Colorado Avalanche Trade Deadline Bingo Card

All the talk leading up to the March 3 trade deadline will focus on big players like Patrick Kane, Timo Meier and Jakub Chychrun and the teams that have managed to sign them. Rumors are all the rage this time of year, and the Colorado Avalanche will certainly be in these types of conversations, but they’re far more likely to have limited their shopping spree to depth additions. Here are some names and strategies to keep an eye on, as well as a bingo card to help you keep track of when the party starts a week from Friday.

Addition from a division rival

The final part St. Louis Blues there could be trade options in addition to the already headline-grabbing moves of Ryan OReilly and Vladimir Tarasenko, as they still have plenty of depth players even after Noel Acciari went to the Toronto Maple Leafs. Samuel Blais, who St. Louis just got back New York Rangers it’s not safe to stay, as he has a cheap $1,525 cap hit on his one-year deal and could easily be flipped.

However, the most interesting target is Ivan Barbashev, who scored 60 points and 26 goals just a year ago. He, along with the rest of the guys playing in St. Louis, is having a down year, but he’s only 27 years old and has a relatively cheap $2.25 million expiring contract. While his stock has risen recently, he shouldn’t cost as much as big-name rentals to acquire or retain should the Avalanche decide to offer him an extension beyond this season. Barbashev could be part of a same-age core and help rebuild the third line into someone who can play center, lead the team in scoring and put the puck behind. He’s not the single strongest defensive player, and he shouldn’t be considered an expert in that area, but he’s someone who raises his game by playing with higher-quality teammates.

Second time’s a charm

The Avalanche love bringing back former players for another go-round because they are easier to transition into the locker room and are known quantities on the ice. Matt Nieto, who was brought back in January, already fits this description, but others can also be involved.

Nick Holden didn’t play in Jared Bednar, he played in the current one Ottawa Senators the defenseman could be an attractive depth option at $1.3 million for the rest of the season. Of course, Jack Johnson will make $950,000, too, if the Avalanche want someone 35 and older in the back end.

A reunion with Paul Stastny has always been rumored, but it hasn’t happened yet. The Carolina Hurricanes are a contender and therefore don’t want to give up utility players, but could move Stastny to release his $1.5 million cap hit to make a bigger move. Similarly, Alexander Kerfoot has been constantly rumored to be a moving piece due to the $3.5 million price tag he carries. Now the last year of his contract Toronto Maple Leafs and after getting the aforementioned OReilly in the middle as an upgrade, they might finally be pulling the trigger.

The center remains

The elephant in the room all season has been how to defend Stanley Cup the champs will look to address their gap at second center, but given that newcomer Evan Rodrigues has performed well enough in a variety of roles in the top six, the focus shouldn’t be on this very expensive addition. Any help in the middle would bolster the Avalanche’s lineup, and finding someone to fill the void left by Darren Helm would allow the team to dress 12 forwards on a regular basis. Helm is in the middle of his latest comeback, but anything he can offer at this point has to be considered a luxury.

Arizona Coyotes center Nick Bjugstad is an easy target who makes just $900,000 and would fit seamlessly as a right-handed center, who has already scored 13 goals this season, on the fourth line. Another option, Teddy Blueger, would be another $2.2 million cap dump from another contender, but since he fell out of favor in Pittsburgh, he wouldn’t have to do much heavy lifting in a fourth-line role in Colorado.

Return

For each trade, the team has to give to get, but with no big names on the shopping list, the headline grabbers shouldn’t need a big return. Therefore, the Avalanche should be able to keep their first-round pick and hope to rebuild their roster of prospects The Athletic just named worst in the league. Instead, this exercise is about spent funds, which are included in the bingo card below.

The remaining tradeable picks in the next two draft classes are the 2023 5th rounder and the 2024 4th rounder, otherwise Chris MacFarland will have to dip into the 2025 collection. However, this is not ideal because these picks are devalued against another team that provides draft capital that the currently sitting GM can use. The organization always has a few options, but they are wise to hold on to those who pray for the NHL when they see it, such as Jean-Luc Foudy, Oskar Olausson and Sean Behrens. It would be more useful to move on from prospects whose waivers will be effective soon, such as Sampo Ranta, who fits that description and has recently been featured in Loveland on the second line.

How many squares does Avalanche hit? Can they get bingo? Leave your predictions below.