Matt Rempe may have helped form the next generation of Avalanche forwards — here's how

The Colorado Avalanche have been buyers at the NHL trade deadline for more than six consecutive seasons. This has largely served them well, even when they’ve gone after expensive rentals who have continued on to other teams. In 2022, they had their best showing, grabbing players Josh Manson and Arturri Lehkonen, — both of whom are still playing for the Avs. In addition, they added Andrew Cogliano, who ended his career in the Mile High City and now works in the front office, as well as Nico Sturm who ultimately moved on after the 2021-22 season. Much of the team’s success has come from the Avs’ front office’s ability to support its core players with fresh infusions of competitive, complimentary pieces.

One of the only instances in which the Avs have done the opposite — traded away a roster-ready piece for future assets — actually has the potential to be one of the best deadline moves the team has made in years. It hasn’t yet panned out, but it currently has the potential to, so it’s worth examining more closely, as it is a still-recent trade (relatively speaking) that could have legitimate ramifications for the future of Avalanche hockey. Through the butterfly effect and a series of both controversial decisions and consequential incidents made nearly 1,800 miles away from Denver, the Avalanche may have found their future center depth.

The Trade

On March 1, 2024 — just one week before the trade deadline — the Colorado Avalanche sent Kurtis MacDermid to the New Jersey Devils in exchange for Russian prospect Zakhar Bardakov and a seventh-round pick in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft, which the Avs used to draft centerman Christian Humphreys. Bardakov, himself, was selected in the seventh round of the 2021 draft after registering 11 points in 44 games with Podolsk Vityaz of the KHL. Neither player's body of work had, at that point, provided much to really draw any initial attention, but adding two components — as unlikely as it was for them to ever even make the Avs roster — is never a bad thing when the prospect pool is regularly-pilfered to keep the team in Stanley Cup contention.

In essence, MacDermid was traded for two assets unlikely to provide much of an impact for the Avs. Despite not being a large contributor, MacDermid was still regularly rostered by the Avalanche as they were primed to make another playoff push. He had been a scratched, extra player for the Avs throughout the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs, but he ultimately still got his turn to carry Lord Stanley's Cup. He provided some spark and a number of momentum-changing moments that pumped up both the fans and his teammates in the games in which he did play. Why, then, would the Avs trade away someone who could provide some physicality for what could be multiple, arduous, impending seven-game series? There are a handful of contributing factors.

The Matt Rempe Problem

By the 2023-24 season, the New Jersey Devils had put together a team full of young, home-grown talent. With budding or already-blossoming stars like Jesper Bratt, Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier, Dawson Mercer, and Šimon Nemec — each of them no older than 25 at the time — the team was trending in the right direction but lacked any players who could defend their stars; Timo Meier, acquired the prior season from the San Jose Sharks, has some grit to his game, but the Devils needed someone more physicality-forward in their playstyle.

This was especially true because the other teams in the Metropolitan Division featured, at the time, bruisers like Tom Wilson (Washington Capitals), Erik Gudbranson (Columbus Blue Jackets), Garnet Hathaway and Nicolas Deslauriers (Philadelphia Flyers), and both Jacob Trouba and — most troublingly — Matt Rempe (New York Rangers). Rempe had taken the league by storm that season, almost accidentally, as he became a household name and a viral sensation for fully leaning into his physical role of both an enforcer and a bona fide pot-stirrer. Given how much of a spotlight was put on him, though, and given his desire to remain on the Ranger’s roster (he is a fringe player), his antics often pushed the boundaries of clean and dirty as he tried to appeal to the fanbase in the Big Apple.

Rempe, who is listed as 6’9” and 255lbs, was called up by the New York Rangers from AHL Hartford to help provide a physical spark, and the then-21-year-old quickly made a name for himself by picking a fight with Matt Martin of the New York Islanders during his debut on February 18, 2024 — at the Stadium Series outdoor game in front of almost 80,000 fans (a-la something from the Colosseum in Rome). In his third NHL game, played in New Jersey against the Devils on February 22, Rempe laid a hit on Nathan Bastian which left Bastian bloodied and in need of help getting back to the Devils’ bench. Immediately after the hit, Devils’ defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler challenged Rempe to a fight, but it was broken up before it started. Rempe was assessed a major penalty and a game misconduct, but he wasn’t given a suspension or any further disciplinary action. Rempe was quickly getting a reputation as a goon in a time when the league has been so focused on phasing out that style of player.

This created some unique discourse around the league: if Rempe was to be this tough, gritty player, he'd have to learn how to actually fight and use his big frame in ways that aren't risking the health of the other players on the ice; a player as huge and as inexperienced as Rempe could be a legitimate danger to opposing players whether intentionally or not. The Devils decided to take precautionary/defensive measures by — exactly one week after the Bastian incident — parting with a pick and a prospect to get Kurtis MacDermid from Colorado on March 1, 2024.

