Colorado Avalanche: 3 RFA Prospects who should get Qualifying Offers
The Colorado Avalanche will soon look to tidying up their free agency contract situations. These three prospects should be offered Qualifying Offers.
The Colorado Avalanche have a lot of contracts coming to an end this offseason. On the NHL team proper, they have four pending unrestricted free agents and five pending restricted free agents.
When you get to the prospects, guys who weren’t regularly on the NHL roster, you see a lot of pending RFAs — 10, to be exact.
Of those players, there are a handful of prospects who have the chance of making the NHL team next season, at least as first call-up. They may even impress out of training camp.
One of those prospects is A.J. Greer. He’s such a special case that I’m going to write about him separately. Another is Vladislav Kamenev — ditto separate article.
Let’s look at three other prospects who should definitely get Qualifying Offers because they have a shot at NHL time.
Ryan Graves
Position: Defenseman
Age: 24
NHL Time: 26 games (all with Colorado)
2018-19 Totals: 5 points (3 goals, 2 assists) in 26 NHL games; 9 points (2 goals, 7 assists) in 32 AHL games
This one’s a little bit of a cheat. Graves is already past his entry-level contract — the Colorado Avalanche acquired him in trade at the end of his ELC and signed him last summer to a one-year standard. What’s more, with 26 NHL games under his belt, he won’t even be a rookie anymore.
Nonetheless, Ryan Graves is a pending RFA. I’m pretty sure Colorado will make a QO. They showed a lot of faith in him last season, calling him up when the injury bug bit the defensive corps.
He spent the last couple weeks of the season and all of the playoffs as a healthy scratch in favor of Patrik Nemeth. However, I don’t think Nemeth will be back next season, so Graves may be able to take his place as seventh defenseman.
Sheldon Dries
Position: Center
Age: 24
NHL Time: 40 games (all with Colorado)
2018-19 Totals: 6 points (3 goals, 3 assists) in 40 NHL games; 11 points (3 goals, 8 assists) in 25 AHL games
Sheldon Dries is a little of a cheat, too. I actually was astounded he had 40 games with the Colorado Avalanche last year. He made the team out of training camp, but he bounced back and forth between the Avs and the Eagles.
Dries looked good in the preseason and completely out of his element once the regular season started. He eventually found his NHL legs, and was a pretty good force with the limited minutes he got (under 10 most nights).
Dries was undrafted. However, after four years of NCAA play, he earned an AHL contract with the Texas Stars. Last year he signed with the Avalanche in the summer. His one-year entry-level is complete, and he’s an RFA.
I could see the Colorado Avalanche bringing him back in the same role. He’s never going to be more than a fourth-line forward, but he was perfectly adequate at that.
Mason Geertsen
Position: Defenseman
Age: 24
NHL Time: 0 games
2018-19 Totals: 16 points (3 goals, 13 assists) in 58 AHL games
More from Editorials
- Colorado Avalanche fans rejoice! Cale Makar is on the cover of NHL ’24
- Could Colorado Avalanche D Cale Makar get overlooked by NHL 24?
- Darren Helm was a key to Colorado Avalanche 2021-22 championship
- Go easy on Colorado Avalanche G Justus Annunen in loss to Devils
- 5 under-the-radar trades the Colorado Avalanche should explore
Mason Geertsen is the wild card on this list because, unlike the other two, he has no NHL time outside of the preseason. But, unlike the other two, he’s a player the Colorado Avalanche drafted — #93 in 2013.
Geertsen completed his three-year entry-level contract in 2018. Last summer he signed a standard one-year contract.
Unless a fierce injury bug bites the Colorado blueline — fingers crossed it doesn’t — Geertsen is unlikely to see much if any NHL time. However, he did develop pretty well into his AHL role. I’d say he’s a core player for the Eagles.
Colorado has little to risk in signing him to another standard contract. You never know when he might take a big stride forward and provide a little help in the (hopefully never) case of decimation of the Avalanche’s blueline.
Next. Colorado Needs to Play Graves Next Year. dark
The Colorado Avalanche must tender a Qualifying Offer by the Monday after the NHL Draft, in this case June 24. I feel confident all three of the players on this list will get a QO from the team.