The Colorado Avalanche have made some waves at this year’s NHL trade deadline. Thus far, they’ve landed two defensemen, Brett Kulak and Nick Blankenburg, and a forward, Nic Roy.
That’s a solid haul considering the Avalanche have mostly traded draft picks away.
That said, the Avs might still have one more deal up their sleeves. The chatter posits that another Toronto Maple Leafs player could be joining the Avalanche. That could be one of Bobby McMann or Scott Laughton.
Now, in case you’re wondering why the Avalanche didn’t just include these players in the Nic Roy trade, the answer lies in the circumstances behind that trade.
According to reports, the Avalanche had a deal in place for Nazem Kadri. However, that deal fell through, leading to the pivot to Roy. That’s why it’s safe to assume that the Avs had not really discussed something like, say, McMann and Roy in a package deal. There’s a good chance those were two separate negotiations.
I wouldn’t venture to include Scott Laughton in this conversation for one simple reason. Laughton is a center, a 4C in fact. The Avs already have one in Jack Drury. So, it wouldn’t really make sense to bring in another Center, unless Drury was heading back to Toronto, or something like that.
It makes more sense to see McMann head to Colorado. The Avalanche could use another winger, making someone on a cheap deal like McMann a good idea.
It’s worth pointing out that there may be other angles here. It’s unlikely the Avalanche are eyeing a defenseman. So, another depth forward could be on the radar as well. It wouldn’t be surprising to see Colorado target someone who could play up and down the lineup.
One depth piece we’ve speculated about is Taylor Raddysh of the New York Rangers. Such a player could be something up the Avalanche’s alley at the trade deadline.
So, keep an eye out during the next four hours or so because the Avalanche might still pull off a major move.