The Colorado Avalanche should look into the availability of New York Islanders Kyle Palmieri. Honestly, I hadn’t thought about the possibility of the Avalanche acquiring another top-six winger, especially after the team was finally reaching full strength.
If anything, I would have said the Avs needed another solid blue liner to complement the team’s current depth. But then, Valeri Nichushkin went down with an injury. As my colleague Graham Tiedtke originally reported, Nichushkin is now out week-to-week with a foot injury.
My suspicion is that Nichushkin suffered a fracture similar to the one Ross Colton dealt with earlier this year. If that’s the case, Nichushkin could be out of the lineup for four to six weeks. With the 4 Nation break looming, Nichushkin could have enough time to hit the past in late February or early March.
That timeline would leave the Avs awfully close to the trade deadline. In the meantime, Nichushkin’s absence is noticeable. As Tiedtke noted, the Avs are 5-5-0 since Nichushkin. Earlier this year, the Avs were 14-12-1 without Nichushkin as he joined the team in mid-November.
That situation means the Avs could use another top-six forward. Enter Kyle Palmieri. The New York Islanders are unfortunately staring at a lost season with a number of impending free agents. Among them, Palmieri stands out as a potential rental for a contending team.
That sounds like something the Avalanche could do. Palmieri is one season removed from a 30-goal campaign and is well on his way to a 20-goal campaign this season.
Granted, Palmieri has played on the anemic Islanders’ offense that ranks near the bottom in virtually every offensive category. As such, Palmieri could see a boost in his goal totals by playing on a team filled with talented players like the Avs.