WHAT COLORADO AVALANCHE SHOULD DO IN FREE AGENCY

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.

Fantasy Hockey Forwards to Trade For

Here is a list of Players who you should consider trading for in Fantasy Hockey. Tage Thompson Tage Thompson had very high expectations of him heading into this season but has been a massive disappointment to this point in the season with only 7 goals, 8 assists, 4 PPP, 60 SOG, and 99 FW. Thompson has been better after coming back from injury and you would think that he is going to eventually start putting points in bunches. Because of how bad Thompson's statline is this season. it would be a good idea to trade for him because you may not have to give up a lot in return. Elias Lindholm Elias Lindholm is another player who has had a slow start to the season with only 7 goals, 10 assists, 3 PPP, 68 SOG, and 297 FW so far this season. Lindholm is definitely going to want to play better if he wants to increase his value for his next contract and also showcase himself for a trade at the deadline. If Lindholm gets dealt to a contending team, his fantasy value would drastically improve b

TIPS FOR DECIDING WHO TO KEEP FOR KEEPER/DYNASTY LEAGUES

Keeper fantasy leagues are a variation of traditional fantasy sports leagues where participants are allowed to keep a certain number of players from their previous season's roster onto their team for the upcoming season. The number of players that can be kept, as well as the specific rules regarding keeping players, vary from league to league and are typically determined by the league commissioner or by a set of agreed-upon rules among league members. In a keeper league, the kept players usually come with a cost, such as forfeiting a specific draft pick in the upcoming draft or having to pay a predetermined fee. This adds a strategic element to the game, as managers must decide which players to keep based on their performance, potential, and value relative to the cost of keeping them. Keeper leagues often provide a deeper level of engagement and strategy compared to standard fantasy leagues because managers need to consider long-term player development and roster management beyond

FANTASY HOCKEY WAIVER WIRE PLAYERS TO PICKUP

Here are some players you should pickup in Fantasy Hockey, sorted by position. Center Colton Sissons Colton Sissons is one of the best 4th line centers in the league, but in fantasy hockey, he could be even more valuable than he actually is in real life because of what he provides in the peripheral categories. So far this season Sissions has 5 goals, 1 PPP, 1 SHP, 12 PIM, 20 SOG, 89 FW, 15 hits, and 9 blocks. This is a terrific stat line and although you can't count on Sissons scoring a ton, he will fill out the FW, Hits, and blocks usually. Sissons is owned in 6% of fantasy leagues, snag him up while you can. Nick Bjugstad Nick Bjugstad is having an excellent year so far with the Arizona Coyotes, in fact he has played so well that he earned himself a promotion to play on the 2nd line along with Mattias Maccelli and Lawson Crouse. Bjugstad also gets time on Arizona's 2nd PP unit and 2nd PK unit. Bjugstad may not be a name who stands out to casuals, but his fantasy stat line is

Hockeywiztalks Hockey Blog

Search This Blog

Fanatics Jersey