Colorado Avalanche Deadline Strategy: No Solace in Big Trade at Deadline

The Colorado Avalanche and Arizona Coyotes are the biggest sellers at this year’s trade deadline, but the Avs won’t find any solace in making a big move.

I suppose a big move shouldn’t be entirely out of the question for the Colorado Avalanche at this year’s trade deadline, but it’s unlikely.

The only way it is worth it for the Avs is if someone gives them the moon. However, that is unlikely to happen, and the Avs can’t just make a move for the sake of making a move.

They are more likely to get the return they want when the summer comes around. While the trade deadline used to be dominated by huge trades, the salary cap and the parody in the league has almost made the deadline obsolete. This year, the expansion draft makes the deadline that much harder.

Rarely are huge trades orchestrated at the trade deadline anymore, most are reserved for the NHL draft. Teams have a better idea of the prospects available in the draft; thus, they have a better idea of the value of their draft picks.

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And, teams are usually unwilling to trade their big names midseason because of the impact it can have on the team. However, during the offseason everything a team does is geared toward building for the season at hand. Thus, teams are usually more likely to make that big trade during the summer, and the Avs should wait for that.

Even though the summer seems to be the most ideal option for the Avs and a big trade, it is contingent upon the deadline nonetheless. The Avs need to start giving some of their prospects a chance at NHL playing time.

Waiting for the Summer Depends on Contingency

The reason they need to give their prospects NHL playing time is so they can assess the level of talent they have and where that talent might end up on the roster next season. They need to assess their talent so they know where the holes in their roster are likely to be. In other words, talent assessment could be huge in deciding what kind of trade the organization needs to make.

And, in the case of a huge trade, the Avs might be sending at least one of their prospects the other way. Giving their prospects a chance to play at the NHL level gives NHL teams a chance to view said talent.

In order to give their prospects playing time, the Avs need to trade their depth players. They need to jettison the likes of Jarome Iginla, Rene Bourque, Francois Beauchemin, Fedor Tyutin and John Mitchell. They also need to consider the market for Carl Soderberg, Blake Comeau, Joe Colborne and Mikhail Grigorenko.

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Obviously all of those players aren’t going to be traded, but some of them should be. And by trading them, the Avs would make room for Chris Bigras, J.T. Compher, A.J. Greer and Duncan Siemens.

Most agree that bringing up prospects to the team would be detrimental because of the losing culture. However, at this point, the San Antonio Rampage can’t win either, so what losing culture is worse for their development?

Wouldn’t it be better to bring them up to the NHL and let them experience what it’s like to play at that level before they become full time roster players? Hopefully the Avs are able to trade away some of their depth at the deadline.

Conclusion

The best move the Avs can make at this year’s deadline is to make room on the roster for their young talent.

That means they need to move their depth players. Don’t get me wrong, if the Avs can find a way to move one of their big names, and the return is legit, then they should absolutely do it.

However, it may be in their best interest to wait until the summer. What they can’t do is stand idly by at the deadline and make no moves.

They need to at least move some of their depth. J.T. Compher is at least ready to play in the NHL, and Greer and Bigras are close. It’s time to evaluate their ability to play at the NHL level.

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Either way, Avs fans will find out soon enough what the front office has planned for the deadline. March 1 is only eight days away folks, and the Avalanche roster is likely to be at least a little different afterward.

Hopefully the Avs make the right moves to start the rebuild process.