The Colorado Avalanche could raise some eyebrows this offseason by targeting San Jose Sharks defenseman Mario Ferraro.
I wrote about Ferraro going to the Avalanche around the trade deadline this year. The musings around the league suggested the Avs were looking to add a blue liner. The musings proved correct as the team added Ryan Lindgren from the New York Rangers.
Lindgren is a UFA this summer and is likely to test the market. That situation means the Avalanche could be looking to add another defenseman, though it doesn’t seem like a top priority at the moment.
As I wrote in another piece, insider Elliotte Friedman reported that the Avs seem happy with their roster construction at the moment. That thought means that if Lindgren and Jonathan Drouin depart, it won’t raise GM Chris MacFarland’s blood pressure.
Be that as it may, the Avs may circle back to Ferraro this offseason.
Ferraro is entering the final year of his contract with a very palatable $3.25 million cap hit. He’s 26 and a left-shot defenseman.
The Colorado Avalanche already have Devon Toews and Samuel Girard on the left side. So, would Ferraro be a third-pairing blue liner?
Hardly. Ferraro could be more of a replacement for Josh Manson if he can play on his offside. Manson is in the final year of his contract also and is coming off an injury-plagued campaign.
It’s worth pointing out as well that the Avs only have four defensemen under contract for next season. Technically, five, if Keaton Middleton is counted. So, there would be a need for another NHL-caliber blue liner to round out the defense core.
What would it cost Colorado Avalanche to get Ferraro from Sharks?
Right off the bat, the asking price for Ferraro would have to be high, though not astronomical. Driving the price down is that Ferraro will be a UFA next summer.
But Ferraro’s upside is just too good to pass up.
That situation means the Avalanche will have to pony up to get Ferraro. But without many draft picks to use as leverage, the Avs will have to give up a prospect or a current roster player.
I don’t want to speculate who that might be. But I would assume a hefty contract would have to go back to San Jose in order to Make Ferraro’s cap hit work. The Sharks can afford to take on a pricey contract as they have over $40 million in cap space and Logan Couture’s $8 million cap hit landing on LTIR.
If I had to bet, I would say that Ferraro’s name becomes a serious consideration for the Avs at next year’s trade deadline. The Avalanche don’t seem to be overly motivated to get anything major done this summer.
But I will say this: Watch out for NHL Draft. Anything can happen there on the draft floor, especially with the Sharks owning two first-round picks.