The Dylan Larkin-to-Colorado buzz has been floating around for a while, but Elliotte Friedman put a hard stop on it during an appearance on NHL Network.
Larkin’s name has been tied to the Avalanche because Colorado is on his trade list, but Friedman made it clear that some destinations are basically dead ends. Colorado was one of them.
“Some of those teams, like Florida and Colorado and Vegas, it’s simply not happening unless something really changes.”
That’s the clearest sign yet that a move to Denver is a long shot at best. It’s not that the Avalanche wouldn’t want Larkin.
Given where things stand, he’d be a tempting fit. The problem is the price tag, and Colorado doesn’t look like a team ready to pay it.
Joe Sakic isn’t likely to meet whatever demand Detroit Red Wings GM Shawn Horcoff would put on the table for Larkin, especially with the Avalanche’s current salary cap structure making things even trickier.
For the deal to have any life, a lot would need to shift. Friedman’s comments left room for that possibility in theory, but the practical hurdles are obvious. First, the Red Wings would have to be willing to accept Colorado’s offer, and the Avs don’t have much trade capital to work with.
That likely means a package built around a couple of mid-tier prospects and a potential late first-rounder. Even then, Detroit would probably need to be in a position where it was ready to move Larkin, and there’s also the possibility of Larkin’s camp pushing for Colorado.
Then there’s the cap issue, which may be the biggest obstacle of all. Colorado simply doesn’t have the space, so Detroit would also have to help out by taking on a contract that would clear enough room for Larkin’s deal.
That’s why the Avalanche remain an unrealistic landing spot. Larkin might like the idea, and Avalanche fans certainly wouldn’t turn him away, but it would take a major change in the situation before he ever ended up wearing blue and burgundy.
In Other News...
Avalanche Forward Depth Just Took Another Hit They Can't Easily Cover
Colorados forward depth has already been under pressure, and Zachary LHeureuxs absence only adds to the challenge. The Avalanche have been without him since Oct. 10 because of an upper-body injury, and placing him on long-term injured reserve retroactive to that date underscores how much time they expect to go without him. For a team trying to keep its lines steady, losing another forward this early in the season is not an easy spot to absorb.
Jared Bednar has already labeled the injury long-term, though he stopped short of offering a return date, and LHeureux still has not resumed skating as he works through the recovery process off the ice. That leaves Colorado waiting for any sign of progress while the rest of the roster has to keep carrying the load. In a season where depth is always tested, this is one more absence the Avalanche would rather not be managing for long. [Read more 🡒]
Avalanche May Have Found A Draft Gem With One Big Catch
The Avalanche used one of their fourth-round picks in the 2026 NHL Draft on Axel Elofsson, a puck-moving defenseman whose game is built around skating, vision and playmaking. The Swedish blueliner has already shown he can drive offense from the back end, and his production on loan with IK Oskarshamn in HockeyAllsvenskan has only added to the intrigue around his upside.
The catch is the same one that tends to follow skilled young defensemen with this kind of profile: Elofsson is undersized and still has work to do in his own end. Colorado clearly saw enough in the offensive package to take the swing, but his path to becoming more than a promising draft value will depend on whether he can round out the defensive side while continuing to produce at a high level. [Read more 🡒]
Colorado Eagles Finally Got The Offensive Outburst Fans Needed
The Colorado Eagles got the kind of offensive jolt their fans had been waiting for, and it came in a 6-4 win over the Calgary Wranglers. Gavin Brindley and Tristen Nielsen each finished with three points, while Adam Beckman chipped in two goals to help pace a lineup that had been looking for more finish and more confidence in the attacking zone.
Trent Miner did his part to steady things in net, turning aside 27 of 31 shots to earn the win as Colorado kept pushing back every time Calgary tried to tighten the game. For an Eagles team that has needed a spark, this was the sort of night that can change the mood quickly, even if the larger question is whether the offense can keep producing at this level when the schedule gets heavier. [Read more 🡒]