The Colorado Avalanche have had their fair share of terrible drafts. These drafts have not been the result of incompetence. But rather, these drafts have been the result of going all-in to acquire valuable pieces to contend for the Stanley Cup.
As such, the moves have left the team depleted of draft picks, forcing the club to turn over stones to find hidden gems in the later rounds.
But one draft class that stands out as potentially the worst in recent memory is the Avalanche’s 2022 NHL Draft class. This draft class is characterized by being the one following Colorado’s Cup win. So, it makes sense that the Avalanche did not have many of their original picks in this draft.
The only two picks the Avalanche retained were their sixth and seventh-round picks. So, the Avalanche made good on them in Day 2 of the 2022 NHL Draft.
With the 193rd overall pick, the Avalanche took defenseman Chris Romaine. Romaine was selected from the USHL and subsequently went to the NCAA with Ohio State. He remains unsigned. At 22, he’s unlikely to be signed, though PuckPedia reports his rights are set to expire in 2028.
It’s worth pointing out that Romaine played just nine games last season, failing to register a point. He will hopefully have a bounce-back season this upcoming year. Otherwise, he may fall by the wayside as a forgettable pick.
The Avalanche’s seventh-rounder was Russian netminder Ivan Zhigalov. The Avs took a shot on the 22-year-old goalie with the 225th pick. He played last season with the Yuzhny Ural Orsk of the VHL in Russia, suiting up for 12 games. He posted a 2.63 GAA and a .902 SV%. Zhigalov is unsigned and does not figure on the Avalanche’s depth chart, according to PuckPedia.
It’s worth highlighting that Zhigalov was the last overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft.
So, there it is. Two draft picks, neither of which figures to have any sort of impact at the NHL level. Given the disastrous 2022 NHL Draft for the Colorado Avalanche, it’s worth looking into what happened to the other picks.
Looking at where Colorado Avalanche’s 2022 NHL Draft picks went
The Colorado Avalanche’s 2022 first-round pick, 32nd overall, went to the Edmonton Oilers via the Arizona Coyotes. The Avalanche originally traded the pick in the Darcy Kuemper trade. The ‘Yotes then flipped the pick to Edmonton. So, we could conclude this pick was wisely used. It was the last pick of the first round, so no biggie there.
The Avs’ second-round pick, 65th overall, went to the New York Islanders as part of the Devon Toews trade in 2020. Again, that pick was well spent.
The 97th overall pick, the Avs’ third-rounder, went to the New York Rangers in the 2022 Alexander Georgiev trade. This was a draft-day trade that made sense at the time. The Rangers selected Bryce McConnell-Barker with the pick, not exactly a world-beater at this point.
Colorado’s fourth-rounder, the 129th pick, went to the Detroit Red Wings in the 2021 trade that sent Patrik Nemeth to the Avalanche. Nothing of note here.
Lastly, the Avalanche’s fifth-round selection, 161st overall, went to the New York Rangers. This pick was also part of the Alexander Georgiev trade.
All told, the Avalanche made wise use of their 2022 NHL Draft picks. Even with the disastrous ending that Georgiev had this past season, we could assume, in a roundabout way, that those two picks, the third and fifth rounders, turned into MacKenzie Blackwood.
It’s funny how NHL trades end up working out. If Blackwood can backstop the Avalanche to another Cup, the 2022 NHL Draft could be the gift that keeps on giving for Colorado.