The Colorado Avalanche have emerged from the 2026 NHL trade deadline with the best center depth in the NHL.
In two days, the club added Nic Roy and Nazem Kadri. Roy alone was a fantastic pickup. But adding Kadri really put the Avalanche over the top.
Now, the club has five NHL-quality centers. The undisputed top-line center is Nathan MacKinnon. Then, there’s Brock Nelson. Nelson is one of the best 2Cs in the league and should remain there.
Before the Kadri trade, Roy was earmarked to be the 3C. Now, he could slide down to the 4C spot so Kadri can take over the 3C spot.
Kadri, as a 3C, is the best in the NHL. He held the Flames' top-line role for much of the season. But on a deep team like the Avalanche, he could move up to the 2C spot or stay as the 3C.
But bear in mind that Kadri won’t be playing third-line minutes. The goal here is to roll four solid lines night after night. That’s why Nic Roy as the 4C is a scary thought. The Avalanche can compete with anyone, without overloading their top offensive players.
What do Avalanche do about Jack Drury?
So, a question that will likely emerge now is what Colorado does about Jack Drury. He had been holding down the 3C role for basically the whole season. However, Drury is more suited as a defensive matchup center. So, heading down to the fourth line makes sense.
Before the Kadri deal, Drury made sense as the 4C. With Kadri on board, Drury could move up to play on the wing on the third line. Since Victor Olofsson is no longer with the team, there could be an opening in that role.
Meanwhile, the fourth line of Nic Roy, Gavin Brindley, and Joel Kiviranta looks just about as good as any in the NHL.
It remains to be seen what Bednar does with his new troops. The Avs will likely play a little shorthanded on Friday night against the Dallas Stars. With reinforcements on the way, the Avalanche could just be the most intimidating team to play in the NHL at the moment.
Avalanche fans should pity whoever finishes in the second wild-card spot. They’ll have one heck of a time facing off against the Avs in the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs.