Five free agent right wingers the Colorado Avalanche can realistically afford — and what they would cost

Nicolas Aubé-Kubel (RW)

Background

A name that should be familiar to Avs fans, Nicolas Aubé-Kubel spent most of the 2021-22 season with the Colorado Avalanche after they claimed him off waivers from the Philadelphia Flyers. Initially, he was drafted by the Flyers, 48th overall, in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft. He spent the previous four seasons playing for the Val d'Or Foreurs of the QMJHL, and he was one of their best players across all four seasons there.

After parts of seven seasons in the Flyers organization — primarily spent with their AHL affiliate, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms — and his time in Colorado, Aubé-Kubel has bounced around every year; from 2022-23 through 2024-25, he has played for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Washington Capitals, Buffalo Sabres, and New York Rangers, with much of his time spent in the minors or the press box.

Upside

Aubé-Kubel is scrappy, and he relishes being a pest on the ice. He's the kind of player teams hate to play against but love to dress in their lineup. He is capable in the offensive zone, although he's not someone who's going to routinely contribute on the scoresheet. Additionally, he plays a smart, mindful defensive game.

For Colorado, specifically, there are two additional upsides: First, he is inexpensive. The Avs wouldn't need to do much roster reconfiguring to fit Aubé-Kubel into the lineup. Second is his familiarity with the systems in place in Colorado. While much of the team is different from 2021-22, the main pieces (apart from Rantanen) and the coaching methods are the same.

Risks

The risk with Aubé-Kubel is his inconsistency. There's a reason why he was taken as a second-round pick by the Flyers, but he hasn't ever found that level of success as an NHLer. Granted, this is largely due to his lack of tenure with any one NHL team; he has spent the last four seasons re-acclimating and learning new systems and finding new chemistry. It's no surprise that his best season in the NHL came with the Avs: the team with which he was given the most consistent opportunity to succeed.

Additionally, if the Avs win the Stanley Cup again with Aubé-Kubel in the lineup, there's a non-zero percent risk that he dents Lord Stanley's Cup for a second time.

Role

Aubé-Kubel, perhaps more than anyone else on this list, is firmly a fourth-line player; there won't be many opportunities for him anywhere else in the lineup, apart from some looks on the penalty kill. It is safe to imagine that he just wants to prove to a team that he can hold a roster spot and reward a them for taking a chance on him. He was much-beloved during his time in Denver, and a fourth-line spot would comfortably place O'Connor on the third line, which looks great on paper.

Cost

The Slave Lake, Alberta native will be searching for term over figure, and that's something the Avs can offer. Aubé-Kubel has slowly been touring the Eastern Conference since 2019-20, with the one exception being his stop in the Mile High City. A return to the Avs, at $1mil x 2 years, would be a win for both Aubé-Kubel and the Avs.

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