The Colorado Avalanche had a good season that ended in disappointment after losing to the Dallas Stars in the first round. Now, the Avalance hope they can take that next step and finally get past the Stars. There is a chance to get better, but the reverse can also be true for Colorado. The Avalanche’s nightmare scenario in 2025 NHL free agency could see them limited by cap space, hindering their ability to make necessary improvements.
Colorado currently has the worst cap space situation in the NHL, with just $1.2 million. That means the Avalanche don’t have much room to make any moves directly. However, Colorado could still make things work by moving some assets around.
The absolute worst-case scenario would be to do nothing. Some will say that the Avalanche almost beat the Stars and don’t need to make many moves. Still, this team has failed to beat them two seasons in a row, and there are some things Colorado must do to prevent the nightmare from repeating itself in the 2025-2026 season.
Avalanche fail to extend Martin Necas
The Avalanche extended Brock Nelson earlier this year. Now, Colorado needs to do the same thing with Martin Necas. While Necas is still signed for one more season, he becomes a free agent next season. Thus, the Avalanche must use the 2025 NHL free agency period to work out an extension.
Necas went off after being acquired in a trade with the Carolina Hurricanes. Amazingly, he had terrific chemistry with Nathan MacKinnon and was an extraordinary prescience in front of the net, especially on the power play. The worst thing Colorado could do is let the upcoming season start without an extension in place. Horrifyingly, it can ultimately make them losers in the Mikko Rantanen trade.
Necas is a highly valuable player on this team, and the Avalanche cannot afford to risk losing him after next season. Sadly, this nightmare has a chance of becoming a reality if the Avs fail to act.
Colorado loses Jonathan Drouin without replacing him
Jonathan Drouin is an unrestricted free agent and might leave. So far, the Avs have not re-signed him. There is no telling if they will, especially as Drouin struggled with injuries this offseason.
Drouin managed 11 goals and 26 assists over 43 games. Yet, the fact that he missed so much time causes questions. If the Avalanche choose to let him go because of his injury history, they must replace him. Colorado cannot afford to lose a player who can score without finding someone to replace him.
While MacKinnon is one of the greatest players on the planet, the Avs still need bottom-six forwards who can produce while he is on the bench. Losing Drouin would be a blow, especially with no obvious replacement.
Avalanche whiff on depth scoring in NHL free agency
Just because they don’t have much cap space doesn’t mean the Avalanche cannot swing a trade. Overall, depth scoring was a weakness this past season, and that is why they traded for Charlie Coyle.
As noted with Drouin, Coyle was an essential part of the third line after coming over to Colorado. The good news is he will be with the Avalanche for one more season. However, the bad news is that he becomes an unrestricted free agent. To get one of the NHL free agents available, the Avs might have to swing another trade.
The top two lines are great. But the threat of losing Drouin leaves a huge hole on the third line. Who steps up to take the next step in their development? For now, Colorado doesn’t have an answer, and not signing someone for depth scoring could become disastrous in the 2025-2026 season.
Fail to sign a veteran defenseman in NHL free agency
Cale Makar, Samuel Girard, and Devon Toews are the unquestioned best defensemen for Colorado. However, the possibility of losing Ryan Lindgren leaves a massive hole in one of the Avalanche’s pairings.
Of the NHL free agents available, Colorado cannot afford a top-tier guy like Aaron Ekblad. Instead, the best course of action would be to sign a veteran defenseman. Someone like Dmitry Orlov (33 years old) or Matt Grzelcyk (31 years old) can be solid additions. The good news here is that the Avalanche can sign both to relatively affordable contracts. Again, they don’t have much cap space. But Colorado can still make some moves to make it happen.
Signing a veteran defenseman with playoff experience can also help for another Stars matchup. Subsequently, it could help the Avalanche have a tough presence to contain their former star, Rantanen, who was the primary reason they fell to the Stars in the first round.
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