The Colorado Avalanche’s season is over, as they were eliminated from the NHL playoffs by the Dallas Stars after a grueling, hard-fought seven-game series. The Avalanche’s front office can now look ahead to the offseason and free agency to begin preparing for the 2025-2026 season.
I'm going to break down the Avs' upcoming free agents and roster situation, and then discuss four forwards that the team could target in free agency. I will break down the defensive free agents in a coming article.
Upcoming Avalanche free agents
The Avalanche have four forwards and four defensemen possibly heading to free agency. Brock Nelson, the top target at the deadline, is likely headed to free agency. In addition, Joel Kiviranta, Jimmy Vesey, and Jonathan Drouin are the other forwards up. Ryan Lindgren, another big deadline addition, is up for a new contract. Erik Johnson is likely to retire and Tucker Poolman has been out since October of 2022 for concussion-related injuries; his future is uncertain. Lastly, our only restricted free agent is Sam Malinski.
Of these free agents, I think the top priority will be both defensemen, Ryan Lindgren and Sam Malinski. I think the forward group is either out of the Avs' price range or just expendable.
The Avalanche paid a lot for Brock Nelson, giving up top prospect Calum Ritchie, a 2026 first round pick, and a conditional third round pick in 2028. Oliver Kylington was also part of the package. I think the Avalanche would love to re-sign him, but I don't think they can afford it unless they move players out. There have also been rumors that he wants to play in his home state of Minnesota.
Jonathan Drouin is the big wild card here. I believe the one-year deal he signed last season was a bridge deal intended to help the team through a tough year on the cap and roster. Instead of making the most of it, Drouin was plagued by injuries and only played in 43 games. The silver lining of that though is that he scored 37 points in those 43 games. Another problem for him is that he absolutely disappeared against Dallas in the playoffs.
That leaves Joel Kiviranta and Jimmy Vesey. Someone is going to overpay for Kiviranta. I think Kiviranta is great in the bottom six for the Avalanche, but he had a career year and showed quality play on both sides of the game. His 19.0% shooting percentage is obviously not sustainable. I just don't think the Avalanche can afford to give too hefty a contract to him. Jimmy Vesey can go either way. If he re-signs, he likely will sign for under $1 million.
Filling the holes in the roster
With my decision to only bring back Lindgren and Malinski, there are quite a few holes to fill in the Avalanche lineup. The Avs will need at least three forwards. The major concern yet again is second line center, as Nelson's departure, in this scenario, opens that spot up yet again. Drouin and Kiviranta are both wingers, so the Avalanche would likely need to target at least two more forwards.
The Avalanche have a few names that could come up from their AHL affiliate, the Colorado Eagles. Dressing 50 players this season gave us a look at young players like Ivan Ivan and Nikita Prishchepov. For now, we'll assume these guys are still just call-ups, though I wouldn't be surprised to see Ivan get significant playing time through next season.
Free agent forwards
The free agent market is limited for the Avalanche, as they only have $8.7M in cap space. Targeting any big names is probably out of the question, so we aren't looking at anybody like Mitch Marner. The Avalanche have to shop smart here.
Anthony Beauvillier
My first choice for free agent is Anthony Beauvillier. I've eyed this guy for a long time and love the way he plays the game. I remember watching him when he played for the Islanders. He was one of those guys that always came in with the clutch pass or goal. He is listed as a center, but based on his faceoff totals he plays more on the wing than at center. In the 2019-2020 season, he scored a career-high 39 points with the Islanders. The last few seasons he's played in Vancouver, Chicago, Nashville, Pittsburgh. He currently plays for Washington on their fourth line.
I feel like Beauvillier can be a solid addition to the bottom six, particularly in a third line role. He can easily fill Kiviranta's role and possibly even outplay him. His current cap hit is $1.25M and I don't expect it to change much from there.
Jack Roslovic
My next pick is Jack Roslovic. I really knew nothing about this guy until he started being mentioned as a trade target two years ago when the New York Rangers picked him up at the deadline. I believe I had him as a backup option to Casey Mittlestadt then. He played in Columbus prior to that trade and then ended up in Carolina for this past season where he finished with 39 points with a solid 22 goals. He commits to the shot, and that's something the Avalanche should value.
Roslovic slots in as a 2C/3C in my eyes, though his career 44.4 faceoff percentage leaves a lot to be desired. He did have a quality season in the dot with Carolina at 54.1%. He and Charlie Coyle can solidly support the 2C role, though I think Roslovic tracks better in the 3C spot. His current cap hit is $2.8M, so the Avs might not be able to land him unless they move some money out or find a creative way to get him under contract.
Pius Suter
Another target I'm really interested in is Pius Suter. Suter had a monstrous season in Vancouver this year, and I think that's saying something considering the turmoil and injuries they went through this year. He had 46 points and a whopping 27 goals. Both are career-highs and he's had all 5 seasons with at least 14 goals. He's under 50% in the faceoff dot, but that's never been much of a concern to the Avalanche.
This is another guy who can slot in behind Charlie Coyle at 3C or even possibly play up at 2C. He has a nice scoring touch and could be a good candidate for the Avalanche this summer. His current cap hit of $1.6M makes it seem like he'll get a good raise this offseason, but the Avs could do well to sign him to a contract with term, to keep the cap hit down, as he's only 28.
Steven Lorentz
Finally, my last is Steven Lorentz of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Lorentz is a bottom six guy and will likely sign for a cap hit around $1M. He's a solid checking center who can fill either 3C or 4C. This move would slot Jack Drury up to 3C and I could definitely see that working well, even though I would rather not break up the fourth line
Of course, for all of these players, they have to actually hit free agency. I would not be surprised to see any of them re-signed by their current clubs, especially Suter and Lorentz. Suter might be a strong buildling block for Vancouver who is going through some sort of retooling. Lorentz is the kind of player who fits in and works well in head coach Craig Berube's system.
The Avalanche will have to scour the market and buy cheap if they don't trade anyone out for cap relief. Colorado has a solid foundation in their roster, but are again looking to find enough depth to contend. The Avalanche will have to be smart with free agency.
With the moves that Chris MacFarland made this past season and Joe Sakic, the mastermind behind the whole operation, I believe they will do what's right for the team.