The Colorado Avalanche are not in desperate need of anything major as they are still the best team in the league through 45 games (33-4-8). They have 74 points. One thing that they could use, however, is a depth forward as they enter the next stretch of the season.
On the other side of the league is the New York Rangers. They are dead last in the Metropolitan Division with 20 wins and 46 points and a general manager very well-known with the Avalanche in Chris Drury, who is holding onto prayers to keep his job. One of the ways that he might be able to keep his job is to call up the franchise that drafted him back in 1994 to try and cook up some sort of deal. A player that might interest the Avalanche is Taylor Raddysh.
Raddysh is a 27-year-old forward who was drafted 58th overall in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft by the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Rangers mark the fourth team he’s played on since then as the Lightning shipped him off to Chicago in March of 2022.
One thing that I don’t think many people would be talking about is the fact that he has had a 20-goal season in the past. He’s only ever had a career-high of seven goals in other seasons. Perhaps, the Avalanche would be able to get Raddysh back to that type of production with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2022-23.
Raddysh holds a $1.5 million cap hit this season and next season before hitting free agency. The Avalanche would not have to make a decision on whether to re-sign him until a later date. So, they could see if he fits in well in a third or fourth-line role on his new team and go from there.
Colorado could offer the Rangers a couple of mid-round draft picks or a mid-tier player in return for Raddysh. Some players that come to mind are Trent Miner, Isak Posch, or Matt Stienburg. All three of those players are AHL depth, with Miner seeing the most action in the NHL level. Stienburg has seen eight games in the NHL, while Posch has seen zero.
It really boils down to what the Rangers would value the most. I’d assume that they would want to go after the guy who has shown some growth in the NHL, and that would be Miner. It would be sad to let him go, but with Posch or Ilya Nabokov waiting in the wings later down the road, that could lead to the departure of Miner.
Where would Taylor Raddysh fit on the Colorado Avalanche?
Head coach Jared Bednar has shifted lines up throughout the years, and adding a guy such as Raddysh would help the team figure out the best line combinations. With a big physical presence in one spot, it would be one less area that needs to be focused on.
He stands at 6’2” and weighs 201 pounds and is known for being a big physical forward. That’s just the type of third or fourth-liner that the Avalanche could use. According to Money Puck, the Avalanche are 31st in hits this season.
If he would be able to put up some points for the Avalanche early on, he could see more ice time going forward. In his lone season with Chicago, seven of his 20 goals came on the power play. Maybe that is something that Dave Hakstol could play around with if a trade were to happen. It certainly would not hurt testing that out, as the Avs are 24th in power play percentage at 16.9 percent.
The Avalanche could technically go several different routes when it comes to where Raddysh fits on the team. If something doesn’t work, try him out somewhere else until something stands out.
Colorado doesn’t have to do much in terms of trading, but if they do make a move, Raddysh might be the best player they should go after.