The Colorado Avalanche are done with preseason after Saturday’s 2-0 loss in Utah to the Mammoth, and now the real roster puzzle begins.
Colorado finished exhibition play at 2-2, with both of its wins coming at home when more of the top lineup was in place. On the road, the Avalanche dropped both games.
The next step comes fast. Jared Bednar’s staff, with help from Joe Sakic’s front office, is set to start sorting out who stays and who goes while keeping the team under the salary cap. Those decisions could come as early as today, with the club scheduled to practice Sunday.
The math is tight. Sakic has previously said he’d prefer to carry 21 skaters rather than 22 so the team can build up cap space before the trade deadline.
To make that work, Colorado would likely need to keep seven defensemen and 12 forwards. If T.J.
Hughes is on the roster, that setup would mean either Zachary L’Heureux or Fedor Svechkov would have to clear waivers to be sent down, and that may not be an easy ask.
The other path is simpler, if less ideal for the cap picture: carry 21 forwards for now because of how well Hughes has looked in camp. Either way, the Avalanche are headed into the hardest part of preseason management, and the answer should come later this morning.
Elsewhere around the league, Pittsburgh forward Rust was injured in preseason action. New Jersey Hockey Now reported that Luke Evangelista has arrived in a big way in his latest preseason performance, while Detroit Hockey Now noted that the Red Wings need a strong start from John Gibson given all the problems they’re dealing with on and off the ice.
In Other News...
Avalanche Roster Crunch Is Putting Two Bubble Spots In Focus
The Avalanche have already trimmed their camp significantly, placing six players on waivers and sending six others to the Colorado Eagles training camp as they work toward opening night. With the roster deadline closing in, the next moves are narrowing the picture fast, and Colorado is still expected to make two more cuts to get down to the 23-player limit.
One of those spots appears to be tied to goalie Trent Miner, who is likely headed to waivers, while defenseman Taylor Makar is expected to be reassigned to the AHL because of injury and his waiver exemption status. Even after the final moves are made, the Avalanche are planning to start the season with 22 players because of salary cap constraints, which means the last decisions are about more than just camp performance. [Read more 🡒]
Former Avalanche Defenseman Just Revived A Colorado Blue-Line Debate
Nick Blankenburgs quick stop in Colorado is back in the conversation after he turned a professional tryout with the Toronto Maple Leafs into a one-year, $1.4 million contract. For Avalanche fans, it is a familiar name resurfacing in a place where the blue line has been a constant point of discussion, especially after he logged 12 regular-season games and five playoff games in Denver before the club moved on.
Blankenburgs path has been a reminder that defensemen can change their stock fast with the right fit and enough opportunity. He also just put together a career-best offensive season split between Nashville and Colorado, and now Toronto is betting that production can carry over into a more stable role, which only adds another layer to the question of what the Avalanche may have had in him. [Read more 🡒]
Former Avalanche Fan Favorite Now Carries A Tough New Reality
Miles Woods stint with the Blue Jackets has taken a sharp turn since Colorado moved him and Charlie Coyle to Columbus in the summer of 2025 to open up cap space. Wood did not make Columbus roster this season, cleared waivers, and is now in a spot no player wants to be in: a useful veteran whose contract has become part of the conversation more than his on-ice role.
Now the Blue Jackets are reportedly folding Woods deal into trade talks involving Kirill Marchenko, looking for a team willing to absorb the contract. For Avalanche fans, it is a reminder of how quickly a familiar name can shift from crowd favorite to salary-cap wrinkle, with the next step depending less on his play than on whether another club is willing to take on the financial baggage. [Read more 🡒]