Avalanche Offseason
What the Avs Were Reportedly Planning If They Had Landed Jonathan Toews

The Avalanche were very serious about their pursuit for Jonathan Toews. The former Chicago Blackhawks captain ended up signing a one-year bonus laden contract with his hometown Winnipeg Jets earlier in the week. But Colorado was reportedly the runner-up, according to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic and TSN.
“The Avs are trying to find their way back to another Stanley Cup, and adding Toews to that talented mix would have put him in a position where he didn’t have to lead but could find a way to become impactful,” LeBrun wrote. “Colorado was seriously interested, had a chance to talk with Toews and felt it had a good role for him.”
On a team that already has Nathan MacKinnon, Brock Nelson, Charlie Coyle, and Jack Drury lining up down the middle, the role for Toews seemed somewhat mystifying on this current iteration of the Avs. He’s always played center, and general Manager Chris MacFarland went out of his way to lock up Brock Nelson just a few weeks ago.
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But LeBrun had more thoughts about the role for Toews in Colorado, as he noted that Coyle could’ve easily slid to the wing.
In that scenario, it says that the Avalanche were basically trying to bring Toews in to be the third-line center.
I went back and forth several times about whether I felt Toews could be a good fit before the Jets landed him. But I always felt he would be the one shifting to the wing and providing added depth and a veteran presence similar to that of Zach Parise in 2024. But it doesn’t seem like he’s looking to play that limited a role.
Toews feels like he has something to give for a Stanley Cup contending team, and the Avs were trying really hard to make it happen.
I wrote yesterday about the thought of Coyle being shopped, given the lack of centers on the market. But this Toews story suggests that Colorado is thinking differently. The team wants center depth. Since 2022, it feels like they’ve only ever had two good centers at any given time. Now, with Parker Kelly on the fourth line wing, they have five. Adding Toews would’ve given them six center options, with Coyle also shifting to the right wing.
You can never have too many centermen, and Colorado’s front office is very much aware of that.