The grind of the NHL season is in full swing. And so is the rumor mill, with one former Colorado Avalanche fan favorite potentially landing on the trade block once again.
According to a recent piece in The Athletic, the publication’s staff took to naming one potential under-the-radar trade candidate for every team in the league.
When the turn came around for the Nashville Predators, Ross Colton’s name came up as a possible trade candidate.
“Colton could be the more under-the-radar pick for a team looking for middle-six utility from a player with clutch playoff experience. His cap hit is team friendly, and Nashville could sweeten the return by retaining half.”
Indeed, that rationale is what made him attractive last season. However, the Avalanche didn’t trade him until the offseason in an evident cap-clearing move.
This season, the 30-year-old has one goal and one assist in 10 games. Those are hardly mind-shocking numbers, but they are a symptom of the overall slow start by the Preds. The prevailing chatter is that if Nashville is clearly out of a playoff spot early in the season, a sell-off may begin.
As The Athletic’s assessment noted, his cap hit is what could make him the most interesting piece of all. And if the Preds retain a chunk, it could work.
Colton is in the final year of a four-year deal he signed with the Avalanche back in 2023. He has a $4 million cap hit, which looks like a pittance by today’s NHL standards.
Avalanche lack under-the-radar trade candidates
As for the Avalanche, there’s good news. The Athletic did not identify any trade candidates, even with Artturi Lehkonen and Nic Roy looming as impending UFAs.
"The only pending unrestricted free agents on Colorado’s roster are Artturi Lehkonen and Nicolas Roy. It’s fair to wonder how (or if) they’ll fit long term, especially Lehkonen, but the Avs shouldn’t be in the business of trading more key pieces off a Cup-caliber roster. The closest answer might be Mackenzie Blackwood, but in-season goalie trades are difficult, and putting all those Cup aspirations on Scott Wedgewood’s shoulders would be unwise.”
Okay, so the idea of trading MacKenzie Blackwood should be enough to have Avalanche fans breathing into a paper bag. Unless the trade would have brought back someone like Connor Hellebuyck, which definitely is not happening now, there is no sense in making such a deal.
If anything, the Avalanche must do everything they can to protect Blackwood and Wedgewood. The season is pretty much riding on their shoulders. So, why mess up a good thing?
Overall, the Avs are in a good place. That’s why the most important thing now is to focus on consistency as the season chugs along.
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