Free Agency has opened with a bang across the NHL landscape, as signings, trades and more have occurred on the frenzied first day of July. The Colorado Avalanche have remained relatively quiet but are reportedly honing in on their next move—a move to sign free agent Nikolaj Ehlers.
Ehlers, a winger who previously spent time with division rival Winnipeg, is the big fish still left on the market and reports from all over the NHL-verse have varying places he’s projected to sign, and Colorado seems right in the mix.
The 29 year old Danish-born winger is a consistent 60-point scorer that would provide a scoring punch for the burgundy and blue. With Jonathan Drouin signing a deal with the Islanders and rumors that Joel Kiviranta and possibly Martin Necas won’t be wearing the Avalanche sweater next season, Chris MacFarland is likely throwing his eggs in one basket while Ehlers is still available to sign the biggest fish left at the market.
The Great Dane is consistent, having scored over 20 goals in eight of his ten NHL seasons. He’s eclipsed 45 points seven times over ten years. He’s done all this while averaging only 16:26 per game over his career.
If he ends up replacing Drouin on the top line, playing with Nathan MacKinnon, those numbers are likely to skyrocket. Although he’s never scored 30 goals in a season, he’s tracked towards that number in several seasons. Injuries got in the way of those campaigns, and if signed, it’s an aspect the Avalanche will have to account for.
The Avalanche would stand to absorb the potential loss of Necas a lot easier if Ehlers is onboard. He could fill the void there, or slot in on the second or third line to provide needed depth. Depth is the key to a deep playoff run, and the Avs need to add it.
Ehlers scored seven points in eight games during this past postseason, adding five goals—four of those at even strength. It’s an important point to make, because the playoffs require depth scoring at 5-on-5 – the special teams are points of emphasis for each team and sometimes get slowed or even stopped.
Ehlers also averaged more ice time during the playoffs than during the regular season (17:17 to 15:48). With more ice time came more production, and that is a good predictor of a probable role for the Avs.
There are still obvious questions around the Avalanche as a whole. With Gabriel Landeskog expected back for the start of the regular season and Ehlers onboard (if it happens), it’ll go a long way to fix some of those issues that plagued the team last season and during the playoffs.
By signing Ehlers, Colorado would put the NHL on notice that they’re going for a Stanley Cup run again. They take away a top-tier player from a division rival as well. They add depth, they can absorb other potential losses easier and likely make their chances at success much greater. Make the move MacFarland.