The Colorado Avalanche made a very savvy move in acquiring Nic Roy from the Toronto Maple Leafs at last season’s NHL trade deadline. Roy was earmarked as the Avs’ third-line center. That changed with the Nazem Kadri deal.
Still, Roy could fulfill that role, assuming that Kadri moves up the food chain.
But there’s a lot more to Roy than just being a middle-six center. He can play the wing in the top six and be a responsible adult at it. He’s proven he can score and can play tough defensive zone minutes, plus kill penalties.
That’s all well and fine. The Avs certainly paid the price.
The issue, however, lies in Roy entering the final year of his current contract. The 29-year-old is in the final year of a five-year deal carrying a $3 million cap hit. With the going rate among forwards these days, Roy could command a hefty raise. It would be unreasonable to see him sign for as much as $6 million to $7 million on a four-year deal.
If that seems nuts, it’s because there are teams out there desperate enough to pay up for reliable depth forwards with top-six upside.
As such, what do the Avalanche do? Do they try to keep Roy? Do they trade him at the deadline?
That’s a complex decision staring at the club.
Avalanche can’t really do much until they know Makar’s number
The bottom line is that the Avalanche can’t do anything until they know Cale Makar’s number. We’ve discussed this topic extensively here at Mile High Sticking. And the main reason why this topic gets so much attention is that the Avs won’t be able to figure out their roster until they know how much it’s going to cost to keep Makar.
If Makar’s cap hit shoot through the roof, Nic Roy could become a massive cap casualty.
That’s why the Avalanche can’t make a final call until they know how much cap space they’ll be working with next summer. If Makar gobbles up much of what the Avs will have to play with, they may not be able to keep Roy past this season.
What would be right time for Roy trade?
So, we’re speculating that the trade deadline would be the likeliest period in which Roy could be traded. But some clubs may be compelled to make a move well in advance of the March 1, 2027 deadline.
Specifically, teams will want to know how much cap space they have to work with leading up to the deadline. The Avalanche will be one of those teams.
Trading Roy ahead of the deadline would make sense, as it would allow the Avs to know how much space they’re really working with. In fact, the return Colorado gets for Roy could become chips to pull off another deal.
Perhaps we’re just getting ahead of ourselves. It might just be that Makar gives the Avs a break, precluding this entire conversation. But until we know that, there’s no telling what maneuvers the Avalanche will have to make.
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