The Colorado Avalanche owned two picks in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft’s first round—picks 27 and 31. They chose Mikhail Gulyayev and Calum Ritchie with those selections. Ritchie, as you may recall, was shipped off to the New York Islanders in a deal that gave Colorado Brock Nelson.
Gulyayev is still in the team’s system and there is still hope for him to make an impact In the future.
But, what if the Avalanche chose a different route with their second first-round pick? Several things may have had a chance to happen.
Calum Ritchie would not suit up for Colorado. With that in mind, the Avalanche may not have had the required package it took to trade for Nelson. The Islanders clearly wanted a young prospect in that deal.
Oh, well, what would the Avalanche have done with that 31st overall pick if it wasn’t used on Ritchie? Wouldn’t they trade away the alternate player? Maybe not.
Recently, a redraft of the 2023 Draft’s first round took place. The Athletic gave the Avalanche left wing Daniil But with their first first-round pick, and with their second, they received winger Denver Barkey.
In reality, Barkey went in the third round to the Philadelphia Flyers and did have a good run with the team in his first year at the NHL level in 2025-26. He recorded five goals and 12 assists in 43 regular season games. He also added a goal and an assist in 10 postseason games.
He had seven goals and nine assists in 26 games with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms of the AHL. It appears as though Barkey was not used very much at the center position, as he went 7/18 at the faceoff circle for the Flyers. That would’ve been a negative had the Avalanche drafted him instead.
Also, let’s address the elephant in the room. The addition of Nelson (among other acquired players) has yet to result in a trip back to the Stanley Cup Final. I’m not sure if Barkey’s addition would’ve changed that, but it goes back to the frustration that the work MacFarland put in didn’t get the Avs far.
The Flyers got real value with the selection of Barkey. It kind of stings that the Avalanche chose to trade away a prospect in Ritchie who had good potential. It did make sense at the time as he wouldn’t have made the Avalanche roster in his first year anyway, and you can’t fault the team for making a play for an instant impact player in Nelson.
It’s no surprise Barkey went from a third-round pick to a player taken in the first round of a re-draft. His improvemet has been well-documented.
We can’t change the past, but I just think that Barkey could’ve been a nice add for the Avalanche in 2023.
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