The Colorado Avalanche look to be settling into the quiet days of the NHL offseason. That’s fine. Every organization has pretty much done all the offseason heavy lifting. That’s why now is the time to take it easy.
But just because teams are ready to take a break for a couple of weeks, it doesn’t mean that a major move can’t happen.
No, we’re not talking about a trade or anything like that. We’re talking about one of the boldest moves the Avalanche could make: Name a new GM.
Joe Sakic has done a fantastic job in pinch-hitting after Chris MacFarland bolted for Music City. But there’s no indication that Sakic will remain in the GM chair for the foreseeable future. The idea is to name a replacement sooner, rather than later.
And that’s where the bold prediction lies. The organization could go right ahead and name Andrew Cogliano as MacFarland’s successor.
The chatter as soon as MacFarland left posited that Cogliano could be the next man up. However, the organization wasn’t too keen on throwing him straight into the fire. Hence, Sakic took over to ease the transition.
Now that things have sort of settled down, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Sakic mentor Cogliano into the full-time role. That’s why it wouldn’t be out of the question to see the Avalanche name the former Stanley Cup winner as the full-time GM ahead of the season.
Silence from Avalanche could signal Cogliano is the man
One of the most interesting things about this GM vacancy in Colorado is the lack of chatter surrounding the organization’s search for a full-time exec. When other organizations moved on from their GMs, rumors immediately poured into the mix.
The most recent example was the Detroit Red Wings. When the Wings moved on from Steve Yzerman, a host of names hit the airwaves.
That hasn’t been the case for the Avalanche. There hasn’t been nearly as much chatter as other teams like the Toronto Maple Leafs and New Jersey Devils. The Nashville Predators spent months tossing names around.
Meanwhile, the Vancouver Canucks reportedly had two lists of candidates to work through. That’s how much teams invest into looking for their front office execs.
So, why haven’t we heard a laundry list of names to take over the GM role? Does everyone just assume Sakic will be there till the end of time?
It’s just a sign that there really isn’t much of a search. The Avs have enough time to polish Cogliano before officially sending him off to battle with the other 31 NHL GMs this upcoming season.
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