Despite possessing limited cap space and existing in the daunting shadow of Cale Makar's impending contract extension, the Avs have had quite a busy offseason. The team is in win-now-mode, and, despite recouping some draft capital via both the Valeri Nichuskin and Ross Colton and Jack Drury trades, President of Hockey Operations and interim General Manager Joe Sakic has again placed an emphasis on stabilizing the bottom-six with versatility and depth; in addition, he has brought in multiple hopefully-complimentary pieces that should help the Avs contend for the 2027 Stanley Cup after the team failed to advance to past the Western Conference Finals last season after an utter collapse against the much-loathed Vegas Golden Knights in four games. While the contributions of Colton and Nichuskin — and the intangible adds that Drury brought to the Avs' face-off dot and special teams — will be missed, there are plenty of recent acquisitions (many of whom are former first-round picks) who are ready to step up and take their respective places.
Georgii Merkulov
There is perhaps no greater quiet threat to crack the Avs' opening night roster than Georgii Merkulov. While he may not have much pedigree as of now, Merkulov dominated in the AHL with the Providence Bruins for the past five seasons. His strong work in the minor leagues didn't translate to much usage in the NHL (much like his fellow former 'Baby Bruins' teammate Fabian Lysell), but playing for just his second NHL club in the Avs, he will be motivated to impress at this year's training camp; he'll be given a solid chance to prove he's ready for big-league utilization.
Background, Bio, and Birth:
- Born October 10, 2000 (25 years old) in Ryazan, Russia
- Left-shot forward
- 5'11" | 174lbs
Draft:
Undrafted
NHL Debut:
December 30, 2023 with the Boston Bruins against the New Jersey Devils
Teams:
Rus-VHL
Tambov HC (2019-20)
NCAA
The Ohio State University (2021-22)
AHL
Providence Bruins (2021-22 -- 2025-26)
NHL
Boston Bruins (2023-24 -- 2025-26)
Career NHL Stats:
0G, 1A, 1P in 11 GP
Colorado Acquisition:
July 20, 2026: Signed as a free agent by the Colorado Avalanche
Prior Ties to Current Avs Players:
Fabian Lysell
Providence Bruins (2022-23 -- 2025-26)
Boston Bruins (2024-25)
Christian Wolanin
Providence Bruins (2025-26)
Projected Role:
With Jack Drury now playing for the division rival Nashville Predators, the Avs have an opening down the middle on the fourth line. It is not yet apparent who will fill this void:
Nicolas Roy, who has played center — including as a fourth-liner for the 2023 Cup-winning Vegas Golden Knights — will likely get looks in that role in Colorado, especially if the team can remain healthy. His versatility, both positionally and in terms of where he slots into the lineup, could see him playing much of the year as a winger in the middle six, so it's hard to say.
Fedor Svechkov, who appears later on this list, is a bargain-bin replacement for Jack Drury (one who is younger and has two years of team control at a $ 1.25 million AAV) who will likely begin the season as the Avs' 4C. If he struggles in this role, however, it may not be a long-term solution.
Merkulov will almost certainly get a chance to center the Avs' fourth line if, either due to injuries or underperformance, Roy and/or Svechkov prove unable to do so.
Fun Fact:
As a testament to both his skill and how utterly abandoned he was by the Boston Bruins (dressing in only 11 total games across five seasons) in the AHL, Merkulov holds the Providence Bruins' all-time scoring record.
Ilya Nabokov
Ilya Nabokov (38th Overall in 2024) is tied for the second-highest-drafted goaltender picked by the Avalanche in the team's entire history since relocating to Denver. Only Marc Denis (25th Overall in 1995) and Philippe Sauve (38th Overall in 1998) have been drafted higher/as high as Nabokov. Given the Avs' awful track record of successfully drafting and developing netminders in-house, there is much riding on him as the possible future between the pipes in the Mile High City. While he has yet to play on a North American sheet of ice (despite watching much of the Colorado Eagles' 2025-26 playoffs from the team's press box as a reserve player), he has already made a name for himself in the KHL — a league that, alongside the AHL, is one of the world's most competitive leagues not named the NHL. In his rookie 2023-24 season with Magnitogorsk Metallurg, Nabokov won not just the KHL's league championship, the Gagarin Cup, but also took home both the Rookie of the Year and Playoff MVP awards.
