Colorado Avalanche: Sakic Leaving Mackinnon Exposed

With no Colorado Avalanche deal in place just days before free agency, Joe Sakic may be leaving Nathan Mackinnon exposed to offer sheets.

Recently, Colorado Avalanche fans had a ‘freak out’ about Tyson Barrie’s RFA situation, but I think the media discussion on Nathan Mackinnon’s situation has been a little too quiet. And it’s beginning to scare me. With July 1st come and gone, Joe Sakic has made little indication that a deal with Mackinnon is imminent, insisting they’ll have it figured out “by training camp”.

Here’s the thing though: unless Sakic is willing to risk arbitration with his young star, waiting that long leaves the kid open to signing an offer sheet, something Sakic is more than familiar with. Offer sheets are rare in today’s NHL, but if I’m a team with tons of cap room and hurting for offense, I’d be thrilled at the chance to acquire such a strong talent, or, at the very least, put the Colorado Avalanche in a tight spot.

What’s really concerning is that this deal wasn’t figured out before the season ended, and not even shortly after its conclusion. Nathan Mackinnon was a first overall draft pick, Calder Trophy winner, and has proven his value to the team every year he’s been here.

Mackinnon deserves a long-term deal, or at least a generous bridge contract. The only issue Mackinnon has really had is some injury trouble at the end of the past two seasons, which may justify a bridge contract as a safer option. In either case, one must question why Sakic is waiting so long to sign Nate when there is so much at stake.

A few Teams who Might be Interested

Here’s just a few teams to watch in the RFA market. There are several more that could be dangerous as well.

Montreal Canadiens

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I’m starting with a long-shot option. Montreal isn’t exactly swimming in cap space, and still has plenty of prospects and depth players to re-sign this year. That said, this team has been a perennial Cup contender the past few years (excepting last year’s collapse), and only one or two offensive pieces away from its first Stanley Cup since 1993. If they’re willing to sacrifice some of their distant future(they have the compensatory draft picks) and clear up some cap room, an offer sheet to Mackinnon might not be out of the question. Plus, with Subban out, they’re going to need someone to make up for lost offensive production.

Arizona Coyotes

Arizona — where all our favorite Avs go to die! But really, if you want to talk about a team swimming in cap space right now, Arizona is drowning in it. Even after taking on Datsyuk’s dead weight, they’re still sitting over six million dollars below the cap floor, plus the draft picks needed to make a big offer sheet. Given, they still have quite a few re-signings to take care of, but it’s unlikely they’ll come anywhere near the cap ceiling after refusing qualifying offers to several pending RFAs. There’s even a slight chance Mackinnon would be reunited with Alex Tanguay, though Arizona hasn’t given any indication of re-signing the former Av.

New Jersey Devils

Even further below the cap floor than Arizona is New Jersey, and with several pending UFAs on the wrong side of 30, the Devils could very well make a move for a top-6 player to center the newly-acquired Taylor Hall. The big issue for the Devils, however, is that their original 2017 3rd round pick is currently in the hands of the Carolina Hurricanes. Should they find a way to get that back, and should they decide to shed their aging veterans, New Jersey could dish out some seriously scary offer sheets.

Should We be Worried?

I’m a little worried, yeah. While there’s hardly any talk of offer-sheeting Mackinnon right now, the fact that Sakic is leaving it as an option is troubling. Unless he’s planning to start the whole rebuild over again, Joe could be forced into an O’Reilly-esque contract situation with our young star, only on a larger scale.

Next: Colorado Avalanche Need Depth Over Stars

With that said, again, offer sheets are rare in the NHL, and are generally avoided for the resulting bad blood between GMs (not to mention lost draft picks). Also, in every interview, Sakic has said the negotiations have been more about term, and less about dollar amount. This gives me hope, but I would feel better if he elects to use arbitration as a safety net. In any case, let’s hope #29 is back in a Colorado Avalanche jersey next season.