Colorado Avalanche trade deadline plans hinge on Olympics

The Colorado Avalanche’s deadline plans likely hinge on what happens at the Olympics next month. While the outcome of the tourney has no bearing on Colorado, injuries could. The ice surface is questionable, despite reassurances otherwise.

The talk is that much of the venue for the hockey tournament will not be ready. Mostly seating, concessions, and other non-essential areas will remain unfinished when the puck drops. But as far as the actual playing surface goes, the organizers swear it will be fully up to specs.

All right, so let’s give them the benefit of the doubt there. But the guarantees that everything will be fine with the playing surface do not diminish the concern that it may not hold up to the grind of essentially NHL hockey for about three games per night.

That situation poses an injury risk for just about every player heading out there. As far as the players are concerned, they don’t really mind. They just want to play. While that’s the attitude, it doesn’t preclude GMs from around the league to stock up on stress tabs.

If I were GM Chris MacFarland, I wouldn’t be able to sleep well at night knowing that any one of my players could slip up and sustain a significant injury. That’s why the Avalanche’s deadline plans will hinge on the Olympics.

Assuming everyone comes back safe and sound, the Avalanche could pursue depth pieces to round out the roster.

If someone gets hurt, however, that could alter plans entirely. While that could be said of just about every team in the league, few teams are in the Avalanche’s position. Division leaders like the Carolina Hurricanes, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Vegas Golden Knights will be holding their breath, hoping that nothing happens to their major stars.

Rumors surrounding the Avalanche should pick up during the Olympic break. At that point, it will become clearer what the club might do to fill gaps in its lineup. While I wouldn’t rule out a major splash, that’s not really likely at this point.

Unless Nathan MacKinnon or Cale Makar goes down with a season-ending injury, the Avalanche will likely keep their powder dry for the offseason. Major moves are best left for after the playoffs.

In the meantime, it’s just a matter of wishing that the Avalanche reps at the Olympics play well and remain healthy for a strong stretch run into the postseason.