REPORT: Avalanche After Depth Scoring Via Trade

Just a few days after being mentioned as a team in the Patrick Kane sweepstakes, an NHL Insider has come out and stated that the Colorado Avalanche are after “depth scoring.”

On the latest episode of the 32 Thoughts Podcast, Elliotte Friedman had the following to say about the Avalanche…

“I think they’re looking for depth scoring. When I told you that before the pod, you said ‘they looked pretty good on Saturday night.’ I think they are looking for it. Lehkonen’s father told a Finnish paper it looks like a pretty significant injury, and he’s obviously a very, very critical and important player for them. I think they’re looking for depth scoring. I do. I think they’re just a little worried right now, you take a look at what you have to go through in the Western Conference. I know Vegas just had a really rough weekend losing to the state of Pennsylvania, but they’re still the best team, top to bottom, in terms of their depth, and I just think Colorado looks at them right now and says, in a seven game series, we’re going to have trouble matching up with them. That’s what they’re looking for. They make good deals, so I wouldn’t be surprised if they go out to find it.”

Now, as with everything, take this with a grain of salt. The Avalanche being after some depth scoring wouldn’t come as a huge surprise, but they run a right ship, so their true intentions are never really known. It’s worth noting that Friedman didn’t mention them when talking about Kane, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t in the mix. I would be surprised if that happened, but never say never.

The Lehkonen injury complicates things for Colorado. With no real timeline on his return, we don’t know how long the Avalanche will be without one of their most consistent forwards. Nikolai Kovalenko won’t be arriving until after the trade deadline, and Gabriel Landeskog playing in the playoffs seems like a stretch, so a depth forward makes sense.

As for who they could be after, that remains to be seen. The only names thrown around early in the season have been players with high cap hits that their teams are looking to dump. That’s not exactly the depth the Avalanche need. As the season goes on, the sellers will start to separate, and we’ll have a more clear idea of who might be available in a trade.

Stay tuned to CHN for all your Avalanche news.