The Colorado Avalanche have a Nic Roy problem looming, and it’s the kind of problem teams usually love until the bill comes due.
Roy was a sharp pickup from the Toronto Maple Leafs at last season’s NHL trade deadline, a move that was supposed to give Colorado a third-line center. That plan shifted after the Nazem Kadri deal, though Roy still fits that kind of role if Kadri moves up the lineup.
And Roy isn’t limited to one spot. He can slide to the wing in the top six and handle it responsibly.
He’s shown he can score, take on tough defensive-zone shifts, and work on the penalty kill. In other words, he brings a lot more than just depth.
The price to get him was real, and the price to keep him could be even bigger.
Roy is in the final year of a five-year contract with a $3 million cap hit, and at 29, he’s in line for a raise that could land somewhere in the $6 million to $7 million range on a four-year deal. That might sound steep, but there are always teams willing to pay for dependable forwards who can also offer top-six upside.
That leaves Colorado with a decision it can’t rush: keep Roy, or move him at the deadline.
For now, the Avalanche are stuck waiting on the bigger domino - Cale Makar’s number. Until they know what it will cost to keep Makar, they can’t really map out the rest of the roster. If Makar’s cap hit climbs too high, Roy could wind up as a cap casualty.
That’s why the Avs can’t make a real call until they know how much space they’ll have next summer. If Makar takes up too much of the budget, keeping Roy beyond this season may simply not be realistic.
If Colorado does decide to move him, the likeliest window would be the trade deadline, though some teams could get active before the March 1, 2027 deadline. Clubs will want clarity on their cap situation well before then, and the Avalanche are no different.
Dealing Roy before the deadline would give Colorado a clearer picture of its own financial runway, and the return could also be used as ammo in another move.
Maybe the whole thing ends up being moot if Makar gives the Avalanche a break. But until that number is known, Roy’s future sits right in the middle of the conversation.
In Other News...
Cale Makar Sends A Clear Message About Colorados New-Look Roster
Cale Makar did not spend much time soft-pedaling what went wrong for the Avalanche after a strong regular season gave way to a disappointing playoff exit. He acknowledged the frustrations that came with the ending and the reality that Colorado had to absorb a tough lesson after a year that suggested a deeper run was there for the taking.
Now the focus shifts to a roster that has changed quite a bit since then, with trades and free-agent additions reshaping the group around Makar. Even with the different look, his message was clear: the standard in Colorado has not moved, and neither has the expectation that this team should be in the Stanley Cup conversation again when the season begins. [Read more 🡒]
Avalanche Face A Painful Roster Debate Around Cale Makar And Depth
The Avalanche are staring at one of those roster questions that can shape everything that follows, because the business side of the next few seasons is starting to press against the hockey side. Artturi Lehkonen and Cale Makar are moving toward contract decisions, and Colorado also has to sort through upcoming free agents such as Nicolas Roy, Brent Burns and Scott Wedgewood while keeping an eye on a cap picture that could tighten quickly.
Makar is the obvious centerpiece of the discussion, but the larger issue is how much room the Avalanche can preserve around him without thinning out the supporting cast that makes the lineup work. It is the kind of debate that can look simple from the outside, keep the star and figure out the rest, but for Colorado it is tied to depth, flexibility and a series of choices that may not all fit neatly together. [Read more 🡒]
Cale Makar And Colorado Are Running Out Of Time On One Decision
Cale Makar and the Avalanche are staring down a contract decision that carries more weight than the usual star extension. With the calendar moving toward the middle of September, Colorado still has a narrow window to lock in an eight-year agreement before the leagues new labor rules shorten the maximum term, turning what is normally a straightforward business item into a real franchise moment.
For the Avalanche, the choice is bigger than just years on a page. An eight-year deal would tie Makar to the organization for the long haul and shape how his place in team history is remembered, while a shorter arrangement would leave more questions about the future and could affect how Colorado manages its roster in the seasons ahead. No agreement has been reported yet, so the clock keeps ticking on one of the teams most important calls. [Read more 🡒]