The Colorado Avalanche, more so than any other team, have utilized depth players, minor-league-callups, and roster-reimagining to formulate a lineup, hoping to contend for the Stanley Cup again in 2024-25. As of March 4, 2025, the Avs have used 37 skaters and six goalies; this is far more than any other team, and it's not too far from league-record levels, especially in the salary cap era. Injuries and the Avs' inability to find a reliable second-line center have necessitated much of the changes to the team's roster configurations, and this has been the case for the last three seasons.
One of the many depth players employed by the Avs in recent years, Kiefer Sherwood, is having a career year in Vancouver. After the Avs neglected to re-sign him at the end of the 2021-22 season, Sherwood spent the next two seasons establishing himself as a regular-NHLer for the Nashville Predators. They, too, let him go in free agency, despite Sherwood's strong play, which generated buzz in the media and across the league. The Canucks happily signed him to a two-year, $1.5mil AAV deal. He's fit in well and become a fan-favorite in Vancouver, and he's spent time on the top line and has seen ice time in all situations.
During his time in the Avalanche's system, his consistent performance in the AHL turned heads, so it’s curious why the Avs would seemingly give up on a player who hadn't, at that point, been given much of a chance in the NHL and had upside during the prime of his career. It was a particularly peculiar decision (or lack of foresight), given the Avs' salary cap limits and need for reliable depth forwards, both of which are still present and pressing this season.
As a member of the Colorado Avalanche—during the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons—Sherwood played in just 27 games, registering one goal and four assists. On paper, his impact in that time can be easily disregarded; however, his performance at the AHL level indicated that he simply hadn't quite developed his game at the NHL level.
With the Colorado Eagles in those same two seasons, Sherwood excelled: He put up 91 points (46 goals and 45 assists) in just 77 games. While there is an obvious, important distinction between AHL and NHL caliber skills, Sherwood was never really given a consistent opportunity to succeed for the Avs. His ice time was limited to a sub-nine minutes-per game average across those two seasons. He certainly wasn't seeing any time on the powerplay, and he became just another interchangeable depth piece and little else. Now, when they need cost-effective depth arguably more than anything else, the Avs have had to look to other teams for help in exchange for Colorado's draft capital.
It's difficult to say that the Avs "gave up on" Sherwood, but, at the same time, it's hard not to see that they never really gave him a chance. His chance would come, though, with the Vancouver Canucks, who placed their faith in him and saw it rewarded, fittingly, against the Avalanche.
December 16, 2024: Guess Who?
Kiefer Sherwoodwho went undrafted, often overlooked by scouts and front offices, and kicked around between the AHL and the NHL as a member of the Anaheim Ducks, Colorado Avalanche, and Nashville Predators, had his best night in professional hockey against the Avs: the team that cut him loose.
Torching the Avs for the first hat trick (a natural hat trick) in his career, Sherwood's flurry included the first three goals of the game, each scored in a different manner: the first was at even strength, the second was short-handed, and the third was into an empty net. While Valeri Nichuskin's goal with 46 seconds left in the game would put the Avs on the board, from start to finish, this was the Kiefer Sherwood show.
His second goal of the night, which came just 30 games into the 2024-25 season, sawKiefer Sherwood set a new career-high in goals. The torrid goal-scoring pace cooled shortly after the tilt against the Avs, but his hot start to this season, and his effective bottom-six utilization, are testaments to what can happen when a team gives a player the confidence to go out and play.
Patterns, Lessons, and the Fickle Nature of Being a Pro
There's a limit to how many players a team can have, and, despite the irony of the Avalanche utilizing so many players this year, the front office in Colorado hadn't seen enough production from Sherwood to justify keeping him, especially with so much young talent waiting in the wings at the time. But, as Sherwood continues to grow as an NHLer, it begs the question: in a few years, who will be the next player the Avs may regret not holding on to? Riley Tufte, who was just recalled by the Boston Bruins, is one name to keep an eye on. The Avs may regret the decision to waive him, as Tufte's parallels with Sherwood (success in the AHL, limited deployment in the NHL) may come back to bite the Avs.
It's difficult not to see the player Sherwood has become and think, dryly, "Why can't the Avs get a guy like that?" It's also sad in a different sense that Sherwood never blossomed as a member of the Avalanche; if he was still playing in the Mile High City, there would be a Wood, Wedgewood, Blackwood, and Sherwood on the team. Missed opportunities all around.
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