Question From Uscdynasty1983<\/p>\n
I want your thoughts on the compensation given up for both Nazem Kadri & Nic Roy. Are you surprised that Ross Colton wasn\u2019t traded?<\/p>\n
Aarif\u2019s Response<\/p>\n
Starting with the trades, I\u2019m very pleased with what the Avalanche gave up to get Kadri. Max Curran was a fourth-round pick just a couple of years ago. He may develop into a full-time NHLer, but it might not be anytime soon. The Avs are in win-now mode. Victor Olofsson always felt like someone the Avs could trade at the deadline to improve, so I have no issues there. I actually like that they signed him to use until now rather than making random AHL call-ups all season.<\/p>\n
As for the draft picks, I don\u2019t mind trading late first-round picks if it\u2019s for something that could seriously help your lineup. This now applies to both Kadri and Roy. They gave up both a first and a second for Kadri and got him for a reasonable $5.6 million for three more years after this. They also gave up a first and third for Roy, who comes in at just $3 million for this year and next. Given where some of the contracts are going, I\u2019d take both of these all day (don\u2019t forget, Alex Wennberg just got $6 million long term, while Christian Dvorak got $5.15 million for five more years).<\/p>\n
Both moves, combined, get graded with a nice shiny A from me. And I think part of the reason why they did so well is that they didn\u2019t have to trade Colton or even Jack Drury. Those guys might get moved eventually, but you can recoup some of the assets you lost in the Roy and Kadri deals if or when that happens. So to answer that second part, I am kind of surprised Colton didn\u2019t get moved. <\/p>\n
With Roy, Kadri, and Drury as center options (with winger flexibility) behind Nathan MacKinnon and Brock Nelson, this is far and away the best situation for Colton to be as effective as he could be. So I\u2019m also excited to see what he can do for a playoff run. Hopefully, he stays healthy and doesn\u2019t miss most of it like he unfortunately did last year.<\/p>\n
Question From Spencer Frank<\/p>\n
Assuming full health, what is your predicted lineup for the first playoff game?<\/p>\n
Aarif\u2019s Response<\/p>\n
It\u2019s very easy to just create a third line of Colton, Kadri, and Roy. And that would be totally fine with me. But I also like what Jared Bednar said on Altitude Sports Radio earlier this week about spreading the wealth. Here\u2019s what he basically threw out there:<\/p>\n
Gabriel Landeskog \u2014 Nathan MacKinnon \u2014 Martin Necas
Ross Colton \u2014 Brock Nelson \u2014 Valeri Nichushkin
Artturi Lehkonen \u2014 Nazem Kadri \u2014 Nicolas Roy
Parker Kelly \u2014 Jack Drury \u2014 Logan O\u2019Connor
Extras: Kiviranta, Bardakov, & Brindley<\/p>\n
What I love most about this lineup is that it gives you three insanely dangerous lines. And because of the winger flexibility with both Roy and Kadri, you can adjust in many different ways throughout a game. For example, if that second line isn\u2019t going, you can easily swap Colton and Lehkonen. But you can also swap Kadri with Colton, and shift Roy to center a third line with Colton and Lehkonen. <\/p>\n
The same goes for Landeskog and Necas. If one of them gets demoted or hurt, you can throw Lehkonen or Kadri up there. Or you can keep them both on the third line and put Roy up there. They have an insane amount of options because they now have four very strong centermen on the top three lines. And realistically, you can see any one of them playing the wing (even though I can\u2019t see MacKinnon shifting over because the others would instead).<\/p>\n
On defense, I\u2019d predict the obvious.<\/p>\n
Devon Toews \u2014 Cale Makar
Josh Manson \u2014 Brent Burns
Brett Kulak \u2014 Sam Malinski
Extra: Nick Blankenburg<\/p>\n
Question from ColJack<\/p>\n
What is the comparative strength of schedule remaining for Colorado, Dallas, and Minnesota?<\/p>\n
Aarif\u2019s Response<\/p>\n
Right now, the Avs have the 29th toughest schedule, or the fourth easiest. Meanwhile, the Dallas Stars have the fifth toughest, and the Minnesota Wild are tied for 24th. This is a large part of why I\u2019m still not concerned about Dallas getting close in the standings (although that could change within a week).<\/p>\n