As the season quickly heads into trade deadline time, some persistent rumors surrounding the Colorado Avalanche have only gotten magnified. Rumors are often based more on practicality and apparent logic than on the actual likelihood of happening and financials.
That doesn’t mean they can’t happen. It just means that these rumors make a direct connection without necessarily taking into account the minutiae that could make them plausible.
That said, let’s take a look at two persistent trade rumors that just won’t go away. Perhaps there’s more to them, but as it stands at the moment, they’re pretty far-fetched.
Avalanche reunion with Nazem Kadri
One of the most prevalent rumors this season has been the Avalanche’s need for another center. There is validity in that assessment. However, the precise need for a center depends on who you see Jack Drury. If you believe he’s a good 3C, then the need would be for a 4C. If you feel that Drury is better off as 4C, then the Avalanche would do well to target a 3C.
That said, one name that’s come up consistently is Nazem Kadri. Yes, the Avalanche had a significant hole when he departed after the 2022 season. But the Avs have since filled it with Brock Nelson.
That’s why adding Kadri is sort of redundant. Unless he were willing to play more of a 3C in Colorado, there’s little chance Kadri would waive his no-trade clause to head back to Colorado. Sure, the allure of a Stanley Cup could be too much to pass up. But that’s a big if.
From the Avalanche’s perspective, Kadri comes with a $7 million cap hit and three more years on his contract. At 35, the term left on his contract is something that GMs may be wincing at.
The Calgary Flames won’t be eating up any of his contract. So, the Avalanche would be stuck with footing the bill until 2029. While I would completely dismiss Kadri returning to Colorado, I would say the likelihood is about as high as the Avalanche firing Jared Bednar and hiring me to replace him.
The betting odds are on Kadri staying in Calgary, unless the Flames fully embrace a rebuild. The organization is still in denial, so that’s that.
Rangers blockbuster for Panarin
This rumor has picked up a lot of steam over the last week or so. According to Peter Baugh and Vincent Mercogliano in The Athletic, the Avalanche would seem like a logical destination for Panarin. Baugh and Mercogliano pointed out that the Avs were in play to sign Panarin in free agency back in 2019, but couldn’t beat out the Rangers.
That’s why it seems the situation is coming full circle. Baugh and Mercogliano even went as far as naming Ross Colton as the main piece heading back to Broadway.
The idea isn’t totally off the wall. The Rangers could use Colton in their rebuild, while Panarin would be an embarrassment of riches for the Avalanche. But there are two main glitches in this idea.
First, Panarin’s cap hit would require some juggling to work in Colorado. Jettisoning Colton would be a good start, but the Avs may need to ship out another contract, even if the Rangers retain 50% on the final chunk of his contract.
The other issue to keep in mind is that the belief is that the Avalanche needs a center, not a winger. While things have worked as they are right now, adding Panarin would be an opportunity that the Avalanche might not pass up.
I daresay that the likelihood of adding Panarin is higher than that of Kadri. It’s much higher than the Avalanche hiring me as coach. But it’s around the same odds of Wayne Gretzky lacing up the skates for Team Canada at this year’s Olympics.
Again, I could be completely wrong. Perhaps Chris MacFarland leaves fans grasping for their defibrillators by trading for both Kadri and Panarin. But that’s not something to really bet on.