Mile High Sticking
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Colorado Avalanche grade in 2022 NHL Draft is okay

By Graham Tiedtke

Jul 7, 2022; Montreal, Quebec, CANADA; Colorado Avalanche executive vice president and general manager Joe Sakic speaks after receiving the Jim Gregory general manager of the year award during the first round of the 2022 NHL Draft at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 7, 2022; Montreal, Quebec, CANADA; Colorado Avalanche executive vice president and general manager Joe Sakic speaks after receiving the Jim Gregory general manager of the year award during the first round of the 2022 NHL Draft at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Colorado Avalanche received a poor grade for their 2022 NHL Draft selections, but it is all okay in the Mile High City.

The Colorado Avalanche came away from the 2022 NHL Draft with just two prospects after sending their other draft selections to several other teams throughout time, including the latest one—a third rounder and fifth rounder to the New York Rangers for goaltender Alexandar Georgiev.

The team chose to select defenseman Chris Romaine from Milton Academy and goaltender Ivan Zhigalov from Sherbrooke Phoenix (QMJHL).

Bleacher Report graded every team for each of their draft classes, giving the Colorado Avalanche the worst grade of them all: D+.

I know that the grades are meant for the draft selections and like they state in the article, it is hard to give the Avalanche a higher grade due to the fact they only had two selections, but the criteria should be a little bit different.

The Avalanche potentially found a solid replacement for goaltender Darcy Kuemper in the trade with the Rangers. That has to count for something. They are replacing a Stanley Cup-winning goaltender with a guy who has many more years left in the league than Kuemper. Plus, he will be a cheaper option.

The Avalanche weren’t looking for players that could make an instant impact. While there are questions about some pending free agents, it appears that the team is nearing a deal with Valeri Nichushkin and will at some point extend centerman Nathan MacKinnon.

At the end of the day, the Colorado Avalanche are on top of the world. They have a general manager in Joe Sakic who was just named the best general manager in the league from this past season. They have a good mix of veterans and young players who have already proven a lot. This team’s window is wide open and have the chance to compete for many years to come.

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