DENVER — The Colorado Avalanche have been buyers at the trade deadline over the past few seasons, and the general consensus is that they would be again this year in order to defend their status as Stanley Cup champions.
But, the trade deadline for this season's Avalanche squad is going to be a tricky thing, according to the hosts of the Locked on Avalanche podcast.
For starters, the Avalanche aren't big on rental players. They entertained it last year with Claude Giroux, but it's not the preferred approach.
While Colorado was reportedly attached to some of the bigger names in the market like Ryan O'Reilly and Jonathan Toews, the former has already been dealt to the Toronto Maple Leafs while the latter won't be traded due to medical reasons stemming from long COVID.
"The Avalanche always seem to be attached to the bigger names, and this year's no different," said Locked on Avalanche co-host Chris Micieli. "But, I just get a vibe with salary cap constraints, not knowing where the cap's going next year, the Avalanche not typically being a rental team, and kind of strapped right now with what they can give up, I'm preparing for a quiet Avalanche trade deadline."
Further complicating matters is the fact the team has been battling injuries all season long, with, most notably, Gabriel Landeskog, Cale Makar, and Erik Johnson currently out of the lineup.
That begs the question as to whether you go all in again this season, or save the assets and regroup for future runs.
The Avs still have some prospects and picks they could part with, but they don't have picks in rounds two through four this year, and already traded their 2024 second and third round selections.
All things being equal, Colorado remains a dangerous team, but could face a tough matchup in the opening round of the playoffs in the Winnipeg Jets or Dallas Stars in the Central Division.
Stand pat or add, they're probably not a team you want in the postseason, though.