4 Colorado Avalanche Players Who Might be Traded

Nick Holden, Defenseman

Colorado Avalanche defenseman Nick Holden may be a surprising addition to this list. However, some of what I said about Reto Berra is true for Holden as well.

Nick Holden was an undrafted player who couldn’t even really cut it with the Columbus Blue Jackets. He played only seven games with the Blue Jackets, spending more of his time with their AHL affiliate.

Holden became one of the first free agency signings Sakic and Roy made in the summer of 2013. He wavered in and out of the lineup that first season, but he eventually impressed enough to earn a contract extension in the summer of 2014.

Last season wasn’t a fabulous year for Nick Holden. He “led” the Colorado Avalanche in plus/minus rating with a -11. (It was -15 for most of the season.) He made a lot of mistakes and was showing pretty poorly even among the lower levels of the Avalanche blue line.

Just like with Reto Berra, Nick Holden got better as the season went along, and he’s solid this year. He’s Tyson Barrie‘s current defensive partner.

This is what would make Nick Holden such valuable trade bait — he looks pretty good as a defenseman in a league that covets good defensemen. What’s more, his contract is team-friendly at two more seasons for a $1.65 million cap hit.

The future of the Colorado Avalanche defense includes current staples Erik Johnson and Tyson Barrie along with Nikita Zadorov and Chris Bigras. Andrew Bodnarchuk is ok for now, and the Avs also have Mason Geertsen, Mat Clark and Cody Corbett waiting in the wings. In other words, they can afford to dangle Holden for a possible return on forward depth.

Next: Duncan Siemens