Colorado Avalanche: Worst Case Scenario for the Offseason

4 of 6

Jun 27, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Conner Bleackley (left) puts on a team sweater in front of head coach Patrick Roy after being selected as the number twenty-three overall pick to the Colorado Avalanche in the first round of the 2014 NHL Draft at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /

Entry Draft

It would be good if the Colorado Avalanche drafted with vision in the 2017 NHL Draft. We could hope they have a blueprint for their rebuild and the players they need to rebuild to that blueprint. Then it will be a matter of drafting the players in each round toward that plan.

It’s also fine if the Avalanche play it safe. They need help at every position. If they choose the best player available at a chosen position in each round, that will suffice, too.

What can’t happen is the Colorado Avalanche go the way of the Edmonton Oilers for several years and just choose best available regardless of the position. Then they’ll end up with a bouquet of the same kind of forwards and no other depth otherwise.

The worst case scenario is the Avs go all Colorado Avalanche and try to get too cute. They shouldn’t be looking for the unseen diamond in the rough. Nor should they draft significantly lower than a given selection because they think they see something in a player they want. No offense to Connor Bleackley, but, yes, I mean him.

So don’t choose Cale Makar with the fourth-overall draft pick. You’re not getting a Connor McDavid at that spot. But that doesn’t mean you need to get a glorified Tyson Barrie either.

The 2017 NHL Draft starts at 4:00 pm on June 23 (first round) and starts at 7:00 am on June 24 (second through seventh rounds). The entire draft will be televised on NBC Sports Network.

Home/Editorials