The Colorado Avalanche played the Jack Drury card the right way. They traded him this offseason so that they got something for him, rather than letting him walk in free agency. They knew they wouldn’t be able to re-sign him, as evidenced by his extension with the Nashville Predators he signed shortly after his arrival.
The team acquired Fedor Svechkov and Zachary L’Heureux in that same trade with Nashville. Colorado hopes that their additions make a big impact for them. Drury put up 10 goals and 17 assists in his second season with the Avalanche. In his first year, he had five goals and four assists. Colorado clearly unlocked a new level of Drury’s game.
That is partially why it stings to see Drury go, but it’s a reason why Avalanche fans should feel excited about Svechkov. Colorado clearly felt that Svechkov and L’Heureux would be able to make some noise. Even if Svechkov doesn’t win the third-line center spot, he should be able to get the fourth-line spot locked up. I’d think that Nazem Kadri would have an opportunity to take the third-line spot, but maybe there will actually be a competition there.
Svechkov is a former first-round draft pick of the Predators (2021). While he had half as many goals in his second season as a regular than he did in his first, the Avalanche might be the best opportunity for him to grow into a productive third-line player.
He has 122 games under his belt in the NHL, so there is no shortage of experience for him. Drury’s departure really hurt, but Svechkov can make that pain go away if he works his way up to replacing Drury. If he can do things reliably, such as win face-offs, kill penalties, and protect the puck, it would help the idea that the Avalanche are one of the league’s deepest teams. Ideally, we would see around 35-45 points from Svechkov.
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