On the eve of July 1, it would’ve been safe to assume that veteran defenseman Calvin de Haan and Sam Malinski would make up the Colorado Avalanche’s third pair on the blue line.
Now? Not so much. Following Monday’s signing of Oliver Kylington to a one-year deal worth $1.05 million, the Avs have eight defensemen who have to clear waivers to get sent down to the AHL’s Colorado Eagles.
The list consists of the usual top four, Cale Makar, Devon Toews, Samuel Girard and Josh Manson as well as the aforementioned de Haan, Malinski and Kylington. And of course, there’s also Erik Brannstrom, who the Avs signed on July 2 to kickstart what should be a crowded blueline at camp with plenty of NHL talent vying for ice time.
Kylington is an interesting case. Like Brannstrom, he’s looking for a fresh start. But unlike Brannstrom, Kylington has a stronger case for proof of concept as a top-four defenseman, enjoying a breakout season in 2021-22 with the Calgary Flames. That year, Kylington finished the season alongside Chris Tanev on the Flames’ second pair. He had nine goals, 31 points and was a +34 in 73 games where he averaged more than 18 minutes of ice time per game.
It’s also worth mentioning that there’s no guarantee he will get back to that level. Kylington missed the entire 2022-23 season for mental health reasons and didn’t return until the later stages of 2023-24. He played 33 games this past year, scoring three goals and adding five assists while averaging 17:15 per game. So the Avs are gambling on the 27-year-old’s return to his previous form.
I’m all for the Avalanche continuing to add pieces to inspire competition. Since hoisting the Stanley Cup, there have been far too many cases of players being slotted into spots that they didn’t quite live up to. Names like Anton Blidh, Lukas Sedlak and Ben Meyers come to mind. You could even argue Fredrik Olofsson was ultimately only given the 4C spot for most of last season because the team lacked center depth (which is still an issue).
But with Bowen Byram getting traded, and Jack Johnson and Sean Walker moving on, it is better for the Avs to learn from those past experiences and have veterans compete for a spot at camp.
I for one am pulling for Malinski. But the three adds this offseason might make it a lot harder for him to earn a permanent spot.
But what if everything works out? What if de Haan gives you that veteran presence Johnson held for most of the last three seasons as a solid No.6 defenseman? What if both Kylington and Brannstrom bounce back and prove to be permanent NHL regulars on a Stanley Cup-contending team? And what if Malinski takes the next step?
If at least three of these scenarios play out, the Avs could look to use their depth on the blueline to bolster the forward core. There is a very real scenario where one of Valeri Nichushkin or Gabriel Landeskog don’t play this upcoming season — or if they do, aren’t as effective as they once were.
If, for example, the Avs are missing Nichushkin all year, but you have seven or eight playable defensemen — five of which you trust in the top four — then maybe the Avs could leverage Girard’s $5 million cap hit into an offensive piece to help mitigate the loss of Nichushkin. My just-for-fun name would be Nazem Kadri. But I don’t envision Calgary moving him. He’s a valuable offensive piece and a great veteran presence for their rebuild.
Without Nichushkin’s $6.125 million accounted for, the Avs currently sit at roughly $86 million in cap space when you account for 13 forwards, eight defensemen and two goalies. But if or when Nichushkin is cleared to return, they’d need to shed around $4 million. This could be accomplished by sending down the extra three skaters and making another lateral move or two.
But if Nichushkin doesn’t return, for example, the Avs would have roughly $2 million to play with. If Girard was used as a trade chip, you’d have around $7 million to replace Nichushkin while also looking at potentially extending whichever one of Kylington, Brannstrom, or Malinski steps into the top four to replace Girard.
There’s also Ross Colton, the Avs’ third-line center. In this made-up scenario where Nichushkin doesn’t return, Colton could shift to the wing. If he proves to be a better offensive piece on the wing, Colorado could look at adding a 3C instead. Or, they could use Girard and Colton’s combined $9 million to really revamp their forward group. I am, of course, just spitballing here. (It’s August, cut me some slack).
The options are endless. And it’s all made possible because Chris MacFarland continues to dig for gold. Is Kylington going to be that gold? It’s anybody’s guess. But the risk-to-reward ratio really favors the Avs here. I’m excited to see how it all unfolds at camp and beyond.