Five under-the-radar, buy-low, free agent forwards the Colorado Avalanche should pursue this offseason

Kole Lind

Background

Lind played for the Kelowna Rockets from 2014-15 to 2017-18, and he was their leading scorer in each of his last two seasons there. This noteworthy offensive production was enough for the Vancouver Canucks to select him 33rd overall in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft. He spent four seasons playing for Vancouver’s AHL affiliate, the Utica Comets, only appearing in seven games for the Canucks in 2020-21. He was claimed by the Seattle Kraken in their expansion draft, and he played in 23 games during the Kraken’s inaugural season in 2021-22. With the exception of a single NHL game, he spent the following two seasons entirely in the AHL with the Kraken’s affiliate, the Coachella Valley Firebirds, before signing with the Dallas Stars following the end of the 2023-24 season. Last year, with Dallas’ affiliate, the Texas Stars, he put up 52 points in 71 games.

Upside

The former second-round pick was a highly-regarded prospect coming out of the WHL, and scouts took note, in particular, of his strong 'hockey IQ.' Ryan Pike, of The Hockey Writers, noted that Lind "seems to absorb information on the ice and make adjustments," which is a key component in his ability to identify offensive opportunities as plays develop around him, with and without the puck. He has well-rounded playmaking sensibilities, provides strong zone entries, and has "a canon of a shot" that doesn't often miss the net.

During Lind's time in the AHL, he's shown glimpses of what he can potentially offer at the NHL level. In 384 games across eight seasons and four AHL clubs, he has 111 goals, 173 assists, and 284 points. At the NHL level, however, Lind has only played 31 games, registering two goals, eight assists, and ten points in that time. During his seven-game stint with the Canucks in 2020-21, Lind spent some time playing right wing on a line with Bo Horvat and Elias Pettersson. The Canucks trusted Lind's offense-generating skills enough to dress him alongside those two multiple-time NHL All Stars.

Risks

Lind isn't known for a strong defensive aptitude, and he will need to focus on that component of his game if he's to crack an NHL roster. He's not yet ready to fill a role as a regular top-six forward, and while he has been lethal on the powerplay in his time in the AHL, he likely won't find much ice time while on the man advantage at the NHL level. That means, at least for now, Lind's options are on a teams' bottom-six, which often necessitates strong defensive skills and fewer offensive opportunities, especially on the fourth line.

Role

If he grows into an NHL role, Lind has the potential to fit in nicely on the Avs. His prior success alongside star NHLers bodes well for him to find occasional looks playing with some of the Avs' best forwards. As an AHLer, Lind has been referred to as a "spark plug," which likens him to players like Logan O'Connor, Joel Kiviranta, and Parker Kelly.

Cost

Notably, the aforementioned Kiviranta (who, like Lind, is a right-winger) remains unsigned and is a pending UFA. While the Avs would love to keep him, his breakout season in 2024-25 may have been enough to attract the attention of other teams, ones with more cap space and top-six opportunities (like the Columbus Blue Jackets, San Jose Sharks, and Chicago Blackhawks). Kiviranta may have, unfortunately, priced himself out of the Avs' lineup. Currently, after the recent signing of Brock Nelson, the Avs are projected to have only $1.2mil in cap space, which will necessitate some salary cap gymnastic to afford anyone else, and they have have a number of roster spots that need to be filled. Lind could, theoretically, take over for Kiviranta.

Lind's next deal will likely be a two-year, one-way league-minimum contract, from which, if he proves himself, he'll be poised for a bigger payday as he approaches his 30s. In this way, he would be comparable to Parker Kelly, and he could even find himself on the right wing of the fourth line, with Kelly manning the left wing.