Colorado Avalanche: Top Five Potential Unrestricted Free Agents for Team to Consider
The Colorado Avalanche will have a lot of available cap space this summer, and will probably go after at least one big name in free agency because of it.
The Colorado Avalanche cannot afford to go after an aging name again in free agency. They also need to make sure that they don’t offer someone too much money, or too much term.
So, free agency is certainly something the Avs need to be careful of this summer. That being said, there are still a few names that might be worth the trouble for the Avalanche.
Today, I’ll look at five of those names, and rank them in order for best to least. What the Avs need is defense and top six forward help, so those will be the targets focused on this article.
It’s true, this discussion might be a little premature, but with just 12 games remaining, the summer is quickly becoming the focus for Avs fans.
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And, considering free agency has been such a volatile topic for the Avs recently, it’s time to detail some options that actually make sense for the club.
So, without further adieu, let’s get started.
T.J. Oshie
The Washington Capitals are going to have some cap problems with a couple different free agents this summer.
They made a trade for Kevin Shattenkirk at the deadline, and they are unlikely to be able to maintain his services.
T.J. Oshie is also set to become an unrestricted free agent (UFA) this summer, and the Caps are unlikely to be able to hold onto him either.
The Capitals currently have $748,710 in cap space right, according to CapFriendly. They also have 11 players on their current roster who have expiring contracts this summer.
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Those players include T.J. Oshie, Justin Williams, Evgeny Kuznetsov, Andre Burakovsky, Karl Alzner, Kevin Shattenkirk, Nate Schmidt and Dmitry Orlov.
That list makes up a bunch of the Capitals’ current top-end talent. And, they need to re-sign names like Kuznetsov, Burakovsky, Alzner, Schmidt and Orlov before they worry about signing any of their other big names.
After they sign those names, they won’t be able to hold onto T.J. Oshie. He will be looking for a raise beyond his current cap hit of 4.175 million, and Oshie will get it on the open market.
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That’s where the Avs come in. Instead of spending 5.3 million on an aging veteran like Jarome Iginla, they would be smart to direct that money to a player like Oshie.
However, Oshie will also be looking for term on top of that money, so the Avs need to be careful. He is still only 30 years old, but the Avs would be making a poor decision to sign him longer than three years.
Oshie would certainly be a great addition on the second line, but only at the right price and with the right term.
Michael Del Zotto
The Philadelphia Flyers are unlikely to have as many cap problems as the Washington Capitals this summer. However, they may want to upgrade their lineup so they can be more competitive. In that case, they will need to let go of a couple players this summer.
The Flyers currently have $1,351,735 in cap space, according to CapFriendly, and they have eight expiring contracts on their current roster. Out of those eight expiring contracts, three belong to Steve Mason, Shayne Gostisbehere and Michael Del Zotto.
Furthermore, the Flyers have some real good defensive talent emerging in their system that they need to make room for on their NHL roster. So, letting Del Zotto go to free agency would be more of a youth movement rather than a cap space issue.
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Del Zotto is a steady presence on the blueline, and he would immediately help to upgrade the left side. He could either slide into the top pairing with Erik Johnson, or the second pairing with Tyson Barrie.
Obviously, his usefulness on the roster would depend solely on what the Avs plan on doing with Matt Duchene this summer.
If the Avalanche decide to trade Duchy for a top flight defender this summer, then this signing becomes rather obsolete. Obviously that would depend on the handedness of the defenseman they sign, but Del Zotto is not going to be cheap if the Flyers decide to let him go.
Alexander Radulov
The Montreal Canadiens are still paying Tomas Plekanec a ridiculous six million for next season, so they will run into salary cap problems this summer as well.
However, they currently have $4,521,387 in cap space, according to CapFriendly. Nonetheless, they have some big contracts expiring this summer, and could run into contract issues because of it.
For example, Alex Galchenyuk’s contract is expiring this summer, and he is due for a huge pay raise. Nathan Beaulieu will also be getting a pay raise this summer.
And, Carey Price will only have one year left on his contract after this year. So, they may try to jump the UFA gun and sign him long term this summer as well.
