The Colorado Avalanche suddenly find themselves in a bit of a cap crunch. The club started with about $8.7 million in cap space this offseason, but after signing Brock Nelson to a three-year contract, that cap space has all but evaporated.
PuckPedia reports that the Colorado Avalanche now have the lowest cap space in the league at $1.2 million. As my colleagues and I here at Mile High Sticking have outlined, there are a number of free agents available and no room to sign them.
Check out my colleague Graham Tiedtke’s report on the outstanding Colorado Avalanche free agents for deeper insights.
That being said, the Avalanche will need to clear space to sign other key players like Ryan Lindgren and Jonathan Drouin. Plus, RFAs like Sam Malinski also need new contracts.
Now, the easiest way to clear cap space is to dump a contract or two. Players like Ross Colton or Artturi Lehkonen could be candidates as they would provide interested teams with value. But doing so would gut the team and leave holes in the lineup.
Moreover, the Avs don’t have young players who can simply make the jump to the NHL and take over.
The other solution is long-term injured reserve (LTIR) money. In a nutshell, LTIR allows teams to spend over the cap as the player(s) placed on LTIR allow the team to recoup that player's contract and add to the cap ceiling.
Last season, the Avs started the season with Gabe Landeskog and Valeri Nichushkin on LTIR. The Avs also acquired Tucker Poolman’s contract from the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for Erik Brannstrom.
All of that LTIR money has now evaporated.
Both Landeskog and Nichushkin will not remain on LTIR this upcoming season (Nichuskin returned in November while Landeskog in the playoffs). Plus, Poolman is a free agent.
In my estimation, the best way the Avalanche can clear cap space without gutting the roster is to trade for existing LTIR contracts that could help the team clear up some much-needed cap space.
Shea Weber’s contract from Chicago Blackhawks
Former Montreal Canadiens captain Shea Weber signed a massive 14-year deal in 2012. That was before the current Collective Bargaining Agreement limited contracts to eight years. The Nashville Predators locked up their best blue liner but eventually traded him to Montreal for Norris Trophy winner P.K. Subban.
Fast-forward to today and Weber has not played since 2021. His contract has floated around several teams, last landing with the Blackhawks.
Without Weber’s contract, the Blackhawks have over $29 million in cap space. Since they don’t have any major signings this season, the team can afford to send off the last year of Weber’s contract.
The contract comes with a $7.86 million cap hit would could give the Avalanche enough ammo to sign a couple of players. While it still wouldn’t be enough, it would be a good start.
As for the price the Avs would have to pay for the final year of Weber’s contract, it would likely be a combination of draft picks and/or prospects. Perhaps a mid-tier prospect and one or two of the multiple 2026 fourth or fifth-round picks the Avs hold might get the deal done.
San Jose Sharks and Logan Couture’s contract
San Jose Sharks captain Logan Couture formally announced he would not return to the NHL earlier this season. But that’s a retirement in name only. Given the dreaded cap recapture penalty, the Sharks will only go about the formal paperwork of placing Couture on LTIR for the next two seasons.
As such, Couture’s contract could be up for grabs if the Sharks felt inclined to move it. San Jose doesn’t really need it as the team has over $41 million in cap space. So, it can afford to depart with Couture’s $8 million cap hit.
For the Colorado Avalanche, that $8 million could go a long way. Like, Shea Weber’s contract, the cost would be a couple of mid-tier picks or prospects.
But if the Avalanche were to somehow swing Weber and Couture’s contracts in one fell swoop, it could free up as much as $15 million for the Avalanche without decimating the lineup.
What if Martin Necas was in play?
Rumors about Martin Necas’ displeasure came to mind when writing this article. So, what if the Avalanche packaged Necas to, say, San Jose for Couture’s contract and a couple of late-round picks for good measure?
That deal alone could clear up over $16 million in cap space while ridding the Avalanche of a potential distraction this season.
I’m just floating that idea. But judging from the celerity with which the Avalanche signed Brock Nelson, it seems to me that there could be another major deal in the works before the opening of free agency on July 1.
Stay tuned because there could be something looming on the horizon before or during the 2025 NHL Draft.