The Colorado Avalanche have the kind of roster that can make you daydream about June. The scoring talent is there, the top-end skill is there, and the blue line is loaded with experienced pieces. But the old familiar problem still hangs over the whole thing: goaltending.
That’s what makes Connor Hellebuyck such a tempting name to float in Denver.
Hellebuyck, the Winnipeg Jets star who helped lead the United States to gold in last winter’s Olympic games, is in a contract holdout that has already turned into a suspension. He is eligible to return to the Jets on Friday, though whether Winnipeg actually plays him remains uncertain. For now, he’s at home hoping for a trade.
And if you’re the Avalanche, why wouldn’t you at least think about it?
Hellebuyck has built a monster resume. He’s won the Vezina Trophy three times as the NHL’s best goalie and also owns a Hart Trophy as league MVP. Even while sitting out this dispute, he’s still viewed as one of the three or four best goaltenders in the game.
That’s why the fit is so intriguing. Colorado has already seen what a great goalie can do for a great team.
Back in 1995-96, the franchise had just moved from Quebec to Denver and had already jumped out to a 16-7-4 start, with an eight-game winning streak among those first 27 games. Then Patrick Roy arrived from Montreal on December 6, with Jocelyn Thibault headed the other way.
Roy quickly became the missing piece, played at a high level in the playoffs, and helped turn the Avalanche into a Stanley Cup champion. Denver got its first championship parade.
The current Avalanche aren’t short on offense. They’ve got at least a pair of future Hall of Famers, plus a deep group of forwards and veteran defensemen. What they don’t have, at least not yet, is a goalie who feels like that same kind of final, finishing touch.
Mackenzie Blackwood and Scott Wedgewood have both had strong stretches in net for Colorado. Last season, the two combined to help the Avs finish with the fewest goals allowed in the league during their President’s Cup-winning regular season. But in the playoff loss to Las Vegas, Carter Hart was the goalie who took over the story.
That’s the line of demarcation here. Blackwood and Wedgewood are good. Stanley Cup great is a different category.
A Hellebuyck chase would not come cheap, and it would take real maneuvering from general manager Joe Sakic. Pierre Lacroix had the freedom to make blockbuster moves back in the mid-1990s without a salary cap getting in the way. Sakic does not have that luxury now, so any serious swing would have to work financially.
One possible route would be a package involving Blackwood and winger Artturi Lehkonen. Lehkonen is a free agent after the season and is in line for a substantial raise, while Blackwood and Lehkonen together would clear almost $10 million in salary for this year.
Hellebuyck is on an $8.5 million deal, so that structure could allow Colorado to give him a bump in pay and still keep the books workable. The Avalanche could even include another player if needed.
Winnipeg would not be giving up a star for nothing, either. Blackwood would give the Jets an upgrade in net, and Lehkonen could bring first-line scoring punch to a team that could use it.
The case for Colorado is obvious enough: the Avs were the NHL’s best regular-season team last year, but the postseason exposed the same weakness that so often decides everything. If there’s a chance to land one of the league’s elite goalies, it’s at least worth asking the question.
Would Hellebuyck be the missing piece in Colorado?
In Other News...
Avalanche Fans Should Keep An Eye On This Rising 2026 Pick
Beckett Hamilton is the kind of later-round pick that can start to matter quickly if the development arc keeps trending up. Drafted 74th overall by the Avalanche in the 2026 NHL Draft, the Red Deer Rebels captain has been making noise in the WHL with a strong start that has turned heads well beyond his draft slot. His ability to line up at center or wing only adds to the appeal, especially for a Colorado organization that is always looking for useful depth down the line.
Hamiltons production for Red Deer has given Avalanche fans a reason to track his progress closely, even if his eventual NHL path is still far from settled. Colorado views him as a possible depth piece who could someday fit into the organization, but the exact shape of that role is still a work in progress. For now, the intrigue is less about what he is right now and more about how much more room there is for him to grow. [Read more 🡒]
Avalanche Suddenly Have An Early Problem Fans Cant Ignore
The Avalanches early-season cushion is already looking a little thinner after a loss to the New Jersey Devils gave them back-to-back defeats. It was the kind of game that can leave a familiar uneasy feeling around a strong roster, especially when the usual edge at five-on-five isnt as obvious and the margins start shrinking.
Colorado also had trouble making its special teams count, going 0-for-1 on the power play while killing off its only penalty. None of that is panic territory this early, but it does put a spotlight on a team that needs to clean up the details quickly if it wants to avoid letting a short skid turn into something more troubling. [Read more 🡒]
Avalanche Escape Brutal Start Thanks To Two Timely Responses
For a period that could have gotten away from them quickly, the Avalanche found just enough poise to survive. New Jersey came out driving play and piled up the chances, but Colorado kept the score close while Scott Wedgewood came up with several key saves behind a skater group that spent much of the opening 20 minutes on its heels.
Then Gabe Landeskog delivered the kind of response teams need on nights like this, scoring late in the first period to pull Colorado even at 1-1. After being outshot 14-4, the Avalanche at least walked into the intermission with a reset, having turned a rough start into a tie game and a chance to settle in before the contest could slip further toward the Devils. [Read more 🡒]