The Colorado Avalanche are expected to once again be a powerhouse in the Western Conference next season. GM Chris MacFarland has been busy trying to re-tool his team on the fly this summer. The Avs enter the second month of the offseason with $4.7 million in cap space, meanwhile have Gabriel Landeskog and Valeri Nichushkin in limbo for next season.
MacFarland is expected to be going for it again next season as Colorado's window to win is wide open. The Avs haven't been shy about trying to upgrade on the trade market, here's two of their players who could be in play at some point:
Ross Colton
Once the Avs locked up Casey Mittelstadt, the attention turned to the future of Ross Colton as he started to see his name pasted on trade targets list. The pesky centre has three years left on his deal at $4 million AAV and holds a no-trade clause. Colton recorded 17 goals and 40 points last season and could eventually become a cap casualty in Colorado or moved in a hockey deal.
Alexandar Georgiev
Rumor has the Avalanche aren't necessarily satisfied with their goaltending depth and aren't sold Georgiev is their goalie of the future. The 28-year-old netminder has one season left on his contract at $3.4 million and doesn't hold any trade protection. While he was eligible to sign a contract extension on July 1, no talks have taken place from the sounds of it. Keep an eye on how Georgiev plays to start the season because if he struggles look for MacFarland to pivot quickly. Georgiev went 38-18-5 last season, meanwhile had a .897 save percentage in the playoffs.
Photo credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
