Colorado Avalanche: 4 Players the Team Could Move at Deadline
WINNIPEG, MB – FEBRUARY 16: Blake Comeau
The Colorado Avalanche should be able to get some picks if they trade the following players at the NHL Trade Deadline on February 26.
The Colorado Avalanche are not in buyer mode, thank goodness. According to Avs insider Adrian Dater, GM Joe Sakic acknowledges the team is in a rebuild. He added the following:
“We certainly won’t be giving up any prospects or picks for any rental players. I’m not looking to make any significant changes to the roster.”
Of course, old Quoteless Joe stated the usual cliche of making a move it the trade makes sense. He did not, howoever, give out the old cliche of not making a move just to do so, probably because we all know he’ll do just that. Sakic likes to be at least a little active at the deadline. Here’s his history:
- March 5, 2014: Avs acquire goalie Reto Berra for a 2014 second-round pick. (Calgary Flames)
- March 2, 2015: Avs acquire Mat Clark for Michael Sgarbossa. (Anaheim Ducks)
- March 2, 2015: Avs acquire Jordan Caron, 2016 sixth-round pick for Max Talbot, Paul Carey. (Boston Bruins)
- March 2, 2015: Avs acquire Freddie Hamilton for Karl Stollery. (San Jose Sharks)
- February 29, 2016: Avs acquire Taylor Beck for Marc-Andre Cliche. (New York Islanders)
- February 29, 2016: Avs acquire Eric Gelinas for 2017 third-round pick. (New Jersey Devils)
- February 29, 2016: Avs acquire Mikkel Boedker for Alex Tanguay, Conner Bleackley, Kyle Wood. (Arizona Coyotes)
- March 1, 2017: Avs acquire Sven Andrighetto for Andreas Martinsen. (Montreal Canadiens)
- March 1, 2017: Avs acquire Joe Cannata for Cody Corbett. (Washington Capitals)
- March 1, 2017: Avs acquire Brendan Ranford for Joe Whitney. (Arizona Coyotes)
Now, last year we all wanted Sakic to trade off some players for picks and prospects. With as dismally as the team was playing, though, the star players barely looked like they were worth picks and prospects, much less the journeymen.
This year, even though the team is faltering a little in the home stretch, some players look good enough for a team to throw a later-rounder or a little-used prospect the Avs way.
Carl Soderberg
Position: Center
Goals: 11
Assists: 14
Age: 32
Center Carl Soderberg does not have a friendly contract. He has two years left at $4.75 million. For that reason, I hardly ever mentioned him as a trade possibility — until the other day. It seemed the Pittsburgh Penguins were sniffing around him.
Well, the Penguins ended up acquiring Derick Brassard in a three-team deal that you need a schematic to understand. However, the New York Islanders also gave up a third-rounder for Brandon Davidson, a big-ish defenseman who’s not known for getting a lot of playing time.
I could see Soderberg being a big veteran presence as a fourth-line center looking to stay tough through the grind of a Cup run. Soderberg might not wow with offense, but he’s also not breakable — which is saying a lot when you’re playing gritty playoff hockey.
The Avalanche would likely have to retain some salary. However, they have the space. If they could get a third-rounder for him, I’d account it worthwhile.
Blake Comeau
Position: Left Wing
Goals: 10
Assists: 12
Age: 32
Blake Comeau is another player who would be useful down the stretch of a deep Cup run. Like Soderberg, Comeau doesn’t break easily. However, he’s got a grittier streak than Carl. Comeau likes to hit, but he doesn’t get out of position to do so.
Blake has also done well by getting some good penalty kill time. He starts a lot in the defensive zone — 67.7% of the time, yet he’s not a liability. His turnover ratio is 41:21, or +20. He’s also got a slightly more cap-friendly salary, $2.4 million. His contract ends at the end of this season.
What’s more, Comeau clearly has leadership potential. He was one of the players who brainstormed before the beginning of the season how the team could turn things around after last year’s debacle. In fact, he’s worn the A whenever either Nathan MacKinnon or Erik Johnson is out with an injury.
I think all of that could be an attractive player as a rental. I could see a team throwing a fourth or fifth rounder Colorado’s way for his services through the end of the year.
Matt Nieto
Position: Left Wing
Goals: 10
Assists: 8
Age: 25
Matthew Nieto is the third component of what has been the Colorado Avalanche’s most consistent line through most of the season. He’s a player who skates really well — when I see him in practice, I’m sometimes surprised at how much speed he has in him.
Nieto also handles the stick well and doesn’t make any egregious mistakes — this is notable in a team that makes a lot of huge mistakes. Indeed, his turnover ratio is 14:8, or +6. He’s another player who sees time on the penalty kill. Likewise, 68.2% of his zone starts are in the defensive zone.
Matt is also the youngest of his three linemates and another one for not breaking too easily. He’s finishing out his one-year contract worth $1 million. After that, he’s a restricted free agent.
I could see a team wanting him for a little forward depth. As a boon, if he fits in well with the team, they could extend his contract or re-sign him easily. Maybe they’d give up a fourth or fifth rounder.
Nail Yakupov
Position: Right Wing
Goals: 9
Assists: 7
Age: 24
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I think we all wanted Nail Yakupov to work out for the Colorado Avalanche so badly. He just seems to have so much potential. When he’s on, he’s electric. When he’s off… well, the oft-used comparison is he’s a player who looks like he’s being chased by bees. He doesn’t have the best ice vision or on-ice smarts.
If only Nail had had some consistency in linemates this season, he might have succeeded. He started off by showing chemistry with Matt Duchene and Alexander Kerfoot. Unfortunately, after the Duchene trade, Yakupov didn’t get to stay with Kerfoot all the time. He’s gotten scratched quite a few games, too, including today.
What’s more, apparently Yakupov brought all his gear with him in case he got traded during the road trip. It didn’t happen, but it shows that he feels he’ll be on the move.
What’s been little-mentioned about Yakupov is his value in the locker room. He’s one of those happy personalities that spreads the joy. That is a good force to have in the locker room, especially as the tension of the playoffs wear on.
I really like Yakupov, even if his Avalanche experiment didn’t work out. I’d like to see him go to a team that goes deep into the playoffs — especially if said team coughed up a third rounder. I’d be fine with a fourth rounder, too.
Next: Predicting What the Avs will do at Deadline
The NHL Trade Deadline is fast approaching — February 26, 1 pm MT. We’ll see what, if anything the Colorado Avalanche do with the above players. But I do predict Sakic will do something — even if it’s just swapping a couple AHLers.