Although the Colorado Avalanche have slowly been getting healthier as the 2024-25 National Hockey League season progresses, the roster has been riddled with injury troubles throughout the campaign. Players like Artturi Lehkonen, Ross Colton, Jonathan Drouin and Miles Wood have all missed time with various ailments, while captain Gabriel Landeskog and key forward Valeri Nichushkin both remain on the shelf.
The Avalanche have looked a ton better since acquiring Mackenzie Blackwood from the San Jose Sharks — and finally moving on from an ever-struggling Alexandar Georgiev — but it's clear there is still room for improvement. Colorado ended December on a heater, racking off six consecutive victories between December 19 – January 2. But the squad has been middling since; the Avs are just 5-4-2 this month, and amid a stretch that's seen the squad lose three of four and four of six.
There's not a ton of room for error in a crowded Western Conference playoff picture, and despite a great ending to 2024, Jared Bednar's group is no longer in a top-three spot in the Central Division. The Avalanche currently occupy the top wildcard berth in the conference, with the Vancouver Canucks and St. Louis Blues — who are both on the outside looking in — a full eight points back.
While the odds are pretty good that the Avs will advance to the Stanley Cup Playoffs for an eighth straight season, general manager Chris MacFarland will undoubtedly be looking to make the roster even better between now and the March 7 NHL Trade Deadline.
Avalanche will be buying ahead of trade deadline
Before the Avalanche went on a scintillating championship run in 2021-22 that saw the team capture Lord Stanley for the first time since 2001, a couple of key pieces were brought to Denver. Lehkonen, Andrew Cogliano, Nico Sturm and Josh Manson — who all played a role in the title run — were added to the roster before the 2022 deadline.
With the 2025 deadline mere weeks away, the front office will again be looking to add a couple of effective pieces ahead of another potentially deep playoff run. And with the status' of Landeskog and Nichushkin both up in the air, it would make a lot of sense for MacFarland to be targeting a top-six forward.
Colorado remains without Gabriel Landeskog, Valeri Nichushkin
The Avalanche have badly missed Landeskog's services; the captain hasn't played an NHL contest since Game 6 of the 2022 Stanley Cup Final. But they've gotten used to his absence, which has stretched on for nearly three years. The same can't be said about Nichushkin, who has been around a point-per-game player for Colorado since the championship run.
With the Russian suffering a setback and now labelled week-to-week, Colorado's forward core just looks like it is missing a piece. Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen continue to drive the bus offensively, but Colton — who was playing so well before breaking his foot and missing 17 games — just hasn't looked like the same player since.
It's a similar story with Casey Mittelstadt, who was brought to Denver to be the 2C of the future but has struggled to live up to that role. The Edina, Minnesota native has managed just nine goals and 29 points in 49 games, and he's played himself off the first powerplay unit completely. The bottom line is, the Avalanche just don't have the depth right now. After MacKinnon (75 points in 49 games), Rantanen (64 in 49) and Cale Makar (53 in 49), there's a full 24-point gap between the superstar defenseman and Mittelstadt.
While Drouin has been great since returning from injury, playing at a point-per-game pace with 16 points in 16 games in 2024-25, this roster could use another offensive talent. For that reason, it's time for MacFarland to pick up the phone and look into injecting Chicago Blackhawks forward Taylor Hall into the top-six.
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Blackhawks' Taylor Hall would fit like a glove in Denver
Although Avalanche fans are probably still miffed that Hall won the Hart Trophy as the NHL's Most Valuable Player in 2017-18 — MacKinnon was equally, if not more deserving — that's all water under the bridge. And the careers of the two forwards have taken very different trajectories. Hall has bounced around a couple of teams and has never been past the second-round in his career, while MacKinnon has emerged into one of the sport's premier players. Not to mention he has a Stanley Cup to his name.
Hall has had to deal with a couple of brutal breaks, missing nearly the entire 2023-24 campaign due to knee surgery. Considering he had only managed four points in 10 games before he was shut down, expectations weren't high for him coming into the new season.
But the veteran has been more than serviceable with Chicago, chipping in 24 points in 46 games — without any exposure to Connor Bedard or the top powerplay unit. Hall probably deserves to play for a contender again before the end of his career, and considering the Blackhawks are already well out of playoff contention, the pending UFA is very likely to get moved.
The 33-year-old would probably elevate his game on a line with MacKinnon or Rantanen — or both — and it probably wouldn't break the bank to acquire the Calgary, Alberta native. The Athletic's Chris Johnston believes Hall and Colorado would be a strong match:
“The Avs are one of the few top teams who could make room for Hall in their top six, which is likely where a player with his skill set needs to play in order to be most effective,” the hockey insider wrote at the end of December. “The continued uncertainty around Colorado captain Gabriel Landeskog, who has gone more than two and a half years without playing while recovering from a cartilage transplant in his right knee, makes the need for another left winger more pronounced.
“Hall may not skate at the same level as earlier in his career, but he’s still faster than average and could hold his own alongside Nathan MacKinnon in top-line duty if needed. At minimum, he would give the Avalanche more lineup flexibility than they enjoy now. The acquisition cost also shouldn’t be too significant for a veteran player unlikely to be part of the long-term solution for the rebuilding Blackhawks.”
Hall remains one of the smarter players in the league, and there's certainly going to be a market for him as the deadline approaches. That will be even more true if Hawks GM Kyle Davidson is willing to eat some of his $6 million cap hit. Although there are better players on the market, Hall would likely be a great fit in Denver, and would elevate his game as he continues to pursue an ever-elusive Stanley Cup ring.
