Both the Colorado Avalanche and Anaheim Ducks have a particular player they might be willing to part with, and a particular trade idea floating around recently would not be a good idea for the Avalanche.
Specifically, the Avalanche haven’t seen a lot of production from Casey Mittelstadt lately. While he has been present on the ice for all 59 games so far this season, his stat sheet doesn’t reflect the proof of his existence. He has just nine goals and 23 assists in those 59 games. His most recent goal happened in mid-January against the Dallas Stars. That production—or lack thereof—just won’t cut it as a second-line center. A player that could interest them is Trevor Zegras of the Anaheim Ducks.
The Avalanche aren’t in a rebuild, while the Ducks are. The Ducks are in sixth place in the Pacific Division and are working their way to get up higher into the standings. Therefore, it’s possible that they could look to bolster their roster. The Avalanche might have a player or two that will interest them.
Colorado is fighting their hardest to climb the central division, as they currently sit at fourth with 68 points. If they continue to play the way that they did in their last two games—against the Predators and Blues, who are both bottom feeders in the central—they won’t be making a trip to the Stanley Cup playoffs. That would be a hard pill to swallow.
The cost for the Colorado Avalanche to acquire Trevor Zegras might be too steep
So, the reason that I don’t think the Colorado Avalanche should make the move to trade for Trevor Zegras is that Anaheim could and should ask for a lot in return. Whoever gets Zegras, if traded, would receive a player who has the potential to be a top player in the league later down the road. He’s just 23-years-old and as for any top-10 draft pick, the expectations are sky high.
Colorado has some good players on the wings, but unfortunately, for whatever reason, they haven’t produced a whole lot lately. If you’re trading a player-plus some for Zegras, you’d have to be very sure/confident that he would work out. Otherwise, you’re giving up a player who has had some success with the Avalanche in the past. While he hasn’t been himself lately, it’s still possible that he turns things around.
I think that Mittelstadt really does have what it takes to turn things around, and well see how the re-addition of Valeri Nichushkin into the lineup helps him for the rest of the season. We know how important Nichushkin is for the Avalanche, so I think that keeping continuity there might work out for Mittelstadt.
Avalanche general manager Chris MacFarland would also have to sign Zegras for this year and next, and then becomes a restricted free agent. If Zegras failed with the Avalanche, it probably wouldn’t make sense to extend him. Therefore, they would have lost that trade by a landslide.
While the Ducks are looking to rebuild, the Avalanche are trying to keep things going and trying to stay contenders. This trade would be a step in the wrong direction.