Colorado Avalanche: 4 Players Who May not Return Next Season

Four Colorado Avalanche players might be on the fence about returning next season. They’re all pending free agents.

The Colorado Avalanche have a lot of pending unrestricted and restricted free agents this coming summer. During their exit interviews, the players who won’t be invited back were likely told. However, the team hasn’t released that information yet.

We already looked at five players who almost certainly won’t return:

With the four players on this list, it’s harder to say. They showed some value to the team, but they may just not fit in with the future of the Avalanche.

Rocco Grimaldi, pending UFA

I could see the situation going either way with Rocco Grimaldi. He’s only 25, so he fits in with the Avalanche’s youth movement. And, while he’s not in the high-skill category the team prefers, he makes some good plays at the NHL level.

Grimaldi did play six games with the Avs last season, recording a goal and two assists in that time. He shined more at the AHL level, though, with 15 goals and 16 assists in 49 games. Those kinds of numbers at both levels are relatively easy to come by in pro hockey players.

I’d say that, if the Colorado Avalanche decide to keep Grimaldi, it’ll be for two reasons. One, he’s shown chemistry with both teams, and that’s important to the Avs. Two, he’s a good fill-in at the AHL level who can jump up to the NHL if needed.

That said, I could also see the Avs taking a pass on Rocco to further promote their youth movement by giving their own draftees more playing time.

Patrik Nemeth, pending RFA

Defenseman Patrik Nemeth played some big minutes for the Avalanche after they acquired him off of waivers, especially with Erik Johnson’s injury situation. He averaged around 25 minutes a game with Johnson out of the lineup.

Unfortunately, those weren’t great minutes. He’s a decent shut-down defenseman, but his puck handling leaves a lot to be desired. So do his possession metrics — he was at 38 for CorsiFor% and a -12.7 relative Corsi.

Nemeth is pretty young, though, at 26. He showed good chemistry with the team, too. He adds some size and grit to the Avs blueline, which they don’t have much of otherwise. I’d say if the Avs could get him cheap — around the same $945,000 they paid last season — they’d give him a year contract.

Mark Barberio, pending UFA

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We didn’t appreciate defenseman Mark Barberio until he was gone and came back. He really is a good puck mover. He’s got a solid skill set that includes good skating and puck handling.

His possession metrics are a sight better than Nemeth’s at 48.9 CorsiFor% and +1.1 relative Corsi. He had three goals and 10 assists in 46 games.

I’d say Barberio has two knocks against him. One is age — 28. That’s far from old, but it’s creeping up into veteran territory on a youth-movement team. The bigger knock is his injury history. He missed all of February and March due to an unspecified lower body injury. The Avs already have an injury-prone veteran d-man in Johnson — they probably don’t need another.

If Colorado did sign Barberio, though, it would probably be just for a year. He does come pretty cheap at $750,000.

Blake Comeau, pending UFA

Of all the players on this list, winger Blake Comeau contributed the most for the team. He found chemistry on the checking line, which quickly became Colorado’s most consistent line. His numbers weren’t out of this world — 13 goals, 21 assists — but that’s pretty respectable for a third liner.

What’s more, Comeau showed a lot of leadership. He was part of the crew, along with Johnson and captain Gabriel Landeskog, who brainstormed last summer on how to get the Avs out of the basement. When Johnson was out of the lineup, Comeau often wore the A as alternate captain.

The big knock against Comeau is age — 32. If the team is truly committed to a youth movement, Blake doesn’t fit in.

I’d say the Avs might consider signing him to a one-year deal if he accepts a discount from the $2.4 million he made last season. But after that, they need to tap one of their youngsters for Comeau’s role.

Next: Avs Making Waves at Worlds

The Colorado Avalanche turnover due to free agency could potentially be 11 regular players, including the four on this list. I’d say a couple of these guys could return, though, because they showed value to the team.