The Colorado Avalanche had an eventful trade deadline, namely by adding Brock Nelson. They sent a haul to the New York Islanders, including top prospect Calum Ritchie. However, the trading did not stop there and included a swap of centers with Boston. The moves before the NHL trade deadline should inspire Avalanche fans for a deep playoff run.
Before the deadline, the Avalanche made one of the biggest trades of the season. They sent Mikko Rantanen to the Carolina Hurricanes for Martin Necas and Jack Drury after contract negotiations fell through. Rantanen scored 55 goals in 2022-23 and another 42 last season, so replacing him was going to be hard. But Necas has fit in perfectly with six goals in 18 games. Considering Carolina could not reach an extension and traded Rantanen, Colorado won that deal.
Before everyone got to the table, the Avalanche made a move to improve their defense. They traded a second-round pick and a fourth-round pick to the New York Rangers for Ryan Lindgren and Jimmy Vesey. Following that up with the Nelson trade and trading Casey Mittelstadt for Charlie Coyle, the Avs are all in.
This should give Avalanche fans hope because even in trading Rantanen, they only made moves to get better. The rebuild to get this core together was long and featured some really bad seasons. As long as they have Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar, those dark days in Denver will be ancient history, and new GM Chris MacFarland proved that at the NHL trade deadline.
In the games since the deadline, the Avalanche are 4-0-1 with a big overtime win against Rantanen and the Stars on Sunday. They are showing on the ice that they are Cup contenders and should be taken seriously in a crowded Central Division.
The Avalanche have a lot of new pieces that need to gel
Colorado Avalanche center Brock Nelson (11) skates into the Minnesota Wild zone in the first period at Xcel Energy Center. Matt Blewett-Imagn Images
Team chemistry is an important part of winning the Stanley Cup and the Avalanche had that in 2022. Many of those core members had been together for a long time and it helped them win the title. Now, they have five skaters and two goalies on their roster that were not there on opening night. If they succeed in the playoffs, coach Jared Bednar deserves a lot of credit.
As this hot streak has continued for the Avalanche, they have hardly put a dent in the Jets’ Central Division lead. Winnipeg has 98 points in 68 games, an 11-point advantage over Colorado. The Avs are 10-3-1 since February 2 and the Jets are 9-3-1 in the same stretch. As the division slips away to no fault of their own, they need to make sure they are in top shape for the postseason.
MacFarland has also given the Avalanche an extra year with a few of the trade pieces from this deadline. Necas and Coyle are signed through 2026, Mackenzie Blackwood got an extension, and Jack Drury has three years of team control left. That does take some pressure off this season but will make it harder to spend this offseason.
The best chance the Avalanche have of winning the Stanley Cup this year is a great postseason from Brock Nelson. He is a pending free agent and may not be back in Colorado next year. He should be raring to go for his return to the postseason and could be the difference in a championship coming back to Denver.
After their big win over Dallas on Sunday, the Avalanche head to Canada to play the Maple Leafs, Canadiens, and Senators. Three more wins north of the border and maybe Colorado can put a scare into this division race.
This article first appeared on NHL on ClutchPoints and was syndicated with permission.
