Looking at the cost for the Colorado Avalanche to acquire Palmieri
Adding Palmieri could be a solid move for Colorado. He could slide in on the second line with Casey Mittelstadt and one of Ross Colton or Artturi Lehkonen. Coach Jared Bednar could get creative by moving Colton to center on the second line with Lehkonen and Palmieri on the wings.
That move would allow Mittelstadt to slide in on the third line with Joel Kiviranta and Logan O’Connor. Such a third line could provide a valuable combination for the Avalanche, giving the club something to truly work with come playoff time.
However, the biggest question would be the cost to pry Palmieri away from the Islanders. Palmieri won’t come cheap. While tossing a first-round pick wouldn’t be necessary, the Avs may have to part with a roster player and/or a prospect.
That’s where the price could get too high for Colorado. The Avs don’t have very many high-end prospects in the pipeline, nor can they sacrifice draft picks for the sake of making a playoff run this year.
Also, Palmieri is a pending free agent. As a rental, the Avs risk losing him for nothing when the season is over. That is why paying a steep price for the 34-year-old winger wouldn’t make sense.
In my estimation, a combination of mid-round picks and a middling prospect could get the ball rolling. The Islanders don’t have much leverage to begin with. So, if the Isles are willing to let Palmieri go this season, the Avalanche could get a solid top-six player at a reasonable price, complementing a potential deep playoff run.