When next the Devils and the Rangers met, on March 11, Rempe elbowed the aforementioned Siegenthaler in the head, leading to another major penalty and game misconduct. MacDermid, who was brought in for this exact scenario, challenged Rempe to a fight, but Rempe declined and instead antagonized the Devils as he was escorted out of the rink. Post-game, MacDermid was clear about his feelings regarding Rempe’s behavior:

"There's a right way to go about things and a wrong way. I kind of lost a lot of respect for him tonight... He's a young kid in this league, he has a lot to learn still. You don't do things like that in your first year in the league, especially. Like I said, I lost quite a bit of respect for him tonight... [In our] first shift I asked him [to fight] — there's a bit of a code, and I thought he would have answered that, but I don't know what he was told but he said no... It kind of goes without saying you should answer the bell in some way and be a man about it."

Kurtis MacDermid on Matt Rempe

The league also came down on Rempe, who was handed a resultant four-game suspension. On April 2, 2024, the two teams played once again, and a full-on line-brawl kicked off the first period — including a much-anticipated tilt between MacDermid and Rempe. The tension before puck-drop was palpable, and the attention of the media was anticipatorily awaiting New Jersey's response to multiple slights by the gargantuan centerman — MacDermid understood his new role as a New Jersey Devil, and he was living up to the expectations placed on him by the front office in Jersey.

The Avs

Back in Denver, the 2023-24 Avs were a top-heavy team that prioritized skill over physicality, but their skilled players were also able to handle themselves in a scrum. Players like Valeri Nichuskin, Mikko Rantanen, Nathan MacKinnon, and Gabriel Landeskog (despite remaining on LTIR for the entire 2023-24 season) were the driving force behind the team’s offense, but they were comfortable laying a momentum-changing bodycheck and — for the latter two — also not afraid to drop the gloves. In addition, role players like Logan O’Connor and Josh Manson helped police the ice and stick up for their teammates when called upon. Because of this — this intimidation by committee — the Avs were able to comfortably part with MacDermid, whose main contributions were, therefore, redundant.

In addition, the deal freed up $1mil in cap space for an Avs team already dangerously close to their cap ceiling; the team wanted the flexibility to gear up for future contracts and to potentially make further moves as the trade deadline neared. When a team is already juggling LTIR and routinely sending players back and forth between the AHL as a cost-saving loophole-adjacent strategy, a million dollars. goes a long way. In the week after the MacDermid trade, the Avs made five additional moves, all of which — apart from the one-for-one deal that sent Bowen Byram to the Buffalo Sabres for Casey Mittelstadt — ended up being pure rental deals that only amounted to a a second-round playoff exit after losing to the Dallas Stars in the 2024 Western Conference Semifinals.

Going into the 2024-25 season, the Avs were still lacking the center depth they so desperately needed, and it was unclear if Casey Mittelstadt could be the solution that the Avs had sought ever since Nazem Kadri left to get his much-deserved bag in Calgary. Their ability to capitalize on MacDermid's value as a Rempe-deterrent could have, a bit farther down the line than they may have liked, found their answer.

The Return

Statistically speaking, just over 25% of seventh-round picks ever play at least a single game in the NHL, while less than 11% of them play 100 or more. So, while the Avs’ front office certainly has faith in its scouting and developing teams, there couldn’t have been an overwhelming sense of optimism that either the pick or the prospect would pan out; it may not have seemed like much of a return at the time, but just 18 months removed since MacDermid was dealt, the two pieces Colorado received for him are starting to turn some heads.

Zakhar Bardakov

Preliminary player comparisons: Casey Cizikas, Paul Cotter, Blake Coleman, Miles Wood

Zakhar Bardakov was selected 203rd overall by the New Jersey Devils at the 2021 NHL Entry Draft. He is a versatile puck-hound, and he projects to be a bottom-six forward (he can play wing and center) who is capable of playing important minutes on both the penalty kill and powerplay. He is a considerably well-rounded forward capable of playing in all areas and all situations, and, while he isn’t a superstar in any one specific category, he doesn’t have any jeopardizing flaws, either. Because of his strong overall play, Bardakov was ranked 11th on Mile High Hockey’s annual “Top 25 Under 25” list this year. He’ll get an opportunity to prove himself this season.

To see the opportunity that Bardakov will get as a member of the Colorado Avalanche, one need only look at the Avs’ preseason lines from the past few weeks. Nestled comfortably at the center of the second line — at times alongside NHL regulars like Ross Colton, Joel Kiviranta, and Victor Olofsson — is the 24-year-old Berdsk, Russia native. The front office in Denver is giving him a chance to prove that he can be a difference-maker on an NHL sheet of ice, and, thus far, he’s proven capable of rising to the challenge. He’s been one of the most notable players throughout Colorado’s pre-season, and it’s not all that surprising if one looks at Bardakov’s progression in the KHL.

