The Colorado Avalanche had to make a massive change on Tuesday when general manager Chris MacFarland bolted to the Nashville Predators, but the position wasn’t ever really open to anyone but one person. That person was Joe Sakic, who stepped aside in 2022 for MacFarland, while taking on a promotional role.
With Sakic back to managing the roster, the next thing on the agenda is the 2026 NHL Entry Draft. Of course, some other things could happen before then, but with that being said, it is just 24 days away from starting.
The Avalanche had been proactive in terms of adding to their roster. They brought in guys such as Martin Necas, Jack Drury, Brock Nelson, Nazem Kadri, Nic Roy, and Nick Blankenburg. The only one of the group who was with the Avalanche during their Stanley Cup run in 2021-22 was Kadri, who spent the last four years with the Calgary Flames before MacFarland made a trade to bring him back. The Avs gave up Victor Olofsson in the deal. Colorado also gave up prospect Maximillian Curran and a 2028 first-round pick.
That being said, the Avalanche have six total selections in the 2026 Draft. The catch, however, is that they begin in the fourth round.
The breakdown of the Avalanche’s 2026 draft picks is as follows:
• Fourth round (two);
• Fifth round (two);
• Seventh round (four)
Now, it’s possible the Avs move some of those picks to maybe move up, or use them as trade bait for a prospect or maybe even a depth player who could play a lot in 2026-27.
Their 2026 first-round pick was used to acquired Brock Nelson and William Dufour. They also included Calum Ritchie and Oliver Kylington in the deal.
Their 2026 second-round pick was included along with Alexandar Georgiev and Nikolai Kovalenko to the San Jose Sharks to begin a revamp of their goaltending room. They acquired Mackenzie Blackwood, right wing Givani Smith, and a 2027 fifth-round pick.
They do not have a 2026 third-round pick either, as they used it to acquired right winger Brandon Duhaime. Duhaim played 18 games for Colorado in 2023-24, recording just one goal and four assists.
Lastly, their 2026 sixth-round pick was used to acquire goaltender Kevin Mandolese and a 2026 seventh-round pick from the Ottawa Senators.
As it stands now, the Avs won’t be selecting any players for the first half or so of the 2026 Draft. That’s a bit of a boring time for Avs fans, but hopefully a Stanley Cup victory comes through Denver before the players acquired with those traded picks depart for retirement or another team in the future.
Add us as a preferred source on Google