The Colorado Avalanche don’t have a ton of free agents this summer. Beyond the two biggest, Brent Burns and Brett Kulak, the Avs have two key RFAs to consider.
One is Zakhar Bardakov. The 25-year-old got an early look as the 4C this past season, but ended up dropping in the depth chart. That role eventually went to Jack Drury. Drury started this season as the 3C, but eventually became the full-time 4C when Nazem Kadri returned to the fold.
And it’s because Drury is still only 26 and has shown to be a reliable depth forward, the Avalanche cannot afford to let him slip away. Yes, he’s a restricted free agent. In other words, he can’t just walk away and sign elsewhere.
But Drury and the Avalanche could run into a stalemate on his next deal. And that stalemate could lead to the club being forced to trade Drury. Since Joe Sakic would be moving a distressed asset, the return for Drury could be negligible.
The big question is: How much would it cost to retain Drury? The Avalanche cannot afford to overpay, but the former Carolina Hurricanes forward will be looking to get a pay bump this offseason.
Avalanche and Drury could opt for short-term bridge dealing
The easiest way out of this conundrum would be a short-term bridge deal. Drury is one year away from unrestricted free agency. Once he hits UFA status, he can sign wherever he likes. As such, the Avalanche and Drury could agree to something like a two-year deal somewhere in the $2.5 million range. That cap hit would be a decent pay bump from his $1.725 million cap hit this season.
It’s also worth pointing out that such a move would be a way for Drury to bet on himself. If he can prove he’s much more than just a bottom-six center, Drury could cash in big time in the free-agent market in a couple of seasons.
Considering how the salary cap figures to continue rising in the next few seasons, salary inflation for NHLers should compensate for Drury’s patience.
Of course, there’s always the chance the Avs lock up Drury for something like six or seven years to keep his cap hit at a much more palatable level. However, such a plan would depend on how much that cap hit would be and how much cap space the Avalanche would have to clear to make it work.
Sakic would be hard-pressed to find a better option than Drury on the free-agent or trade markets. That’s why the best path forward would be to work things out and keep the former second-round pick in the Mile High City for the foreseeable future.
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