Mailbag
Avalanche Mailbag 2.0: Trade Deadline Needs, Team Chemistry, Depth Options, & More
This is a fun one. Enjoy.
READ MORE: Avalanche Mailbag 1.0: Burns’ Cap Hit, The Futures of Girard and Malinski, & Bednar’s Jack Adams Bid
Question from Rick Sallee
The Avs are doing so well. Do you think they might “roll with what we got” at this year’s trade deadline?
Aarif’s Response
I highly doubt they’d do that. As much as it’s nice to see them have a nearly complete roster, it’s still a team that needs to fill in the pieces around the edges and improve its chances of winning it all. Minnesota already added Quinn Hughes, I’d imagine Dallas is going all in, too. Colorado has to do the same.
Don’t forget, the 2021-22 Avs went 4-5-1 in the first 10 games, 4-5-1 in the last 10 games, and 48-9-5 in the middle 62 games. And in the middle of that crazy run, they still added Artturi Lehkonen, Josh Manson, Andrew Cogliano, and Nico Sturm, while subtracting Tyson Jost in the process.
Good teams can still get better. That roster was proof. As was the Florida Panthers adding Brad Marchand and Seth Jones to repeat as Cup champs.
Question from Will Andrea
Hard to find much in the way of deficiencies (other than the PP), but I can’t help but think we could use a big left-handed defenseman down the stretch. Agree? How might we make that work via trade between now and the trade deadline?
Question from Joe Cerwinske
What would your personal lineup look like if you were the coach and everyone was healthy? Basically, who would play and who would sit when Logan O’Connor is back, and everyone is available?
Aarif’s Response
I would have something like this:
Lehkonen — MacKinnon — Necas
Landeskog — Nelson — Nichushkin
Olofsson — Colton — Brindley
Kelly — Drury — O’Connor
Extras: Kiviranta, Bardakov
It’s worth noting that good teams win the Stanley Cup by having enough depth to sit good players. So if the Avs add a 3C without subtracting any of these forwards, then that would mean that Brindley, Olofsson, and Colton would probably be competing with each other to not be the odd man out on any given night.
Don’t forget, when the Avs won in 2021-22, we saw Andre Burakovsky, Alex Newhook, and Nicolas Aube-Kubel all get scratched at one point or another. This is similar to what they’d have this year. The fourth line is set, but the wingers on the third line (Olofsson, Colton, and Brindley) would have to compete on any given night to play with the new 3C. Just like Burakovsky, Newhook, and Aube-Kubel had to in 2022 with center J.T. Compher.
Burakovsky was a healthy scratch after putting up 60+ points. Think about that for a moment. And think of how necessary it was to have this depth after the injuries they had on their way to the Stanley Cup championship.
Question from Jeffrey Anderson
Avs need a LHD. I really like Mario Ferraro from San Jose, and I know that he was available during the summer. What LHDs are available that could help get us back to the promised land?
Aarif’s Response
Ferraro is a good choice and would fit well. Mackenzie Blackwood speaks very highly of his game all the time. And I’m sure Cale Makar wouldn’t mind it either after being his D partner in College.
I’ll take a deeper dive into other options in the coming weeks and will likely have my first Avalanche Trade Board ready for early January. Stay tuned for that.
Question from Jeffrey Anderson
Any universe where CMac can negotiate a fair deal with Patrik Allvin for Kiefer Sherwood?
