Against salary cap, Colorado Avalanche should start looking for space

The Colorado Avalanche have pushed the boundaries of the salary cap this season beyond their means, but the full-season absence of team captain Gabriel Landeskog due to his knee cartilage replacement surgery has allowed the Avs to circumvent those boundaries. Not wanting to push those boundaries and press their own luck, the Avs have been strategic about their spending, utilizing the available funds to fill out the roster for the 2023-24 season. 11 games into the season and it looks like they have spent wisely.

But could some early season moves to cut down on current salaries be in the cards?

Any NHL team wants to spend their available cap space to fill out a full, complete roster that is competitive and gives them the opportunity to sell seats and please their fans. We’ve seen the issues plaguing the Arizona Coyotes, and we’ve also seen what happens when the board of owners feels a team isn’t performing within their market. Sorry Atlanta, hopefully third time’s a charm for you.

The Colorado Avalanche used the departure of Erik Johnson, J.T. Compher, Alex Newhook, and the LTIR of Gabriel Landeskog to bring in Jonathan Drouin, Miles Wood, Ross Colton, Tomas Tatar, and others. A couple of those players have blossomed early while the likes of a player like Drouin is still attempting to resurrect his career. In the fast-paced environment that is professional sports, a general manager and the front office’s job is never done once the season starts; as in-season management of the team can ultimately be the difference between missing the playoffs, getting into the playoffs, and even claiming the title of Champions.

The Avalanche have what I call “dead money” on their roster. These are players that either aren’t performing or are being poorly used in current schemes. The top three candidates for the Avalanche are Jonathan Drouin, Miles Wood, and Kurtis MacDermid. Drouin was listed as the top-line partner to MacKinnon and Rantanen but has failed to find chemistry and play at a similar level to the other members of the top line. Drouin is averaging 13:00 of TOI per game while MacKinnon and Rantanen are each averaging over 21 minutes per game. Jonathan Drouin was brought in on a close-to-veteran minimum contract of $825,000 yet appears to be playing bottom-six minutes for the Avs.

On the flip side of that, Miles Wood signed a six-year contract with the Avs for $15 million, and is performing very well, but is only averaging just over 12 minutes of time on ice (TOI) per game. Maybe it’s time to start maximizing the usage of Wood with the top six. At $3.25 million over the next few years, he deserves some more ice time. Especially after his performance against his former team, the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday night in the Avs 6-3 win.

The odd man out for the Colorado Avalanche right now is Kurtis MacDermid. MacDermid is currently making $775,000 this season in the final year of a two-year deal he signed with the Avs. However, he’s only played two games, getting a total of 15 shifts in nine minutes of ice time. He’s a healthy scratch on most nights and is listed as the Avs versatile player, being able to play both a forward and defenseman position as needed.

The Avs have other players that could fulfill that role, and that coaching may trust to give more shifts to regardless of the game script. Brad Hunt, Jack Achan, and Keaton Middleton could all be decent replacements, and even be given more ice time in Coach Bednar’s system.  It may not be the largest amount of money being moved off the salary cap, but every penny counts when you are walking the razor’s edge. The Avs will have to address the team chemistry issues, and maximizing the value of your contracts throughout the roster and the minor league affiliates will play a crucial role.