Colorado Avalanche: Trade Deadline Nearing, Players Need to be Dealt

The Colorado Avalanche are the biggest sellers this year, but at this point, they look to be selling their depth players.

Here’s another trade rumors/speculation/who gives flying ducks about who the Colorado Avalanche trade sort of article.

The three main targets, as far as I can figure, are Matt Duchene, Gabe Landeskog, and Jarome Iginla. Obviously, the Avs would love to deal Francois Beauchemin as well because of his no-movement clause, but that’s a pipe dream.

My bet is that they might look at dealing Mikhail Grigorenko and John Mitchell as well if they can.

If they’re going to deal Grigorenko, then he’s going to be included as a “prospect” in a package deal. Grigorenko just hasn’t developed the way most people hoped he would, and the Avs would do well to get value for him rather than leaving him exposed in the expansion draft.

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Mitchell is another player who won’t be a part of the Avs next year, so they should at least try and kick some value out of him. Jarome Iginla is an obvious departure because he wants a Cup, and his likelihood of being traded is almost certain.

Francois Beauchemin, meanwhile, needs to go. The Avs cannot afford to be forced into protecting him during the expansion draft. Dealing him is going to be difficult though, but let’s look at some options for Beauch, and the other players I have listed.

The Trades the Avs Need to be Considering

First of all, if you’re looking for trade partners that involve either Duchene or Landeskog, then check these out:

I’m not going to go into any detail on those trades because I think they’re unlikely to happen before this summer.

What I’m interested in is the potential trades that involve Iginla, Beauchemin, Grigorenko, and Mitchell.

Even Tyson Barrie is another name the Avs should consider trading.

The point is, this trade deadline is rife with potential trade options the Avs can consider. And before they trade a core player like Duchene or Landeskog, they need to deal their depth assets.

Duchene and Landeskog are trades they Avs should probably consider this summer, but the trade deadline will ultimately decide what happens with both of them.

I’ve gone through the options for Iginla, Barrie and Grigorenko (he’s a consolation prize), but I haven’t really looked at Mitchell or Beauchemin yet. Let’s get started.

John Mitchell

John Mitchell is not having a good season for the Colorado Avalanche, but many players are not having good seasons this year.

Nonetheless, in 43 games, Mitchy has a grand total of 1 goal, and that’s it. Either Mitchell’s performance is dropping severely, or he needs a change of scenery.

The good thing is, he comes off the books this year, and the Avs don’t really have to worry about getting any return for him. At the rate he’s playing right now, he’ll be lucky to get a PTO contract this summer. No one even took him off waivers when he was placed on them earlier this season.

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However, that does not mean that Mitchy couldn’t provide a trade partner with a nice complimentary piece in a trade.

It’s not like the Avs can trade Mitchell for a draft pick though, so if they do trade him, it’s just to give a team another piece in the trade. I personally don’t believe that Mitchy’s days are through in the NHL, but he certainly hasn’t proven that this season.

To be honest, I don’t really have a trade partner that could conceivably pick up Mitchy’s rights. However, if the Avs do make a trade at the deadline involving Duchene or Landeskog — say to the Hurricanes or Ducks — Mitchell’s name could be included.

Let’s move on.

Francois Beauchemin

Beauchemin has one year left on his contract, so that has to be considered in any trade the Avs make. Any team that takes on Beauchemin’s rights are going to have to deal with another year at a cap hit of 4.5 million.

However — and this is a question I can’t seem to find the answer to — can a team leave him unprotected in the expansion draft if he has already waived his no-move clause to be traded from the Avs?

It’s not like the Las Vegas Golden Knights would jump at a player like Beauchemin, but he could certainly be a nice veteran presence on a young blueline for the Knights.

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The problem is finding a suitor to take on Beauchemin’s rights, and making sure that said suitor is someone Beauch is keen on going to.

Beauchemin plays entirely too many minutes for the Colorado Avalanche currently. However, if he was utilized as a top six defenseman, he could provide steady minutes.

To be honest, there are only a number of contenders each year, and that number will become more clear at the deadline.

Right now, the contenders are likely the Washington Capitals, Pittsburgh Penguins, Columbus Blue Jackets, Minnesota Wild, Sharks and Rangers. Out of those teams, only the Rangers could really use a bottom pairing defenseman.

Conclusion

The Colorado Avalanche are busted this season, and they’re only chance at a successful rebuild comes through trading depth.

Francois Beauchemin is the player they need to deal more than any other player. Unfortunately, he is going to be the most difficult player for them to move.

Jarome Iginla will also be difficult, but if they Avs don’t ask too much, then he should be an easy move. Iginla is in the final year of his contract, so he’s merely a rental. Beauchemin, on the other hand, has one year left on his contract, so he becomes a liability.

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Finally, John Mitchell is probably not going anywhere, but luckily he comes off the books during the summer as well. I would be surprised if Mitchell received even a PTO contract this summer with the way he’s played this season.

The Avs need to surround their players with more skilled depth, and trading away the depth they currently have will go a long way toward that goal.

So, even if the trade deadline does not feature a name like Duchene or Landeskog this year, fans should hope that it involves a lot of depth names currently on the Avs roster.

Unfortunately, in order to get rid of those depth names, some star players may need to be included.

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