The Colorado Avalanche’s potential cap squeeze will force the team to make so tough call. Part of those calls could be to let some of its pending UFAs leave the team for the sake of utilizing its $8.7 million projected cap space as efficiently as possible.
But the Avs are not the only team facing a cap crunch this summer.
One of the teams noted for their tight cap situation is the Vegas Golden Knights. According to PuckPedia, Vegas has about $9.62 million in cap space. That’s a little bit better than the Avalanche, but not enough to give the team enough wiggle room to do every it wants.
One of the prevailing rumors is that the Golden Knights are among Mitch Marner’s preferred destinations. If so, the Golden Knights will need to clear a boatload of cap space to make Marner’s contract work.
That situation means sacrificing good players for the sake of cap space. That brings up to a report by insider David Pagnotta of the Fourth Period, who published a series on rumors on May 30.
One of the rumors is the purported interest the Golden Knights have in shopping RFA Nicolas Hague’s rights.
The issue here is that Vegas will likely be unable to afford Hague’s new contract, which is expected to command far more than his $2.294 million cap hit from this past season.
I know what you’re thinking. The Avs have even less cap space than the Golden Knights and have plenty of free agents to sign, as well.
First of all, I would say the Avs must do their due diligence and check in on Hague. GM Chris MacFarland would do well to see what the asking price for Hague is at this point and take it from there.
Looking at where Nicolas Hague fits in Colorado Avalanche lineup
The Colorado Avalanche have their top four already sorted out for next season. Cale Makar and Devon Toews look immutable in the top pair. Then, Samuel Girard and Josh Manson seem locked in the middle pair.
That leaves two job openings in the bottom pair. PuckPedia shows Keaton Middleton as the left D in the bottom pair with the right D open. That would be Sam Malinski’s job once he signs this summer. I’m confident the two sides will get something done without much of a hitch.
But there isn’t as much clarity on how the Avalanche’s defense corps could shape up. We know that Manson has struggled with injury issues. Plus, he’ll be a free agent after next season.
So, where does that leave Manson with the Avalanche? Does he play out his contract in spite of injury issues? Or do the Avalanche proactively look to remedy the potential of Manson missing time next season?
One could argue that Malinski is ready to move up to the middle pair and become Manson’s eventual replacement.
All right, fair enough. But where does that leave Ryan Lindgren? Is he someone the Avalanche want to hold on to?
It seems to me that Hague could be a great replacement for Lindgren if he decides to bolt. Hague is a huge, physical presence that provides toughness that the Avalanche’s current blue line does have.
I could envision Hague being part of a shutdown pair with someone like Malinski. But acquiring Hague’s rights will all come down to dollars and cents. Perhaps the Golden Knights are willing to take the final year of Josh Manson’s contract while the Avalanche essentially use Manson’s cap hit to pay Hague.
It seems to me that adding Hague would be wishful thinking at this point. But it’s worth making a case for Hague as the Avs need to get more physical on D. The team can’t afford to go another season without addressing its shortcomings.