Armed with a ton of cap space, the Colorado Avalanche could afford to be aggressive this offseason as they try to improve their roster.
The Colorado Avalanche are one of the most exciting teams in the entire NHL. With young superstars such as Nathan Mackinnon, Mikko Rantanen, and Cale Makar, they have become legitimate Stanley Cup contenders and should remain so for many years.
Not only are they loaded in talent, but they still have a good amount of cap space, large in part due to Mackinnon being on a contract that pays him just $6.3 million annually.
With their flexibility in cap space, it will also allow them to add free agents in order to make their roster even more dangerous. Here are three free agents they should consider trying to sign in order to increase their chances at a deep playoff run for the 2020-21 season.
Taylor Hall
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One of the biggest names on the free agent list in recent years, Taylor Hall will be getting calls from many teams this offseason. Him signing with the Avalanche seems to be a nearly perfect fit for both sides.
From Hall’s perspective, he is able to finally play for a playoff contender after spending his entire career on bad teams. From the Avalanche’s perspective, it gives them another extremely dangerous attacker and adds even more speed to their already quick lineup. They are also one of the few teams who are in good position salary cap wise to add a player of Hall’s stature.
It has been a bit of a struggle for Hall this season, as the 28-year-old has just 52 points in 65 games. Those numbers are disappointing compared to what we have come to expect from Hall, but he shouldn’t have to take all the blame.
He has spent this season with both the New Jersey Devils and the Arizona Coyotes, two teams who both lack offensive weapons and as a result don’t score many goals. If he were to join an offensive juggernaut like the Avalanche, it would be very likely he is at least a point per game player going forward.
There was plenty of talk that the Avalanche were the favourites to land Hall in a trade for the New Jersey Devils this season. As we all know now, the Arizona Coyotes ended up landing Hall in mid-December, but the Avalanche were certainly interested.
It wouldn’t be surprising to see them show that same interest come free agency, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Hall show the same interest back as he would finally have a real shot at competing for the Stanley Cup.
Braden Holtby
Although things can chance any given minute in the NHL, it appears as though the Washington Capitals will be moving on from longtime starting goalie Braden Holtby at season’s end. The team doesn’t appear to have the cap space to be able to afford him, and are also extremely high on 23-year-old rookie goaltender Ilya Samsonov, who they selected with their first-round pick in the 2015 draft.
Holtby has been an elite NHL starting goaltender for years now, but he would provide so much more than just that. The former Stanley Cup winner would bring plenty of experience and veteran leadership to a young Avs locker room who haven’t gone on a deep playoff run yet. After many disappointing playoff collapses, Holtby and the Caps were able to win it all in 2017-18. He would bring in a much needed winning pedigree.
One concern with signing Holtby is the fact that he has struggled throughout this entire season. His numbers are the worst they have ever been, with a 3.11 goals against average and just a .897 save percentage. Despite that, however, he still has a solid 25-14-6 record.
Yes, a big reason for that record is due to the fact he plays for one of the league’s best teams, but it also shows that even with his struggles he is still able to make the timely saves in order to win games.
A positive from Holtby’s down season for a team looking to sign him is that it may lower his market value. It seems likely he will receive a raise from his current $6.1 million per year, but the question is by how much? The Avalanche would have to be careful here given that he is 30-years-old, but they are certainly one of the teams cap wise that could make it work.
Carl Soderberg
This past offseason saw the Avalanche trade forward Carl Soderberg to the Arizona Coyotes for defenceman Kevin Connauton and a third-round pick. Soderberg was coming off of a fantastic year for the Avalanche, scoring a career high 23 goals and adding 26 helpers. The Avalanche went on to trade him with just a year left on his deal, and it may be wise for them to consider bringing him back into the fold.
The thought at the time of the trade was that moving Soderberg gave some younger Avalanche forwards like Tyson Jost and J.T. Compher more ice time. It didn’t seem to benefit either player, as Jost had just eight goals and 23 points prior to the NHL going on pause, while Compher had 11 goals and 31 points. Soderberg, on the other hand, was up to 17 goals and 35 points despite playing on a much less offensive team.
Bringing in Soderberg on a short-term deal makes sense for the Avalanche. He would provide them with even more secondary scoring, and is comfortable there having played with the team for four seasons spanning from 2015-2019. Considering he is already 34 years of age, it shouldn’t cost the Avs much to bring him back into the fold, making it seem to be a pretty smart move.