The Colorado Avalanche won the Presidents’ Trophy and clinched home-ice through the entire Stanley Cup Playoffs. Some players have been out due to minor injuries, though all are expected to be ready for Game 1 of the playoffs. With all the stars and offensive talent the Avalanche have, they're heavy favorites to win the it all this year.
Impactful trade deadline moves
Everyone knows that depth wins championships. Having one or more of the best players in the world on your roster doesn't guarantee success. Success requires being able to roll all four lines confidently and getting meaningful minutes out of every player. While the Avalanche have some of the world's best players like Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, and Martin Necas, they need the depth guys down the lineup to contribute.
It happens often that those playoff impact guys come at the trade deadline. Think Barclay Goodrow and Blake Coleman for Tampa Bay when they won the first of their back-to-back Stanley Cups. The Avalanche did the same in 2022, acquiring Artturi Lehkonen, Josh Manson, and Andrew Cogliano. All three players had major impacts on the outcomes of multiple games.
I think the trades the Avs made at the deadline fit into this mold. Of course, Nazem Kadri is going to be a factor, but the player that I think is poised to be that major X-factor is Nicolas Roy. He fits right into that mold of Goodrow, Coleman, or Cogliano - a veteran player who plays well in all facets of the game.
What Nicolas Roy brings to the table
One of the most important things about Roy is that he can do everything. He plays center and wing, though with the Avalanche he will mostly slot in at wing due to their incredible center depth. With that kind of versatility, Roy could play anywhere in the bottom nine. He'll likely spend much of his time on the third line.
Roy also brings the ability to play special teams. He's an excellent penalty killer and could take away minutes from guys like Brock Nelson, Valeri Nichushkin or Artturi Lehkonen who are more valuable rested for other situations. But Roy isn't limited to just the penalty kill. He can contribute on the power play as well. As guys have been out of the Avs' lineup, he's filled in occasionally on the man-advantage and even scored a goal against the Seattle Kraken on March 12th.
Perhaps the biggest contribution I expect from Roy this postseason is his net front presence. For all the things the Avalanche have done right this season, strong play in front of the net is something they've struggled with. I think it was a large part of why the power play struggled so early on. However, Roy has demonstrated an excellent ability to box out in front of the net. He's hard to move, hard to take down, and is able to use his size and length to be in the right position in front of the goalie. His ability to cause chaos in front of the net will help the Avalanche get some of those gritty goals down in front.
The Avalanche have a bunch of depth guys who could contribute. Parker Kelly, Ross Colton, and Sam Malinski are just a few of them. But I think that the versatility and stability that Nic Roy brings to the bottom-six will be invaluable. He's exactly the kind of player that playoff teams need to give them that edge when it matters.
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