The Colorado Avalanche got eliminated in the second round of the playoffs, so they will certainly be active in free agency to bolster their roster, in an attempt to build a championship roster.
Heading into the Free Agency period, the Colorado Avalanche has about 25.5 million in cap space to spend, but before going out and signing new players, they will need to take care of some of their own free agents.
Colorado has 9 UFAs; notable UFAs include Gabriel Landeskog, Philipp Grubauer, Brandon Saad, Pierre Eduoard-Bellemare, Devan Dubnyk, Matt Calvert and Patrik Nemeth. The Avs also have 3 RFAs; notable RFAs include Cale Makar and Tyson Jost.
Devan Dubnyk, Matt Calvert, Patrik Nemeth don't get re-signed, so they walk to free agency.
The top two UFAs that Colorado needs to re-sign are Gabriel Landeskog and Philipp Grubauer. Landeskog is the Captain of the team, so he should be the first priority; the Avs should pay Landeskog anywhere from 6-8 million for a long-term contract. Landeskog is re-signed to a 7-year deal worth 6.5 million per season.
Philipp Grubauer just had a career year and is looking to cash in right now, while it is important for the Avalanche to retain him, they shouldn't overpay for him because he is 29 and has a history of injury issues. Because of this reason, the Avalanche should let Grubauer walk and sign another goalie in free agency.
Colorado would also like to bring back Brandon Saad too, but it would have to be for a cheaper contract. For the sake of this scenario, I am going to say that Colorado doesn't bring back Saad because they won't be able to afford him, so Saad will become a UFA, and the Avalanche will need to find cheaper options in free agency.
In regards to the RFAs, both players are likely to get re-signed, it's just a matter of if it's a long-term contract or a short-term contract. Makar's contract in particular is the one that should have the team worried because if he is to get a long-term contract, and could take anywhere from 8-10 million per season. It would be a smart idea to get Makar locked up long-term now rather than sign a bridge contract because he has gotten better every year.
Cale Makar is re-signed to an 8-year deal worth 8.8 million per season.
Tyson Jost is re-signed to a 3 yr deal worth 3.1 million per season.
This is a good deal for a forward who plays all three forward positions and plays in all situations.
After the Landeskog, Makar, and Jost signings, the Avalanche only has about 7.1 million in cap space left, so they need to make trades to fill out their team.
Colorado Avalanche trade Andrei Burakovsky to the St.Louis Blues for Zach Sanford, 2022 2nd round pick.
The Avalanche dump Burakovsky's contract, and free up 4.9 million in cap space, while the Blues get a top 6 forward while playoff experience.
The Avalanche also trade Nazem Kadri to the Florida Panthers for Alexander Wennberg, Chris Driedger, 2021 2nd round pick.
Nazem Kadri is due to be a free agent in 2022 and he is being paid 4.5 million for the 2021-22 season, so this trade frees up another 4.5 million in cap space.
Colorado Avalanche re-sign a few players:
Chris Dreidger-3yrs/2.8M per
Alexander Wennberg-3yrs/2.65M per
Zach Sanford-3yrs/1.75M per
Entering Free Agency, the Avalanche have 8.6 million in cap space, but that will quickly evaporate as they need to acquire a goalie and some depth forwards.
Free Agent Signings:
Jaroslav Halak-2yrs/2M per
Alex Galchenyuk-1yr/1.1M
Derick Brassard-1yr/1M
Zach Bogosian-1yr/1M
Corey Perry-1yr/700k
Jaroslav Halak is a solid veteran backup, who would be a solid tandem in goal with Chris Driedger. Erik Haula, Corey Perry, and Derick Brassard are depth forwards that will be important come playoff time, and Zach Bogosian is a veteran defenseman with a Stanley Cup pedigree.
This is how the Colorado Avalanche looks like after free agency:
2021-22 Colorado Avalanche
T.Jost-N.MacKinnon-M.Rantanen
G.Landeskog-A.Newhook-J.Donskoi
V.Nichushkin-A.Wennberg-JT.Compher
Z.Sanford-D.Brassard-C.Perry
D.Toews-C.Makar
R.Graves-S.Girard
B.Byram-Z.Bogosian
C.Dreidger
J.Halak
Spares/IR: A.Galchenyuk, E.Johnson, P.Francouz
The Colorado Avalanche looks like a more balanced team with better depth in their bottom 6, this should help them out come playoff time.
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