Colorado Avalanche Offseason is Spring-loaded to Move Fast Soon

There is one thing to look forward to as a Colorado Avalanche fan this time of year: the amount of changes likely to happen over the offseason.

Luckily, the Colorado Avalanche offseason horse will come out the gates sprinting here in a matter of weeks. As soon as the Stanley Cup is lifted by either the Nashville Predators or Pittsburgh Penguins, the Avs’ offseason gets kicked into high gear.

That is the moment they can buyout Francois Beauchemin’s contract. It is the moment they can start talking trades ahead of the upcoming expansion draft. And — if the final goes to game 7 — it is also just under two weeks before the NHL entry draft.

Essentially, the offseason is going to ramp up in a hurry for the Avs because they have quite a few items on their to-do list.

Not only did they just clean house on Tuesday, but there are rumors of them making even more of a philosophical change in management. The rumors started and ended with Kyle Dubas, but that does not mean the Avs are done looking for another GM.

Furthermore, the changes won’t take place only off the ice. Make no mistake, the Colorado Avalanche are in for some huge on-ice changes this summer as well.

In other words, the offseason is a bullet ready to leave the chamber at high speed and smack into something. Unfortunately, we won’t see the impact until December, at the very least. Nonetheless, we can watch the trajectory. And, you can bet the bullet is going to come out fast and hard here in a couple weeks.

This Offseason is Shaping up to be Historic

With the revamped expansion draft rules, this offseason was going to be crazy regardless. However, from a Colorado Avalanche perspective, it could end up being mayhem.

There are just too many variables at this point. There is one constant though. A 48 point season, and the worst point total a team has ever mustered during the salary cap era. Folks, that necessitates change of the highest order, which is why this offseason is likely to get crazy.

The team is already on the lookout for new assistant coaches, and there are some good options available.

You would think those hirings will be made before the expansion draft, but stranger things have happened.

Regardless, the two weeks or so between the Stanley Cup victory and the expansion draft are likely to be some of the most exciting wheeling and dealing to ever occur in the NHL. And, you can be sure the Avs will be a part of it.

Then, the entry draft comes and the Avalanche have to decide what to do with their complete lack of luck. Luckily, there are still some enticing options available at No. 4 (my money is on dark-horse Nick Suzuki).

If the Avs don’t join the expansion draft trade frenzy, then they are likely to pull some maneuvers on the draft floor. Regardless, they will still probably make some trades on the floor for picks and prospects.

Finally, free agency will strike. Unfortunately, even if the Avs wanted to go after big fish in free agency, they wouldn’t be able to. Good luck wooing some big name to Colorado with the state the franchise is in currently.

Still, the team is likely to make some role player signings to help the young guys. The roster is likely to be drastically different by the time free agency comes around, so cohesion will be key.

Conclusion

This is an exciting, yet nerve-racking time of year for Avalanche fans. Who will survive the purge? Who will be shipped off to greener pastures? What will my team look like come July 1st? These are the questions that are rumbling around in the mind of every fan right now.

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Fortunately, we will all know the direction of this team and the results of the most grueling part of the offseason by the end of June. And, it will all begin soon. The bullet is just waiting for the hammer, and the pressure of a finger.

We’re in for it this offseason folks, so hang on tight because it’s about to start.