Deen's Daily
Deen’s Daily: Ehlers Heads East; Burns Itching For a Stanley Cup; Trades Coming?
The Hurricanes won the last big UFA sweepstakes. The newest Avs defenseman met with media. Also, will the trade market finally kick back up?
All that and more on this edition of Deen’s Daily — July 4.
Colorado Hockey Now
The Avalanche officially lost the Nikolaj Ehlers sweepstakes.
He’s on his way to the Carolina Hurricanes after signing a six-year, $8.5 million AAV contract.
So, if I have this right, the Canes are now going to have $14.5 million against the cap for Logan Stankoven and Ehlers. That’s a bit more than what they were offering Mikko Rantanen before he was sent to Dallas.
What else do the Avs have in mind? Well, we can’t really answer that right now. But Chris MacFarland made it very clear that they’re not done. He’s looking at trade options, keeping tabs on some depth UFA options, and might even circle back with Joel Kiviranta or Erik Johnson.
That logjam on the right side of the blueline is certainly something to keep an eye on. And of course, remaking the third line at forward.
READ MORE: ‘There’s One Big Goal Still’: Burns is Excited to Join Avs
Brent Burns met with media via Zoom on Thursday morning. One of the reasons why he’s still playing and chose the Avalanche as his next destination is exactly what you think.
He wants to win a Stanley Cup.
My colleague Colleen Flynn covered that and other topics from his presser in the story linked above.
Also, you can read my Deen’s View piece below. It’s behind the paywall and covers all my thoughts on what the Burns signing means for the rest of the lineup.
Methinks at least one, if not two other blueliners will be dealt this summer. MacFarland tends to keep us on our toes. So sit tight and enjoy the ride.
READ MORE: Deen’s View: At 40, Burns Isn’t Done Yet — But Where Does He Fit on Colorado’s Blue Line? (+)
Around The NHL
Montreal Hockey Now: The Habs’ blueline is going to look a lot different with Noah Dobson. Here’s a very early roster projection on the back end.
Detroit Hockey Now: Steve Yzerman fought the urge to overpay in free agency for once. But that doesn’t necessarily mean his offseason is done
Boston Hockey Now: So, the Bruins did a lot this week. I’m not sure how much of it actually helps but here we are. Our fine folks at Boston Hockey Now try to make sense of their new depth chart.
Deen’s Daily: Decentralized Draft is Staying; Kovalenko’s NHL Stint Ends
Former Avalanche Forward Is Heading Back to the KHL
Deen’s Daily: What Are the Avs Doing at 3C?; Sharks Add 2 Veterans
7 Trade Targets That Could Solve the Avalanche’s 3C Hole (+)
Deen’s Daily: Manson Re-Signs; Dallas Dumps Dumba — RHD Always Have Value
Avalanche UFA Board: Bottom Six Depth Options Remain on The Market
‘There’s One Big Goal Still’: Burns is Excited to Join Avs
Deen’s View: At 40, Burns Isn’t Done Yet — But Where Does He Fit on Colorado’s Blue Line? (+)
Report: Avalanche Used Charlie Coyle to Solve Their Miles Wood Problem
Deen’s Daily: Ehlers Heads East; Burns Itching For a Stanley Cup; Trades Coming?
Reading that MHN article, it’s clear the Habs have a weak spot that the Avs could help with: right-shot defensemen. So how about Manson for Matheson straight up?
I’d rather have someone like Struble; he’s a straight-up 3rd-pair guy that plays hard-nosed, is young enough to keep around for a while and would be cheaper than Matheson.
I like Struble a lot. His underlying numbers are really strong too. He’s the perfect blend of eye test and analytics. I agree that he’s a bottom pairing guy currently, but there’s room for growth.
Struble would work. Just threw out Matheson as the more known/experienced d-man.
Manson, along with Girard and Colton, has a modified No Trade Clause. Not sure Manson would want to go to Montreal. Maybe Manson to Seattle for Oleksiak. Basically the same cap hit, but puts a big LD on the 3rd Pair with Malinski and allows Burns to go to the 2nd Pair.
I don’t get the hurricanes logic, how does Ehlers make them better? Or tougher to play against in the playoffs. I’m sure the Panthers who have annihilated them 2 out of the past 3 years in the ECF. Are sitting there this 4th of July weekend losing sleep over the thought of 170 lb Nikolaj Ehlers meekly skating in the offensive zone against them as to avoid contact lol.
Tulsky, Dubas & (I could name one more!) aren’t doing the pro analytics crowd any favors.
Which team exactly did you want Ehlers to play for? Were you hoping he’d retire because he supposedly can’t improve any NHL team? The Canes made a great move. I much prefer Stankoven and Ehlers to Rantanen. The Canes had cap space available. No assets were sacrificed to get him. As always, these criticisms are ridiculous. You don’t have to comment on everything. You could take a break once in a while.
Hey..welcome back. Of course you would rather have Ehlers & Stankoven over Rants. That’s a horrendous take.
I personally don’t care who Ehlers plays for as long as it wasn’t the Avs. For a team that is trying to get over the hump in the postseason this add does nothing for them. He’s more of the same/what they already have with Aho, Svechnikov, Jarvis, etc. Plus like your bf Necas he’s been dog shit in the postseason. Which is what matters. Not making pretty plays in regular season games in January
You do know Necas’s contract is up next summer, right? Ideally, the Avalanche should extend him before training camp starts. I’m counting on you to drive his value down as much as possible so they can re-sign him at the best price. If he signs for too much, then hey, it’s on you.
Ideally they’ll trade him as oppose to paying him 10 plus million dollars a year. No thank you. And I’m flattered you think I have enough pull to drive his value down by posting in the CHN comments section.
He’ll probably drive his own value down if he plays out his deal. When he shits the bed in the postseason again.
I’d say the Avs won the Ehlers sweepstakes by not grossly overpaying him. Signing him never made sense when the defense needs to be upgraded.
This 1000%. Hopefully they don’t just go & make a similar mistake with Necas.
We’ve gone from the search for the mythical left-shot unicorn to a legion of giants on the right side. Brent Burns 6’5”, part Norse god, part offensive quarterback, lands on the blue line, and some still dare to claim there’s a missing piece. Meanwhile, whispers about Girard being traded resurface, maybe just to spark life on Colorado Hockey Now, where the traffic has clearly taken a nosedive. And now Middleton 6’6” joins the party too. At this rate, by September we’ll have a blueline that looks more like a brick wall, massive, immobile, and unbeatable at standing still. But honestly,… Read more »
It’s time get back on your meds & stop posting odd soliloquies on Colorado hockey now! I don’t think any D – core that has Makar & Toews at the top of it will ever have to worry about being too immobile.
I’ve gotten on the “size guys” plenty in the past. However, the Burns pickup is at such a good price for a reliable player — why not? It also gives the Avs the flexibility to make a nice trade or two to bolster the team. Besides the top pairing, it’s hard to argue that any of the D men are untouchable. I’m curious to see what the pieces will be in the one big trade and the smaller trade I think are coming. In this time of the summer sports lull, the fun is in the speculating.
Crosby?
What’s up with avs signing tiny players