The Colorado Avalanche re-appointed Joe Sakic as their general manager as Chris MacFarland left to go to the Nashville Predators. Thankfully, Sakic has been in the loop regarding all of the things MacFarland was tasked with up until his departure. Now, it’s all on Sakic’s plate.
While they’ve got a very strong core of players, the Avalanche still need to address several things in the coming weeks and months. Let’s begin.
Cale Makar’s next contract extension
The hottest topic around the Colorado Avalanche is the upcoming extension for the league’s top defenseman in Cale Makar.
Makar could see upwards of $20 million a year, which, if anyone deserves that type of raise, it’s him. Makar will still be 27-years-old when the 2026-27 begins. He turns 28 in October. There are still many amazing years to come from Makar, and he will deserve each and every penny that he is awarded with.
Colorado currently is projected to have $37.7 million in available cap space in 2027-28, when Makar’s extension would kick in. Artturi Lehkonen and Nicolas Roy are perhaps the biggest free agents-to-be in 2027, once Makar’s extension comes to light.
Makar will officially be eligible for an extension in less than one month—July 1st.
Adding more draft capital
The Avalanche have gone all-in on trying to improve its roster for the present. They are in a championship window right now and wasting it would be devastating.
However, teams still need to take a look at what their future could hold. Right now, their draft pick collection is thin. They do not have a first-round pick in any of the three upcoming drafts. They also have just one pick in the second round in the next three years (2027). Additionally, their only third-round selection in that timeframe is in 2028.
Colorado has been considered as one of the teams with the worst prospect pools in all of the NHL. While that title wont go away immediately, adding to it would help tremendously. It would also be nice to have some players who are developing at a solid pace so that they could end up making an impact in the NHL in a couple of years.
In last year’s draft, the Avs selected three players from Round 3-7: Defensemen Francesco Dell'elce and Linus Funk, and center Nolan Road. In the 2024 Draft, Colorado did select nine players, including three goalies.
Development takes a ton of time, but one thing is for sure: The Avalanche have got to hit on some of these draft selections to help them for a bright future.
Sakic will not be short on things to do.
Adding center depth
The Avalanche are set with Nathan MacKinnon as the top-line center. What they aren’t necessarily set on for many years to come is the centers below the top line.
Currently, Colorado’s center depth consists of Brock Nelson, Nic Roy, and Jack Drury. Roy contributed with eight goals this past season while Drury had 10. Bottom-six players aren’t necessarily meant to be high-scoring players. However, if the Avalanche could add depth there, it would be remarkable.
As a team in a championship window, the Avalanche need players to come in and be able to play significant minutes. While those players won’t get 10+ minutes a game, the minimal amount is crucial for long playoff runs. Keeping stars fresh is the most important thing.
Adding depth that can score is also a focal point, though a lot of teams will probably be looking for that specifically, so it’s a matter of selling free agents on why they should choose Colorado.
Increasing the team’s depth would also allow Jared Bednar to utilize the “Bednar Blender,” and have him be able to shift his lines to how he sees fit, not only in the playoffs, but for the regular season, too.
Drury and Parker Kelly can play both wing and center, but they can only play one position at a time. Adding that depth is very much needed.
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