Aarif Deen
Question from James
How does the organization see T.J. Hughes fitting into the lineup next year? With no prospects to play over him, do they think he can step into third-line minutes (assuming Ross Colton is traded)? He seems to be having a pretty decent playoff run with the Colorado Eagles (15 GP, 4 G, 8 A, 12 P), which is impressive given he’d only played in 2 AHL games before the playoffs started.
Aarif’s Response
I would suspect T.J. Hughes, like Gavin Brindley, will get a big opportunity during the regular season to play a lot of games. It might end up like the 2025-26 version of Brindley, where he shows flashes of excitement but ultimately ends up in the AHL after the trade deadline. Or, if he impresses enough, he could be a staple of the lineup heading into the playoffs, too.
It’s hard to predict how college free agents are going to play, especially in their first year. Malinski got 23 games his first year before playing 76 in his second season. Logan O’Connor played five, 16, and 22 games in his first three seasons before becoming a regular and playing 82 games in 2021-22. These are two examples of how college free agents need some time, which is absolutely fine.
We also have examples of college free agents playing 50, 60, and sometimes 70+ games in their first season after signing. I’m interested in seeing where Hughes ends up in year one.
Question from Sasha Landprech
Will the Avs trade Jack Drury since he rejected multiple offers?
Aarif’s Response
I’ve never felt more 50-50 about an Avalanche decision than I do about them re-signing Jack Drury. And it’s all because of their salary cap situation, not his play. From what I’ve heard, Drury is asking for more than what the Avs want to pay a fourth-line center. That’s what they see him as, and that’s where he’ll play with Nathan MacKinnon, Brock Nelson, Nazem Kadri, and even Nic Roy all under contract for next season.
But, he’s also an extremely valuable 4C. He’s got excellent chemistry with O’Connor and Parker Kelly, and he’s excellent in faceoffs. O’Connor and Kelly are locked up long-term for $2.5 million and $1.7 million against the cap. Will Drury accept something in between those numbers? Slightly more than O’Connor?
I’m just curious about how the Avs allocate the space they do have. If they trade Colton, I’d assume most of that money will go towards signing or replacing Brett Kulak and Brent Burns. I would also imagine they’re going to scour the UFA market for a bottom-six forward, no different from the cheaper option they signed last year, Victor Olofsson.
I can see a scenario where that’s what they do, and they allocate the leftover cap space to try to find a reasonable number for Drury, even if it’s just for one year, to align with the end of Roy’s deal. I can also see a scenario where they go heavy on adding two left-shot defensemen, and the sacrifice for doing that is either having Roy play 4C or trading Roy to sign Drury for that same $3 million number.
Either way, Sakic has some decisions to make and Drury is going to be on his mind with everything he does.
Question from James
Do they think Sean Behrens has any chance of making it to the NHL next season? Or do they want him to season a bit more in the AHL since he missed his entire first season with that knee injury? Not that we need another undersized defenseman but he does have a cheap contract, 2nd round pedigree and a few NCAA championships under his belt.
Aarif’s Response
Speaking of left-shot defensemen, I think it’s great that Behrens is exactly that. I think Behrens will absolutely make his NHL debut this season. Whether that means he’s among the first call ups, or if he’s in the lineup as a No. 6 or No. 7 defenseman on opening night. At some point, I’d suspect he plays.
How he looks in those games will obviously determine how long he sticks. He’s a smaller puck-moving defenseman, which obviously isn’t what the Avalanche need. But if the the coaching staff can start to bring him along in his development like they did with Malinski in 2023-24 (the year he had that 23-game taste), it would serve the organization best.