Since their 2021-22 Stanley Cup win, the Colorado Avalanche have yet to be back in that final round of the postseason. While it is commendable that Chris MacFarland, their former general manager, traded for some starpower talent in an attempt to get back to the Stanley Cup Final, the team hasn’t been able to do so.
The Avs have traded their first-round draft pick in four of the last five drafts. The only player they selected in the first round during that time was Calum Ritchie, who was traded for Brock Nelson. It’s hard to fault the team for making such a move, despite Nelson’s lack of recent playoff success. The team is in a championship window.
But what might have happened if the Avalanche decided to stay in the first-round of the 2024 Draft? Perhaps they would have had a solid prospect in the system instead of having one of the worst pools in all of the NHL.
Taken with that 24th overall selection was Cole Beaudoin, by the Utah “Hockey Club”—the name they went by in an inaugural sense before changing to the Mammoth. While Beaudoin has since been traded to the New York Rangers, one of the things that stood out to teams selecting around the late-first round was Beaudoin’s size. He is 6’2” and 209 pounds, which makes for a solid size for a center.
He is a physical player who has also produced quite a bit offensively over the years. For the Barrie Colts of the AHL, Beaudoin has 91 goals and 131 assists in 236 games over the last four seasons with the Colts. To me, that’s insane production.
He would have been somebody the Avalanche fans could have looked forward to seeing in a couple of years.
Like I said, I do not fault the Avalanche for making big plays for talent. That’s what they should be doing. It’s just disappointing that they haven’t even gotten to the Stanley Cup Final since 2021-22. Beaudoin could have been someone who helped the Avs with even more center depth.
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