Background, Bio, and Birth:
- Born March 27, 2003 (23 years old) in Kasli, Russia
- Goaltender
- 6'1" | 181lbs
Draft:
2024 NHL Entry Draft Second Round, 38th Overall by the Colorado Avalanche
NHL Debut:
N/A
Teams:
KHL
Magnitogorsk Metallurg (2022-23 -- 2025-26)
Career NHL Stats:
N/A
Colorado Acquisition:
Via the NHL Entry Draft
Prior Ties to Current Avs Players:
N/A
Projected Role:
Nabokov will likely split time with Trent Miner on the Colorado Eagles and will almost certainly dress in a few games with the Avs.
Fun Fact:
Ilya Nabokov is the son of longtime NHL netminder Evgeni Nabokov.
Jaden Schwartz
Jaden Schwartz is the oldest player to have joined the Avs this offseason, but commensurately, he also serves as the team's most experienced addition. Alongside more than 850 regular-season games' worth of experience, Schwartz also brings over 100 games of playoff experience and a 2019 Stanley Cup championship with him to Denver. While he may not be a blockbuster, team-redefining piece, he provides a stabilizing, dependable level of NHL pedigree that will complement some of the younger players on the Avs' bottom-six. He and Kadri will likely serve as stewards on the fourth and third lines, respectively, which will be especially beneficial for the number of young players who'll be competing for time on those bottom two lines.
Background, Bio, and Birth:
- Born June 25, 1992 (34 years old) in Melfort, Saskatchewan, Canada
- Left-shot left-winger
- 5'10" | 190lbs
Draft:
2010 NHL Entry Draft
First Round, 14th Overall by the St. Louis Blues
NHL Debut:
March 17, 2012 with the St. Louis Blues against the Tampa Bay Lightning
Teams:
NCAA
Colorado College (2010-11 -- 2011-12)
AHL
Peoria Rivermen (2012-13)
NHL
St. Louis Blues (2011-12 -- 2020-21)
Seattle Kraken (2021-22 -- 2025-26)
Career NHL Stats:
233G, 320A, 553P in 861GP
Colorado Acquisition:
July 2, 2026: Signed as a free agent by the Colorado Avalanche
Prior Ties to Current Avs Players:
N/A
Projected Role:
Schwartz is projected to begin the season as the left winger on the Avs' third line. If a few of the Avs' fringe players (namely Gavin Brindley, Vinnie Hinostroza, T.J. Hughes, Zachary L'Heureux, Fabian Lysell, Georgii Merkulov, and Fedor Svechkov) wind up impressing the Avs' big brass — or, conversely, if Schwartz disappoints — then there's a chance that Schwartz winds up on the Avs' fourth line.
Fun Fact:
While Schwartz has never before played alongside any current Avs players during his professional career, he has played with a large number of former Avs during his pro career:
Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, Andre Burakovsky, Jordan Caron, Ian Cole, Joonas Donskoi, Brian Elliott, Philipp Grubauer, T.J. Hensick, Brad Hunt, Jordan Leopold, Ryan Lindgren, Ben Meyers, Ryan O'Reilly, Kevin Shattenkirk, Paul Stastny, Chris Stewart, Tomas Tatar, and Nail Yakupov
Fedor Svechkov
Svechkov, who is yet another example of the Avs and Predators finding themselves to be compatible trade partners, comes to Colorado with much to prove and much of the Avs' front office's faith behind him. His skill set (and, at this point in his career, his performance) is perfectly tailored for deployment on the Avs' bottom line, and he will provide the same kind of production that Pierre-Édouard Bellemare and fellow-former-Pred Yakov Trenin once brought to the Avs' fourth line.
