The Dallas Stars and Pete DeBoer are living rent-free in Colorado’s minds. Three of the Avalanche’s last six playoff runs have ended at the hands of their Central Division rivals, and head coach Jared Bednar has endured losses to DeBoer in four of his last seven seasons. While former fan favourite Matt Duchene’s 2OT winner last year set a new low for Avs faithful, nothing could have prepared them for the end of this season’s saga.
Drafted 10th overall in 2015, Mikko Rantanen scored 681 points in an Avalanche jersey, including 25 points to help win the 2022 Stanley Cup. After being traded to Carolina and then Dallas this year, Rantanen stunned his former club by scoring a third period hat trick, the first in NHL history, to send Colorado packing. Avalanche GM Chris MacFarland stated that the team has no regrets about trading Rantanen away, but seeing him sign in the same division for the next eight seasons had to be a tough pill to swallow.
On top of receiving forward Martin Necas and center Jack Drury in return for Rantanen, MacFarland swung for the fences at the trade deadline, chasing a second Stanley Cup for the current core and ransoming the team’s future in the process. After years of cleaning out their prospect cupboards, they are out of assets, entering this season’s NHL Draft with only a measly fourth and seventh round pick. To make matters worse, they have no picks left to reload their dwindling prospect pool in the first three rounds of the 2026 draft and no third round picks until 2029.
Re-signing Brock Nelson to a three-year contract on Wednesday means that the Avalanche will run it back with 12 forwards from last season, leaving Jonathan Drouin, Joel Kiviranta and Jimmy Vesey as potential UFAs. With their top four defenseman and both goaltenders also still in place, they only have roughly two million left to reload their bottom D pairing. They might be able to bring back veteran blueliner Erik Johnson at league minimum, but trade deadline acquisition Ryan Lingdren is probably too expensive to keep. Right against the cap ceiling, the only way MacFarland can upgrade his lineup is by moving players out, and it is well known around the league that he doesn’t hesitate to pull the trigger.
All but five forwards and four defenseman remain from the squad that captured the 2022 Stanley Cup, but after another first round exit, one of the nine remaining Cup winners could be next. Or, if the GM wants to keep the championship pedigree intact, there are a pair of overpaid bottom six forwards who could be moved to clear up some cap space.
Ross Colton is a luxury Avalanche can’t afford
Playing in three straight Stanley Cup Finals and winning two of them with the Tampa Bay Lightning set Ross Colton up to cash in with a lucrative contract with the team that knocked him out in 2022. He was brought in to add some scoring punch and to be a pest as their third line center, but Colorado’s lack of a viable 2C and a brutal stretch of injuries often pushed him into the top six. Despite having a respectable 29 points in 60 games this season, it is important to remember 10 of his 16 goals came during a three week heater early in the season playing on MacKinnon’s wing and the top PP. Barring catastrophe, he will not see that quality of ice time going forward, and the team brought in Charlie Coyle at the deadline to take his 3C job.
Other than Coyle, Colton’s four million AAV is the highest in the bottom six, and while it is only a slight overpayment, it is a luxury the top-heavy Avs can’t afford. After Colton only played seven minutes during the playoffs this year, the club could choose to promote Ivan Ivan, who played well in 40 games during his rookie year. Barring a promotion, the team could use some of Colton’s salary to bring in a UFA who could fill his role at a more reasonable cost, or to shore up their back end.
Miles Wood takes too many penalties
Colorado Avalanche left wing Miles Wood (28) is tripped by Dallas Stars left wing Mason Marchment (27) and draws a penalty during the first period in game two of the first round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs at American Airlines Center. Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
When MacFarland signed Miles Wood to a six-year contract the same day he signed Colton, it seemed like a shrewd piece of business, betting on the contract being a bargain in the long run. Wood had shown over his career in New Jersey that he could be an effective bottom six player, chipping in some goals and hits here and there, and adding his electric speed to an already very fast Avs team.
He looked as advertised during his first season in Colorado, scoring 26 points while playing like a bull in a china shop on a high motor line with Colton and Logan O’Connor. The cracks began to show this past season in Colorado, as the oft-injured Wood was limited to just 37 games. He only scored eight points and somehow still managed to lead the Avalanche in penalty minutes.
On top of his undisciplined play, Wood’s season ended after a brutal turnover against the Stars in Game 2. The front office and coaching staff made their displeasure clear, not dressing Wood again during the series despite his strong play otherwise during the game. This could be a sign of things to come, as Wood has four years left on a contract that Colorado might look to jettison in favour of a more responsible, less penalty prone replacement player.
Josh Manson is fading fast
The top pair of Cale Makar and Devon Toews is the best in the league, so they aren’t going anywhere, and undersized RFA Sam Malinski will likely sign a cheap contract to play on the bottom pair. That leaves either Josh Manson or Sam Girard on the chopping block. Although Girard makes half a million more than Manson for two more seasons, he is more trusted by the coaching staff, averaging three more minutes per game while providing more offense and skating ability.
That being said, Manson leads the penalty kill and brings crucial size to the defense as the only player over six foot or 200 pounds, and he plays like it. He is mean, nasty, and physical; everything you want in a rugged defenseman for a postseason run. However, he is constantly banged up, only averaging 50 games a season in Colorado. As an upcoming UFA, it would be wise for MacFarland to trade Manson now before he breaks down further.
By utilizing Manson’s salary, it would be possible to upgrade the bottom half of the defense, replacing his size and grit for a cheaper price. This would also allow the Avs to carry on with most of the defense that has led the NHL in goals each of the last few seasons.
Whether or not Colorado decides to move on from a couple of roster players this summer, the superstar core is still intact and the Avalanche should be contending for another Stanley Cup next spring.
This article first appeared on NHL on ClutchPoints and was syndicated with permission.