Initially, and upon first look, Bardakov’s statistics seem uninspiring — they indicate a player worthy of being drafted no later than the seventh round. In that same Top 25 Under 25 list last season, he ranked 23rd, barely even making the list. This changed because, last year, Bardakov had a breakout season: he recorded 17 goals and 18 assists for 35 points in 53 games — by far his best totals at this point in his young career. It is his continued development and increasingly-strong overall playmaking that appears to be NHL-ready. Notably, he has been willing to — and successful at — adapting to the North American style of play (including dumping and chasing), which helps his chances of dressing for the Avs on opening night. With Logan O’Connor anticipated to miss at least the first month of action this season, the bottom-six could use a player like Bardakov. He is currently projected to center the Avs’ fourth line alongside Parker Kelly and Joel Kiviranta to kick off the 2025-26 NHL campaign.

Christian Humphreys

Preliminary player comparisons: Ryan Strome, Frank Nazar, Jordan Kyrou, Vincent Trocheck

Christian Humphreys, born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania four months after Sidney Crosby made his NHL debut, is a centerman who got his start with the U.S. National Development Team. He registered 50 points in 62 games combined across the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons: stats that are not especially notable for that level of competition. It was at this point in Humphreys’ career that the Avs used the seventh round pick they obtained from New Jersey to select him 215th overall in 2024; he had just turned 18 and had much more development ahead of him. For the 2024-25 season, he initially played for the University of Michigan Wolverines, but he recorded just a single assist in 10 contests, leading him to seek developmental opportunities elsewhere. He now plays for the Kitchener Rangers of the OHL, and his numbers are on par with the best players on the team — many of whom were drafted in the top three rounds of various recent NHL Entry Drafts.

Just three spots behind Bardakov in the 2025 Top 25 Under 25 list sits Humphreys in the 14th-overall spot. It’s an encouraging and commendable spot to be in — but he was 14th overall in the 2024 list, as well. An optimist might say that shows consistency. A pessimist might say that shows stagnation. A realist might point to the fact that Humphreys is still just 19 years old; while it would be encouraging to see steadier and more notable growth, some players develop less quickly than others, so a lack of any noticeable decline may be as much a positive development as anything.

Elite Prospects indicates that Humphreys is a “cerebral tactician”, and his on-ice playmaking definitely supports this. He’s also pesky on both the backcheck and forecheck, and he’s able to control the pace of play using his heads-up hockey IQ. He was one of the first cuts from Avs’ training camp this season, but this isn’t indicative of a poor player; rather, it simply iterates that he’s a teenage player who needs more time to ferment in a strong junior league like the OHL: a leaugue in which he can grow into a player that could potentially find much success in the NHL. The best place for Humphreys is, undeniably, the OHL — the fact he was at training camp at all is a good sign. He’s a few years out from threatening to make the Avs roster, but if his development can show signs of gradual improvement, he will remain a player worth keeping tabs on in the Avalanche’s prospect pipeline.

The Reality

The Colorado Avalanche has been a carousel of players; they utilized more players than any other NHL team last season, so they will be looking to stabilize things and identify reliable depth pieces as they head into the 2025-26 season and beyond. One of the key components to building a championship team is taking full advantage of team-friendly, prove-it, and entry-level deals: finding value where other teams haven't and utilizing strong player development to fill out and then ice a winning team. The Avs are hoping that Victor Olofsson can be an example of this — someone who can provide depth scoring on a bargain deal. In the not-too-distant future, Avs' GM (Chris MacFarland) and President of Hockey Operations (Joe Sakic) hope the same for both Bardakov and Humphreys.

The New Jersey Devils obtained a piece that fills a role that needed to be filled, and the Colorado Avalanche gained two possible pieces for their future — one that doesn’t otherwise have much in terms of prospect depth and draft capital. As both players continue to develop and refine their talents, it will be exciting to see into what, ultimately, their careers will evolve. It's best to approach with cautious optimism, though, given their currently-unproven play at the NHL level. The Avs have, notoriously, struggled with their center depth. Could Bardakov (24) and Humphreys (19) form a solid middle-six nucleus for the next generation of Avs hockey? It didn’t seem possible less than two years ago, but it’s certainly not as far-fetched an idea now as it was then. Two mostly-homegrown centermen starting to gain traction? It's welcome news in Denver, and Avs fans have Kurtis MacDermid — and Matt Rempe — to thank.

Statistics, data, and analytics provided by The Athletic, BarDown Bleacher Nation, Bleacher Report, CBS Sports, Colorado Hockey Now, Complete Hockey News, The Denver Gazette, The Denver Post, Dobber Prospects, Elite Prospects, The Hockey News, Hockey Reference, The Hockey Writers, HockeyDB, JFresh Hockey, Mile High Hockey, the NHL, the NHL Network, PuckPedia, Sportsnet, Spotrac, StatMuse, TSN.