Avs Angle: Offseason Wish List

The Colorado Avalanche managed to get off to a hot start, but then went on a bit of an inconsistent stretch. The biggest bright spot for the team was the line of Gabriel Landeskog, Nathan MacKinnon, and Mikko Rantanen, who combined for 261 total points. Rantanen had a career high in goals (31), assists (56) and points (87). The Avalanche thought that Semyon Varlamov would be the number one goalie all season, but Philipp Grubauer took over that spot as the season went on and played quite well for them.

Once in the postseason, the Avalanche managed to beat the top seeded Calgary Flames in just five games. The Avalanche faced the San Jose Sharks in the second round, but lost the series in seven game. One of the bright spots in the playoffs, besides the Avs’ top line was the emergence of defenseman Cale Makar. Makar joined the team after his college season was over and jumped right into the Stanley Cup Playoffs, where he showed off his offensive ability. The Avs don’t have a lot to change this offseason, but there are still things that management needs to get done to improve the team.

1) Long-Term Deal for Mikko Rantanen

Yes, Rantanen is only a restricted free agent this offseason, but it is imperative to get this kid signed to a long term deal. He has proven himself in his three NHL seasons with the Avalanche. Rantanen is a crucial part of the offense since he uses his speed to create chances as well as back the defense into their own zone, but he isn’t afraid to go to the net and score some greasy goals. The forward has been relatively healthy over the course of his three plus years in the NHL, only missing 16 regular season games. 

In his first full season in the League, Rantanen managed 20 goals, 18 assists and 38 points in 75 games played. The Avalanche missed the playoffs in the 2016-17 season. During the 2017-18 season, he managed to have his breakout season with 29 goals, 55 assists and 84 points in 81 games played. In six postseason games, he didn’t register any goals but managed four assists. Last season, he had 31 goals, 56 assists and 87 points, all of which were career highs, in 74 games. In 12 postseason games, he had six goals, 12 assists and 18 points. In just 239 career games, he has 80 goals, 129 assists and 209 points.

2) Goaltending Help

Philipp Grubauer eventually  took over the starting goaltending spot from Semyon Varlamov, who is an unrestricted free agent this summer. Grubauer played in 37 games, and had a record of 18-9-5. The goalie managed to have a .917 save percentage to go with a 2.64 goals against average and three shutouts. The Avalanche look to have the number one goalie spot locked up with Grubauer, but that doesn’t mean the team doesn’t need some goaltending help.

Sure, the Avalanche could always bring back Varlamov if he is willing to be the backup goalie and they can get good terms on the contract. It’s not exactly the best field of free-agent goalies this offseason, but teams are usually looking for a veteran backup and there are plenty of them available. Some goalie options for the Avalanche could be Cam Talbot, Brian Elliott, Chad Johnson, Curtis McElhinney, Cal Pickard or Cam Ward. There will be options out there this free agency, just not the best ones. The best options out of this group are probably Cam Talbot, Chad Johnson and Brian Elliott.

3) Bottom Six Center

Jerad Bednar does have center depth on the team, but they could use someone to fill the fourth line role. Last season it was Derick Brassard centering that line, but he is an unrestricted free agent this summer. A younger kid from the minors could very well compete for a spot if there is nothing done in free agency. There are some older, veteran players available in free agency, if the Avalanche decide to go this way.

They could very well bring back Brassard, if he wants to come back at a reasonable price. Another option could be Valtteri Filppula, who played an important role with the New York Islanders last season, but he may be a bit expensive for a fourth line role. An interesting option could be Marcus Kruger, who has been bounced around a little bit in his career. He is only 29-years-old, and if the Avalanche can get him for a cheap deal at about $2-$2.5 million per season for two or three years, it may be a chance worth taking. He can penalty kill along with being the fourth line center.

4) Restricted Free Agents Signed to New Deals

The most important players for the Avalanche future seem to be restricted free agents this summer, and it should be a goal for the team to get them signed before the season starts. They have seven players that are RFAs including Sven Andrighetto, Alex Kerfoot, J.T. Compher, Mikko Rantanen, Ryan Graves, Nikita Zadorov and Vladislav Kamenev. Kamenev seems to be out of the lineup more than he is in the lineup due to injuries so if the team doesn’t re-sign him then it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world.

Andrighetto, Kerfoot, Compher, Graves and Zadorov are arbitration eligible so hopefully the Avalanche’s management team can avoid the arbitration process and get these players signed to new deals. Rantanen needs to be signed to a new long-term deal while it may be more judicious to offer some of the others bridge deals. Andrighetto and Graves could be two of those RFAs signed to bridge deals instead of longer term deals. Kerfoot, Compher and Zadorov played an important role to the team’s success last season so it wouldn’t be surprising if they are signed to longer term deals.

5) Tyson Barrie Extension

Tyson Barrie is under contract for the upcoming season, but is an unrestricted free agent after the 2019-20 season. It will be interesting to see if they can get a deal done with Barrie since there will be another expansion draft in a few years. Barrie carries a $5.5 million cap hit for the upcoming season, and he will likely get an increase in pay due to his play. 

In 484 career games, Barrie has 75 goals, 239 assists and 307 points in the regular season. In 21 postseason games, the defenseman has scored one goal, has 13 assists and 14 points. He has elevated his game the past two seasons. Last season, he tied his career high in goals with 14. Barrie set a career high in assists with 45. The defenseman also set a career high in points with 59, just edging his previous by two points in the  2017-18 season.