Colorado Avalanche Trade Deadline: Jan Hejda vs Brad Stuart
By Austin Manak
It’s trade speculation season. Some of us love it. Some of us hate it. As a writer, it’s my job to break it down for you.
The Colorado Avalanche blue-line doesn’t tantalize on paper. Let’s face it, the Avs need to supply their defense with refreshments. The punch-bowl is running low if you will, and the appetizers aren’t feeding the Avalanche’s playoff appetite. In normal terms, our defense is subpar.
That doesn’t mean there aren’t a few treats on the table that another team might look to nibble on. On defense, we’re looking at Jan Hejda and Brad Stuart.
Hejda and Stuart aren’t the jalepeño poppers covered in bacon and oozing with cheese that other teams will be throwing elbows at the deadline to get their hands on. They are more of the cheese and cracker type. Solid, if unspectacular.
I think the Avalanche should look to trade one. They need to clear room for youngsters Chris Bigras and Duncan Siemens for the future, and also can potentially nab a decent draft choice or prospect in return. Playoff teams always want veteran blue-liners and depth on defense come April.
The question is: which one do the Avs trade?
Jan Hejda
Age: 36
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 237 lbs
Shot: Left
If I had to describe Hejda in one word, that word would be dependable. That or hilarious… he is one of my favorite personalities on the team. Hejda is in the final year of a 4-year contract he signed with the Avalanche, and since arriving in Denver he has been a solid addition to the blue-line.
Hejda began his career playing in the Czech league for several years before making the jump across the pond to the NHL. He emerged as one of the premiere defenders on the market after four strong seasons in Columbus, and the Avalanche pounced during free agency with a 4-year contract paying him $3.25M annually.
Hejda has shown versatility with the Avs. He has played on the top pairing with Erik Johnson for large chunks of the past couple seasons, and has been a reliable minute eater for the Avs game after game. His ability to play a stay at home game, and adapt to his partner make him a really nice guy to have on your side. Hejda also has nice size, which ensures he doesn’t get bullied by the bigger forwards in the NHL.
Despite his tenure in the NHL, Hejda isn’t exactly a seasoned playoff warrior. In fact, Hejda has only played in 10 playoff games during his NHL career, and is yet to register a point in postseason play. Teams looking for a defender with playoff experience may be turned off by this.
I actually like Hejda a lot, both for his game on the ice, and his witty charm off the ice.
Why trade a guy like this?
Well, he is on an expiring contract, and the Avalanche don’t have a lot of quality options to sell off at the deadline. As far as players who would be attractive to other teams, Hejda is one of the few the Avs have.
Hejda is also going to turn 37 before next season starts. He probably only has a couple of years left in the tank, and his play may slow down quickly at this point in his career. If the Avalanche can get a quality asset, it’s not a bad move to make.
The Avs are looking to improve not only for next season, but for the next decade with their core in place. Acquiring assets for old guys is a good way to do that.
Brad Stuart
Age: 35
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 215 lbs
Shot: Left
If you want a player who has playoff seasoning, look no farther than Brad Stuart. What Hejda lacks in postseason sweat stains on his equipment, Stuart makes up for.
The problem is, if Brad is a well seasoned steak, he’s been left on the grill a bit too long. His game is no longer juicy.
Stuart brings a lot of the same skills that Hejda does. He’s big, he can play a shut-down role, and he can be physical when he needs to. I just think he does those things at a lower level than Hejda at this point in his career.
I’ve also held a bit of a grudge against Stuart since he tried to remove Gabriel Landeskog’s head a few years back.
The Avalanche got enamored with the fact that Stuart has played 140 NHL playoff games in his career, and won a Stanley Cup in 2008 with the Red Wings. The problem is, playoff experience doesn’t count for much when you can’t even make the playoffs. When you wear the burgundy and blue, and Stanley Cup win with the Wings counts as negative too, so in my book, Stuart has -1 Stanley Cup titles to his name. Silly Patrick and Joe, you guys should know this!
To make matters worse, the Avs also extended Stuart before he played a game in Avs’ colors. After this season, he still has 2 more years at a salary of $3.6M annually.
This makes it much more difficult to find a buyer for Stuart at this time of year. Most teams are looking for rentals, and having extra years with a steep cap-hit for a player whose game seems in decline is a problem for most GMs in the NHL.
What I want the Avs to do
Although trading Stuart wouldn’t be easy, I don’t think it’s an impossible task. There are GMs in the NHL who might just take a chance on Stuart.
I would vastly prefer that the Avalanche trade Stuart instead of Hejda, and re-sign Jan to play another year with the Avalanche. Hejda is the superior player. This is why you don’t hand out silly contract extensions to non-essential old guys… it limits options.
Hejda doesn’t belong on the first pairing with Erik Johnson at this point in his career. Filling that void is on the must-do list for the Avalanche.
I do think Hejda is a solid choice to play with some of the youngsters coming up over the next year or two on the other two pairings for the Avalanche.
What I think will happen
I think the Avalanche have already put their eggs in the Stuart basket. I believe that they will (and should) look to trade a defenseman (unless they win their next six games before the deadline), and that guy is going to end up being Hejda. It’s just going to be too tough to find a buyer for Stuart with his contract. Sad face. Although, I would be excited if Jan could catch on with a team primed to make a deep run in the playoffs. That would be awesome for him!
The Avalanche should target a 2nd-round pick at minimum as the rate of return for Hejda, or a comparable prospect. If they can get a 1st-rounder for Jan, I’d consider that a nice win for the Avs front office, and I certainly think it’s doable depending on how the market shapes up.
As far as Stuart goes, I really think the Avs should actively try to find a buyer for him. His game is past its prime, and he hasn’t seemed to be a great fit with the Avs. I know the Avalanche paid a 2nd and 6th round pick to nab Stuart, but I’d be happy with a mid-round draft pick or mediocre prospect just to get Stuart’s contract off the books, and open up a roster spot for other options.
Next: The Myth Of The Blocked Shot As Proven By Nate Guenin and Brad Stuart