The Colorado Avalanche were busy making moves in the days before the NHL Entry Draft.
On June 16, forward Ross Colton and goaltender Isak Posch were traded to the Nashville Predators. The Avs got goaltender Magnus Chrona, a 2026 third-round draft pick (Beckett Hamilton), and a 2027 third-round draft pick. Both were on the last year of their contracts and freed up $4 million in cap space.
Avalanche GM Joe Sakic and his former right-hand man, Preds GM Chris MacFarland, swapped forwards Jack Drury and Chase Bradley (and a third-round pick in 2029) for forwards Fedor Svechkov and Zachary L’Heureux on June 24. That added $2.125M back to the cap hit, as Drury was a restricted free agent.
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“He (MacFarland) did what he thought was best for his group. We did what was best for our group. Those decisions for us really were cap decisions, free up some space. We couldn’t have brought everybody back,” Sakic said.
Nichushkin dealt to Columbus
The biggest move was trading forward Valeri Nichushkin (who is in the fifth year of his eight-year, $6.125M AAV contract) to the Columbus Blue Jackets. Colorado received a second-round pick in this year’s draft (Egor Shilov), a third-round pick next year, and a 2028 fifth-round pick.
The 31-year-old put up 49 points in 72 games with a 10.6 shooting percentage. While he was an important part of the Avs’ 2022 Cup win, the team needs consistency. He suffered through a few scoring droughts, including during the postseason.
“We want to get the assets for Val. It’s tough losing guys and having to deal players that you’re so fond of. He’s just a tremendous guy. We don’t win the cup in ’22 without him playing as well as he did. That team was on fire, and he was at another level,” Sakic said. “He had some issues, personal issues that he overcame, and proud of him for that. He’s a different man; he’s just a great, great human being. So those decisions, they’re tough decisions, but when you have a cap you’re dealing with, and you’re trying to make the best decisions for your team to try and get under, it was a tough phone call to make to Val for the great things he’s done for our organization.”
Avs keep Burns and Kulak
The Avalanche solidified its defense by re-signing Brent Burns to another year and Brett Kulak for five.
Burns may be 41 years old, but he has a lot of hockey left in him. He had a perfect season (did not miss a game), earned 35 points, and averaged nearly 19 minutes of ice time. The 6-foot-5 blueliner is an asset on the ice as well as off. In his 23rd season, he has youthful energy that is appreciated by his teammates.
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“Burns brings his leadership. I thought he had a really good year last year. He looked a little fatigued at the end, but I thought the way he played in the playoffs, he brought energy, passion, physicality, and he’s a guy we wanted to bring back for that leadership in the dressing room. Great guy, great guy for the dressing room,” Sakic said.
Kulak earned his spot on the blueline after coming to the Avs on Feb. 24 from the Pittsburgh Penguins for Sam Girard. He played an average of 19:08 and had three assists in 27 games. His veteran experience and versatility are important contributions to the Avalanche.
“He was outstanding for us. He fit perfectly, the type of player that we wanted at times in the playoffs. We thought he was one of our most consistent players, never mind just D,” Sakic said.
Why is the cap space so important?
The Avalanche kept cap space down with Burns signing for $850,000 and Kulak at $4.5M AAV. While the team also re-upped one Makar (Taylor) for two years at $875,000, the moves are all to free up enough to sign the other Makar (Cale) to a long-term deal.
The 27-year-old defenseman is currently in the last season of his $9M AAV contract. Sakic stated during his postseason conference that the team was working to have him signed this summer. His new contract will be much higher than his previous one, which the team has been planning to accommodate.
Makar was injured during the playoffs, but Sakic assured the media it was not serious.
“Cale is doing rehab right now, and he’s close. He’s going to be 100% ready, and so is everybody else,” Sakic said on June 26.
The Avs’ cap space as of June 29 is $5,629,159. The remaining unrestricted free agents are Joel Kiviranta, Jack Ahcan and Nick Blankenburg. Free agency officially opens on July 1.
The Avs also have to consider that Artturi Lehkonen and Nicolas Roy will be UFAs after this season. More moves are expected, but four of the team’s top six are locked in for multiple years.
“That focus is going to take place in the summer. Their representatives, us, we’re all looking at the draft and free agency and things for now, but all the extensions — once we get to mid-July, that’s when those talks start beginning,” Sakic said. “We’re definitely going to be looking to hopefully come to an agreement with Artturi as well. He’s such a big, important player for our team.”