As implausible as it may seem, the Colorado Avalanche may target a center this offseason. The trade of Ross Colton, as much of a practical necessity as it was, depleted a key element from the club’s forward group.
Then, the departure of Zakhar Bardakov also put a dent in the Avalanche’s organizational depth. Yes, there’s TJ Hughes likely making the team next season, but when factoring in the uncertainty behind Jack Drury, the Avalanche may all of a sudden be in the market for more depth down the middle.
Colorado, if the team really wanted to, could roll with Nathan MacKinnon, Brock Nelson, Nazem Kadri, and Nic Roy as the top four centers.
But would Roy as a fourth-line center really be the best use of his talents? Roy played a solid role as a middle-six winger and could be a perfect fill-in, if and when injuries hit any of the top three centers.
That’s why re-signing Drury is crucial. Bringing Drury back would give the Avs five NHL-caliber centers. That’s something that very few teams can boast. And it’s something that will be crucial to the Avalanche’s success next season.
If the Avs can’t re-sign Drury, the club might suddenly have a need to find a depth center who could provide some cover in case Hughes isn’t quite ready for full-time NHL duties. Of course, we're talking about a fourth-line pivot. But that might be easier said than done.
That's why it seems that keeping Drury could be the biggest issue of the Avalanche forward group. If Colorado can't bring him back, Joe Sakic might be forced to make an unexpected move.
Could Drury have priced himself out of Colorado?
One of the things on my mind has been the possibility of Drury pricing himself out of Colorado. While his cap hit was relatively low, the 26-year-old could be looking at cashing in this summer. He’s still an RFA and one year away from UFA status.
So, why not wait one more year and then try to cash in on the open market? That would be the most reasonable assessment. If that were the case, Drury would sign a one or two-year deal, bet on himself, and then hit the open market.
But this year is a bit of a special year. The free-agent market is paper-thin. That’s why it wouldn’t be out of the question that other teams are eyeing Drury. An offer sheet could be a risk. And if there’s a team desperate enough to bid on Drury via an offer sheet, the Avs may be hard-pressed to match. Depending on what the price tag would be, Joe Sakic may just pass and take the compensation for losing Drury. The issue is not that the Avs wouldn’t want to keep Drury. The issue lies in the tight cap situation.
Jettisoning Colton should have opened up enough cap space to re-sign Drury and Brett Kulak. Again, unless Kulak wants to really cash in on the free-agent market, there’s a good chance he stays in Colorado on a team-friendly deal.
Those two contracts should leave the Avalanche with enough cap space for a depth forward and another blueliner.
That’s this season. The final year of Cale Makar’s affordable $9 million cap hit. As hyperbolic as that sounds, Makar’s cap hit in 2027-28 will not be “affordable.” That potential cap hit will determine just how much the Avs can realistically spend moving forward.
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