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Colorado Avalanche: Have They Done Enough for Depth?

By Nadia Archuleta

TORONTO, ONTARIO - AUGUST 16: Devon Toews #25 of the New York Islanders warms up prior to Game Three of the Eastern Conference First Round against the Washington Capitals during the 2020 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Scotiabank Arena on August 16, 2020 in Toronto, Ontario. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
TORONTO, ONTARIO - AUGUST 16: Devon Toews #25 of the New York Islanders warms up prior to Game Three of the Eastern Conference First Round against the Washington Capitals during the 2020 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Scotiabank Arena on August 16, 2020 in Toronto, Ontario. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /
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The Colorado Avalanche have made some minor depth moves in the offseason. Are they enough for a Cup run?

The Colorado Avalanche made their traditional small moves in free agency this offseason. If they went after any big names, GM Joe Sakic isn’t talking about it.

They didn’t stand pat, though. In free agency, they acquired three AHL-level forwards — Miikka Salomaki, Kiefer Sherwood, and Mike Vecchione. At best, these players are injury call-ups for the NHL team.

They could have stopped there. However, Sakic had hinted that trades might be a good route for them to boost their depth. As deep a team as the Avalanche were this last season, a spate of injuries in the second round quickly derailed their run at the Cup.

The Avalanche made their first trade when they sent defenseman Nikita Zadorov (and Anton Lindholm) to Chicago in exchange for forward Brandon Saad. They then sent a couple of draft picks — a second rounder in both 2021 and 2022 — to obtain depth defenseman Devon Toews from the New York Islanders.

Was that enough? The free agency acquisitions amount to basically nothing. Colorado had that level of player in their AHL club, the Eagles, already. But what about these two trades?

Brandon Saad is a 27-year-old who spent the majority of his career with the Chicago Blackhawks. In his time with the Hawks, he did play on the two Stanley Cup-winning teams. He’s also a five-time 20-goal scorer, including last season.

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Was giving up Zadorov a steep price to pay? I’m not in charity with the defenseman after his parting shot, that the Pepsi Center is practically the United Center with “75% of the fans are Blackhawks fans.” That’s not a true percentage, though it is a high one, and it was an a**hole thing to say.

But then, that’s who Zadorov is, and that’s what the Colorado Avalanche are losing by having traded him away. He was a pest on the ice, and he made it absolutely miserable for opponents. Sakic think the Avalanche have enough of that with Ryan Graves and Ian Cole, but I’m not convinced.

Meanwhile, the player Colorado traded their draft picks for, 26-year-old Devon Toews, seems to be their answer to having lost one of their regular defensemen. I don’t know that he’s known for being particularly gritty or menacing. Indeed, I foresee he’ll need to wait in line to make it into the lineup.

And second rounders aren’t nothing. You can get some decent players at that position. Guys who go on to have regular NHL careers. And the Avalanche gave up those two years in a row.

dark. Next. Evaluation of Off-Season Acquisitions

The understanding is that the Colorado Avalanche are no longer a team on the rebuild. They have arrived. All they need is to buttress their depth. Have they done enough to that end? Well, on the face of it, they have not. However, Sakic has been canny in recent years, so maybe these two players were just the mix Colorado needed.

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