Listen, Joe. There are a couple of players the Colorado Avalanche could benefit from having on the team.
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We Colorado Avalanche fans are approaching the most stressful time of the year (after the playoffs push and the actual playoffs): free agency. Ah, yes. That day where we have to refresh our timelines every three seconds because everyone is signing everywhere, and let’s not forget the drama that comes with it sometimes. Of course, the Colorado Avalanche won’t just sit there and watch the world burn.
The Avalanche might not make a big, surprising move (this is, in no shape or form, a challenge, Colorado), but they will surely sign one or two players on July 1st, more so because there are some players that are also hitting free agency and will make some (cap) space. But hey, numbers can be tricky and neither you nor I have the time for that, so here’s a list of players the Colorado Avalanche should consider, based on everything except salary cap and all that jazz.
Mats Zuccarello
Allow me to insist.
Three months ago, when trade deadline madness was about to hit, I wrote about how the Avs should consider getting Mats Zuccarello… only for Dallas to go “nope, mine” literally minutes after my post went live. Anyway. It’s not like I would still want him with the Avs but…
In 48 games played (because bad injuries happen to good people), Zucc recorded a total of 40 points (12 goals, 28 assists), and in 13 playoff games he got a total of 11 points (four goals, seven assists). He’s also a go-to on the power play and will not hesitate to turn to defense.
Now, it’s unlikely Dallas will give him up, as he did quite well there and has good chemistry with the team, but in case they (or Zucc himself) decide to let him go… Colorado is a good place to land in.
Artemi Panarin
But of course. Everyone wants Panarin, but only one team will get him (the drama!)
Panarin is one of those players that keeps getting better, and better. The 2018-2019 regular season was the one where he played lesser games, but got the most points (87, with 28 goals and 59 assists), and he had a good time at the playoffs as well, with 11 points in 10 games played.
Panarin wouldn’t be cheap at all, and I honestly don’t even want to think about everything he would cost, but imagine just for a moment what having him on the team – let’s say, on the second line – could do. That would give the team’s scoring depth a big boost.
In a utopian world where he wouldn’t cost the Avs a fortune aka players I really don’t want to see go. But dreaming never hurt anyone.
Petr Mrazek
With Semyon Varlamov leaving, our very own Philipp Grubauer is going to need help.
Call me a dreamer, but I feel that both goalies should have potential to be starters, with “backup” just being a word you have to use to avoid confusion. That said, Grubi needs someone he, the team, and all of us can rely on. You know that feeling with the starter is on the bench, chilling, and you see the backup on the net and you go “oh no”? Yeah, not ideal.
All this to say that Petr Mrazek could be the guy to be Grubi’s partner in crime and the Avs’ starter #2.
Mrazek ended the regular season with a save percentage of .914, in 40 games played and started. He was the Hurricanes’ magical secret during the first round of the playoffs against the defending champions, the Washington Capitals. I strongly believe he could be a good addition to the Avs. Think about it, Joe and crew.
All this gets complicated once we throw numbers in, but it’s fun to think of the possibilities, regardless of what the cost. Who would you like to see joining the Colorado Avalanche on July 1st?