Deen's Notebook
Notebook: Avalanche Should Focus Efforts on Upgrading Defense

Now that J.T. Miller is off the board, there aren’t many top-six centers with term that make sense for the Avs to acquire before the March 7 trade deadline. At least not ones who are readily available (unless the Avs go completely off the board).
The offense still needs an upgrade. Even with Valeri Nichushkin’s return, you only have 13 playable forwards who you could trust in the playoffs. The problem is, at least three or four of them should feel a little uncomfortable about having a permanent spot in the lineup. They need depth. Bringing in a middle-six forward and perhaps even a bottom-six forward would provide more options. (I’m still keeping my eye on Brad Marchand as a rental).
It’s also worth noting that the early returns on Martin Necas make it easier to stomach the loss of Mikko Rantanen. He might not be as perfect of a fit as No. 96 was, but he can get close to that over time.
With all of that being said, the main focus for general manager Chris MacFarland should shift towards upgrading the blueline. Aside from the top three, you could argue that Colorado has three blueliners being miscast in the wrong role.
Josh Manson is playing the right side on the second pair. But like in 2022 when Erik Johnson was downgraded to the third pair when Manson arrived, the Avs need to make a second-pair right-shot defenseman their top priority, which would push Manson down the lineup. And preferably someone with term or team control to grab that spot moving forward.
Playing a few minutes less per night could help Manson increase his effectiveness. Especially given the hand injury he’s been playing with for most of the season.
But that’s not all.
Colorado badly needs to upgrade the third pair. That’s been one of the more obvious deficiencies of their roster all season. Manson is a good start. But acquiring a lefty to play with him should be next on the list.
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Between the two acquisitions, Colorado would get an upgrade on both Keaton Middleton and Sam Malinksi (and of course, Calvin de Haan). But in the process, they’d also be putting Manson in a better role and ideally acquiring another minute-munching defenseman for Samuel Girard to play with.
Middleton deserves to stick around as one of the extras. I truly believe he’s earned it.
If it were up to me, the righty should be a player with term, and the lefty on the third pair a rental. I wrote about Seth Jones in my last Avalanche Trade Board. He’d be an ideal fit (with salary retained) for the second pair.
I’m curious to see what MacFarland and company prioritize. But one thing’s for certain, I still expect a lot of movement from Colorado similar to last year’s wave of trades before the final push towards the playoffs.
Colton’s Lack of Offensive Production
I’ve spent most of the season talking about Ross Colton’s fit with the club. He started the year as the third-line center before shifting to the wing when the team was mired with injuries early on. That seemed like a great fit at the time and his production was proving exactly that.
But since returning from injury on Dec. 7, things have run dry for the 28-year-old. Colton has five goals and two assists for just seven points in 27 games since then. That’s basically one-third of a season where he’s produced at a 21-point pace.
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It’s a shame the injury happened when it did. It felt like he was finally finding his groove and the production while playing on the wing made it an easy decision to keep him there. But at this point, is it time to try him at center again? Colorado just acquired Jack Drury and both Jared Bednar and MacFarland have referred to him as a third-line center.
I’m not sure where Colton plays the rest of the season. It’s something I’ll certainly keep my eye on. But wherever it is, the production has to be better.