, the Avalanche wouldn’t trade for both, but in a market seriously lacking potential third-line centers, Columbus owns two of them. The problem? Before the break, the Blue Jackets were the hottest team in the NHL and have made a push for the playoffs. They might have little to no interest in selling because of that. Coyle struggled for the Avalanche in the postseason last year, so you have to wonder if they’d want to give that another shot. It’s worth noting Jenner has mostly played wing this season, but given his history of mostly playing down the middle, that likely isn’t something that would scare the Avalanche off.

Winger Ilya Mikheyev ($4.037M, pending UFA), Chicago Blackhawks – With Logan O’Connor’s status in question for the remainder of the season, the Avalanche could look to add a speedy winger to the bottom six. Mikheyev has consistently killed penalties in his career and has the speed to fit into Colorado’s system.

Center Sam Carrick ($1M, signed through 2026-27), New York Rangers – Wouldn’t be a flashy pickup by any means, but would add vital center depth for a postseason run. Despite not being the biggest guy, plays a heavy game and kills penalties.

Center Jason Dickinson ($4.25M, pending UFA), Chicago Blackhawks – Don’t expect much offense from Dickinson, but his underlying numbers are strong on a subpar Chicago team, and he’d be someone the Avalanche coaching staff could lean on to play some tough defensive minutes, perhaps lightening the load for a guy like Brock Nelson.

Center David Kampf ($1.1M, pending UFA), Vancouver Canucks – If another center is what the Avalanche are looking for, Kampf would be a low-cost, low-ceiling option. He played well at the Olympics for Czechia.

Winger Bobby McMann ($1.35M, pending UFA), Toronto Maple Leafs – Given his low cap hit and strong production (19 goals), may be a bit too costly for the Avalanche to add, but if they decided to load up on the wing, he’d look great on the third line.

Defenseman Urho Vaakanainen ($1.55M, signed through 2026-27), New York Rangers – A defenseman with decent size at 6-foot-2, 205 pounds. This would not be someone who would supplant anyone in the current top six, but rather a depth add that might be better suited for the postseason than a guy like Jack Ahcan.

Defenseman Brenden Dillon ($4M, signed through 2026-27), New Jersey Devils – The Devils are a mess. They’ve disappointed and a shake-up is needed. Dillon has another year left on his deal but would add some nastiness to the Avalanche blueline to help out Josh Manson in that department.

Defenseman Mario Ferraro ($3.25M, pending UFA), San Jose Sharks – The Avalanche have long been linked to Cale Makar’s old defensive partner from college. Ferraro is the type that would do anything for his team but his lack of puck skills may not make him a great fit for the Avalanche system. San Jose is still very much in the playoff hunt as well.

Defenseman Jamie Oleksiak ($4.6M, pending UFA), Seattle Kraken – The Kraken are in a playoff spot, making an Oleksiak move unlikely, but a gigantic defenseman that can skate would make a lot of sense for Colorado.

What I’m hearing

Although Martin Necas and Gabriel Landeskog are no longer in the Olympics, don’t expect them at Avalanche practice any time soon. They’ll likely get some time off to refuel for the stretch run. It wouldn’t be a surprise if they rested until Tuesday, right before the team flies to Utah. “The guys that all come back from the Olympics are going to be ready to continue playing,” Jared Bednar said Wednesday.

Logan O’Connor continued to skate during the break but doesn’t sound like he’s any closer to joining the team at practice. “I think he’s optimistic,” Bednar said. “We’re all optimistic that he can get back and play. It’s just a matter of how quickly this process comes along for him.” Bednar said he’s going through stages of his attempt to return to play, and he’s got some more stages to go.

What I’m seeing

Two defensemen I considered including as potential trade options are Logan Stanley and Simon Benoit. I didn’t because I’m not sure either would fit all that well with how the Avalanche like to play. Stanley, in particular, is someone I would try to avoid. He might be big and physical, but he was exposed badly a few years ago in the postseason when the Avalanche played the Jets. It’s easy to hit everything that moves when the other team always has the puck when you’re on the ice.

Pittsburgh’s fun season hitting a wall because Sidney Crosby got injured at the Olympics would be a major bummer. Fans deserve to see Crosby in the postseason one more time. The way his legs bent on that hit did not look good.

What I’m thinking

I don’t watch Detroit much these days, but Lucas Raymond…what a player. He had a heck of an Olympics and was the catalyst for everything Sweden did. Also, Erik Karlsson may be older and still a bit of a mess in his own end, but he can still play.

Hasn’t it been great to watch hockey without having gambling ads shoved down your throat every few minutes?