Most of the Colorado Avalanche’s focus this offseason will likely be on getting Cale Makar’s extension done. He has one year remaining on his current deal, and there are rumblings that he could receive an average of $20 million-plus a year on his next deal.
The rest of the Avalanche’s upcoming free agents won’t come close to receiving that much money, even when you combine them. Still, that doesn’t mean they aren’t important. They absolutely are.
First, there is the business of re-signing the players that Joe Sakic wants back. The players who are scheduled to hit unrestricted free agency on July 1 are Joel Kiviranta, Brent Burns, Brett Kulak, Jack Ahcan, and Nick Blankenburg.
I’ve mentioned in the past I don’t think Burns will be back. He might’ve been able to secure the biggest contract out of this group of players if he was a bit younger and had a better showing. 12 goals and 23 assists isn’t bad, but I still just think Colorado will want to go younger there.
Next, we’ll turn to the 2026-27 offseason (prior to the 2027-28 season). That’s the year Makar is currently scheduled to hit free agency. It is also the offseason where the Avalanche currently have some key players who would hit the market if no deal is reached.
Outside of Makar, the biggest names on the list are forward Artturi Lehkonen, Scott Wedgewood, and Ross Colton. Their contracts run out after the 2026-27 season.
Re-signing Lehkonen and Wedgewood are no-brainer moves. They each serve a huge purpose on the team and the Avalanche would be fools to not get them locked up under contract. Lehkonen would probably receive a deal with a big term added to it. I would love to see Wedgewood get the same, but he’s not young anymore in terms of NHL standards.
I’ve seen talk about Mackenzie Blackwood returning as the full-time starter. That doesn’t mean we should let Wedgewood walk, but I’m curious to see if there is any interest by him to seek another opportunity to start more games somewhere else.
I hate that idea given that in today’s NHL, running with two goaltenders throughout the year is crucial. Colorado was a big example of that. Though Blackwood was forced to miss some time at the start of the season because of an injury, I still think Wedgewood proved enough to secure a pay raise by the Avalanche.
As for Lehkonen, as the guys on Altitude put it several times in the past, he’s a “Finnish army knife.” Lehkonen plays the game right now matter which end of the ice the Avalanche are on. He’s a full-time dominator and difference-maker for Colorado.
He primarily plays on the top line alongside Nathan MacKinnon and very rarely is separated from the superstar center. That’s because he fits there perfectly. He’s a big, physical player who isn’t easy to bring down. He has great hockey knowledge and is almost always in front of the opposing net all of the time, ready to score.
He’s steadily been on a contract with an AAV of $4.5 million. A little bit of a pay raise would not shock me at all. I also highly doubt that he would want to test free agency with the idea of going somewhere away from a superstar such as MacKinnon.
It will be a very busy time for Joe Sakic, but the good thing is that he was meant for this position. He’s been here before and is not new to how it works. I don’t think Avalanche fans should have anything to worry about in terms of letting star players slip away. They love Colorado and they love the Avalanche.
A contender year in and year out, the Avalanche will continue to be one of the best teams in the league for years to come.
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