Colorado Avalanche
Notebook: Is the Avalanche’s Front Office Running Low on Patience?
I’m going to make a habit of jotting down some notes throughout the week to share every Monday. Whether they’re thoughts that come to mind, interactions in the room, or anything else that sparks my interest.
For now, we’ll call it a notebook, but I’ll try to fancy up the name quite a bit as the season goes on. Anyway, let’s get into it.
The Avalanche don’t have patience for low-risk, high-reward signings anymore. And they shouldn’t.
Ever since Chris MacFarland was handed the keys to the front office, the Avs have tried time and time again to find the next hidden gem. It worked with Evan Rodrigues in 2022. But it didn’t quite have the same effect for Tomas Tatar the following year, albeit Jonathan Drouin ended up being a steal. You could even argue that Ryan Johansen was somewhat the same type of acquisition because of the uniqueness of the trade at the time. But his salary didn’t make it as easy to offload.
Anyway, this year Colorado handed out two contracts that fit the mold. Erik Brannstrom signed on July 2 and Oliver Kylington was a late offseason signing. After getting through training camp and preseason, neither had proven they belong. So instead of giving it a few weeks like they did with Tatar, the front office decided it was time to change things up.
Brannstrom was dealt before his Avalanche career even began. And John Ludvig was picked up off waivers to fill his role. I still wonder what the plan is for Kylington. I’ve said since the beginning of training camp that he has the higher upside of the two. But, upside doesn’t do much for you if you fail to earn the coach’s trust.
I’m not sure if I’ve ever seen something like this play out. A team signs an unrestricted free agent on the second day of free agency and trades him before opening night.
They’re fed up. If you don’t earn a spot — if you don’t play well in camp — you’re not making the roster simply because you were an offseason addition. The team soured on him and he’s now in the Vancouver Canucks organization and on waivers.
Miles Wood: It’s been an up-and-down camp for the second-year Avs forward. He hasn’t quite looked as strong as a player with familiarity should. But, despite everything I’ve written about and the comments head coach Bednar indirectly made about him, I still think he’ll get the first look with Logan O’Connor and Ross Colton. Let’s see what he does with it.
Casey Mittelstadt: The Avs are practicing at Ball Arena on Monday and following the skate, I’ll be recording an exclusive 1-on-1 video interview with Casey Mittelstadt for Rinkside with Aarif Deen — my podcast at Mile High Sports. Excited to get to know him a little bit better and share the interview with all of you.
One thing I’m most interested in asking him about is Valeri Nichushkin. Mittelstadt is the only main piece that wasn’t around in 2023 but became a big part of the team in 2024 during Nichushkin’s second playoff suspension. How was that entire experience from his point of view? Is it easier for him to forgive and forget given he’s only been through one playoff absence? I really hope he opens up a little bit about all of this.
Goaltending: I am genuinely curious how the goaltending situation plays out for the Avs this year. There is a very possible scenario where Alexandar Georgiev looks more like the 2023 version of himself and Justus Annunen fills in admirably as a backup you could trust with 25-28 games.
But there’s also a scenario where Georgiev unravels again like he did at times last year and Annunen isn’t cut out for the backup role. Then you’re back to where you were a year ago — with a starter you’re not sure you could trust and a backup you have no confidence in playing. I’m not sure I’m ready for another season of goaltending trade speculation.
Whichever way this goes could determine a lot for Colorado this season.
Patrick Roy: Speaking of goalies, I was reminded after taking a glance at the schedule that Patrick Roy and the New York Islanders are in town on Oct. 14. It’s just the second home game of the season. I couldn’t be more excited to see what Roy’s post-morning skate media availability looks like. I don’t believe he has been in the building since he resigned from his role as head coach eight years ago. He’s always been a great quote and I expect no different this time around.
Samuel Fagemo: You might be reading this after the waiver transactions were announced for the day. But I still believe the Avs are going to add a 13th forward via the waiver wire at noon MT on Monday. Some of the names on the list are quite interesting, most notably Samuel Fagemo from the L.A. Kings. The 24-year-old is a pure goal scorer who had 43 goals in just 50 AHL games last year. He finished second in goals and one back of the leader despite playing 20 fewer games than everyone around him.
Will that automatically translate to the NHL? Of course not. But if there was someone that fits the bill as a low-risk, high-reward pick-up, that’s the guy that sticks out to me.
Jakob Pelletier: Or how about Jakob Pelletier, who the Calgary Flames drafted in the first round in 2019? The forward has been passed by Adam Klapka and Sam Honzek on the depth chart after struggling in camp and preseason. He’s on waivers and Flames GM Craig Conroy is loathing the fact that he might lose him for nothing.