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With all that being said, the Canadiens are unlikely to be able to afford an extension for Alexander Radulov. The Canadiens were willing to give him 5.75 million for a one year contract, but he probably isn’t worth that long term.
Radulov is also 30 years old, and he will soon be on the wrong side of that coin. Therefore, he needs a shorter contract, and a pay reduction.
Unfortunately, if he’s sent to the open market, he will likely get thrown an albatross of a contract, and the Avs can’t let themselves compete with that.
Personally, I don’t think he is worth as much as T.J. Oshie, but there are many teams that would disagree. Radulov produces at a nice clip, and plays the ice pretty well; however, he is also an uncertainty in the locker room.
The Avs may be looking for wing help, but Radulov is a risk worth taking only if he takes a pay reduction and a three year contract, at most.
Michael Stone
The Calgary Flames recently traded for Michael stone, in what many considered to be a lopsided trade in the Flames’ favor. So, the Flames are likely to re-sign Stone this summer if they can afford him.
The Flames are currently in the red with cap space, according to CapFriendly, but they’re maintaining due to long-term injured reserve relief.
Nonetheless, they have some big contracts expiring this summer, and they’ll probably let at least a few go to free agency. For example, the Flames are unlikely to re-sign Dennis Wideman after his regression the past two years, and he carries a cap hit of 5.25 million.
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Furthermore, Stone has performed extremely well for the Flames since being traded there. He had nine points in 45 games with the Coyotes before being traded, and he now has four points in nine games with the Flames.
And, if the Flames re-sign him, then they only give up a third and fifth round pick for his services. That’s starting to look like a real good deal at this point, and it’s unlikely he hits free agency.
But, if he demands too much in a re-sign, then it is still conceivable that he goes to free agency. If he does, then the Avalanche should certainly consider giving him a contract offer.
Ales Hemsky
The Dallas Stars are in for a huge overhaul this summer, and there are some names likely to hit the open market because of that overhaul.
Nonetheless, they’re still paying Jason Spezza an astronomical 7.5 million for the next two years after this season. And, Jamie Benn’s 9.5 million dollar contract sets in next season as well, which is a raise of 4.25 million on his current cap hit.
Furthermore, Tyler Seguin’s contract has two years left on it after this year, so they need to be cognizant of the raise on the horizon for him.
They also have to decide if they want to hold onto Patrick Sharp’s services, who’s contract also expires this summer. And, they will certainly want to upgrade the talent surrounding Benn and Seguin, so they may want to have some extra space come free agency time to do that.
Finally, the Stars’ goaltending is atrocious, so an upgrade is necessary there, and that could get expensive for them.
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With all those factors in mind, it’s likely that the Stars let Ales Hemsky go to free agency. He hasn’t been the best producer for the Stars since he was signed by them, but he still has upside in a third line role.
There is a reason he is the last player on this slideshow. The Avs don’t really need third line talent with the likes of A.J. Greer, J.T. Compher, Matt Nieto, Sven Andrighetto and Mikhail Grigorenko in their organization.
They also don’t need to sign another veteran to an astronomical contract. However, Hemsky likely comes cheap for any team willing to take a chance on him. He’s 33 years old currently, and his best days are definitely behind him, but he was once a near point per game producer in the NHL.
He can also still skate real well, and would fit with the new speed the Avalanche are focusing on in their lineup. He wouldn’t break the bank either, and the Avs could probably get a way with offering him a two-year contract.
Conclusion
This article is certainly early because there is still a bunch of hockey left, and the expansion draft, as well. However, it’s time to start thinking about what free agents will fit within the new direction the Avs are taking.
Furthermore, after the expansion draft, I’ll roll out an updated version of this article. For now, these are the names the Avs should be targeting.
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They need help on the wings, and they need help on defense. But, if the Avs are able to trade Duchene, then their need for defensive talent suddenly becomes obsolete. So, time will tell what actually ends up taking place for the Avs around free agency.
In the meantime, the players listed above would be good targets for them to look at. They aren’t too old, and their prices wouldn’t be too high, especially with the amount of cap the Avs are likely to have this summer.