Background, Bio, and Birth:
- Born April 5, 2003 (23 years old) in Togliatti, Russia
- Left-shot forward
- 6'0" | 187lbs
Draft:
2021 NHL Entry Draft
First Round, 19th Overall by the Nashville Predators
NHL Debut:
November 23, 2024 with the Nashville Predators against the Winnipeg Jets
Teams:
Rus-VHL
Tolyatti Lada (2020-21)
Neva SKA (2021-22)
Voskresensk Khimik (2022-23)
KHL
St. Petersburg SKA (2021-22)
Moscow Spartak (2022-23)
AHL
Milwaukee Admirals (2023-24 -- 2025-26)
NHL
Nashville Predators (2024-25 -- 2025-26)
Career NHL Stats:
12G, 22A, 34P in 122GP
Colorado Acquisition:
June 24, 2026: Traded, alongside Zachary L'Heureux, to the Colorado Avalanche from the Nashville Predators in exchange for Chase Bradley, Jack Drury, and a 2029 third-round pick
Prior Ties to Current Avs Players:
Vinnie Hinostroza
Milwaukee Admirals & Nashville Predators (2024-25)
Zachary L'Heureux
Milwaukee Admirals & Nashville Predators (2024-25)
Scott Wedgewood
Nashville Predators (2024-25)
Zakhar Bardakov*
St. Petersburg SKA (2021-22)
*While Bardakov is signed with St. Petersburg for the 2026-27 season, the Avs still retain his NHL rights.
Projected Role:
He will be competing for time on the Avs; bottom line. As is, he is projected to begin the year as the team's 4C.
Fun Fact:
When Svechkov first arrived in Nashville, former Avs player (and then-Nashville Predator) Yakov Trenin directly messaged Svechkov on Instagram and offered to be roommates with Svechkov.
Christian Wolanin
Wolanin has struggled to stay in an NHL lineup, and this has been the case throughout much of his professional career; his last season in the NHL came in 2022-23 with the Vancouver Canucks. As a member of the Avs, he will likely have to content himself with another season of AHL deployment, but he may find himself called upon to dress in the burgundy and blue for a handful of games in this upcoming season.
Background, Bio, and Birth:
- Born March 17, 1995 (31 years old) in Québec City, Québec, Canada
- Left-shot defenseman
- 6'2" | 190lbs
Draft:
2015 NHL Entry Draft
Fourth Round, 107th Overall by the Ottawa Senators
NHL Debut:
March 22, 2018 with the Ottawa Senators against the Edmonton Oilers
Teams:
NCAA
University of North Dakota (2015-16 -- 2017-18)
AHL
Belleville Senators (2018-19 -- 2020-21)
Ontario Reign (2020-21 -- 2021-22)
Abbotsford Canucks (2022-23 -- 2024-25)
Providence Bruins (2025-26)
NHL
Ottawa Senators (2017-18 -- 2020-21)
Los Angeles Kings (2020-21 -- 2021-22)
Buffalo Sabres (2021-22)
Vancouver Canucks (2022-23)
Career NHL Stats:
6G, 17A, 23P in 86GP
Colorado Acquisition:
July 5, 2026: Signed as a free agent by the Colorado Avalanche
Prior Ties to Current Avs Players:
Parker Kelly
Belleville Senators (2019-20 -- 2020-21)
Vinnie Hinostoza
Buffalo Sabres (2021-22)
Tristen Nielsen
Abbotsford Canucks (2021-22 -- 2024-25)
Noah Juulsen
Abbotsford Canucks and Vancouver Canucks (2022-23)
Fabian Lysell
Providence Bruins (2025-26)
Georgii Merkulov
Providence Bruins (2025-26)
Projected Role:
He will likely spend the entirety of the 2026-27 with the Colorado Eagles.
Fun Fact:
Christian is the third member of the Wolanin family to now have ties to the Avs franchise: Christian's father, Craig, appeared in 364 contests with the Avalanche, and Christian's uncle, Chris (Craig's brother), spent parts of three seasons with the Quebec Nordiques' ECHL affiliate for much of the early 1990s, the Greensboro Monarchs.
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