The Colorado Avalanche appear to be heading towards a divorce with Jonathan Drouin once free agency begins on July 1st. This comes two years after he was signed to a one-year deal worth $825k. Drouin figures to get more money on the open market than what he had gotten in two years in Colorado. With that being said, it continues to be believed that Drouin will not return to the Avalanche.
It makes sense for Drouin if he can get more money than what the Avalanche would be offering him, but after missing 39 games last season and putting up just 11 goals and 26 assists, I truly wonder what sort of market there will be for him. In his last four seasons with the Montreal Canadiens, he never came close to playing a full season (in that span, the most games he played in a season was 58).
If he can manage to secure the bag, as they say, good for him. You can’t fault a player for trying to make as much money as he can, while he can.
With $1.2 million in cap space right now, the Avalanche don’t have many options for replacements. Therefore, it makes the most sense for them to look internally for players who can step in for the departed players, such as Drouin.
The Colorado Avalanche could already have an internal replacement for Jonathan Drouin.
One of those players who could potentially have his name called is William Dufour.
Dufour was included in the package that brought Brock Nelson to Colorado in exchange for Calum Ritchie, Oliver Kylington, a conditional first-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, and a conditional third-round pick in 2028. (Kylington was then sent to the Anaheim Ducks).
Dufour was a fifth-round pick of the Islanders in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. He’s only ever seen one game in the NHL, in 2022-23, but has had some success in the AHL, spending three years with the Bridgeport Islanders, the New York Islanders’ affiliate team. He played in 169 games for Bridgeport, scoring 44 goals and 47 assists in that span, which was throughout three seasons. After he was traded to Colorado, he played in 12 games and scored one goal with three assists with the Eagles.
In three years in Bridgeport, Dufour found the net 16 times on the power play.
The 23 year old Dufour obviously needed a fresh start somewhere other than New York, as he was never really given a fair shot, as he only appeared in one game with the Islanders, in the 2022-23 season. His statistics have been on a decline over the years, but maybe that is due in part to a system fit, or lack thereof. It’s possible that all he needs is a chance in a new place.
We could see Dufour suit up at development camp for the Avalanche, and maybe we’d get a glimpse of what he can be at the highest level.