The Colorado Avalanche spent the offseason making hard cuts, and that’s exactly why the big question hanging over them now is so simple: did they actually get better?
On paper, the answer isn’t obvious. Colorado moved on from more familiar names than it brought in, and the forward group looks different enough that next season could feel like a reset in more than one spot.
But the Avalanche also weren’t operating in a vacuum. The roster that won the Stanley Cup in 2022 had become expensive, older, and harder to keep together under the cap, so the front office had to choose a direction.
That led to a summer of turnover. Valeri Nichushkin, one of the most important pieces of that championship run, was traded to the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Ross Colton and Jack Drury were also sent to the Nashville Predators in separate deals. Those moves left Colorado with less recognizable depth and a new look up front.
The most notable addition came when Joe Sakic brought in Jaden Schwartz from the Seattle Kraken. Schwartz gives the Avalanche a veteran winger with experience, defensive reliability, and playoff know-how. He also arrives with a stat line that doesn’t jump off the page: 26 points in 50 games last season.
Still, the numbers don’t tell the whole story. Seattle had a rough offensive season, and Schwartz wasn’t the only player whose production dipped.
Shane Wright, the fourth-overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft and the consensus No. 1 prospect for much of his draft year, finished with 27 points in 72 games. In a team-wide slump, individual totals can be misleading.
That’s where Colorado’s thinking gets interesting. The Avalanche said this offseason that getting younger mattered, and Schwartz, at 33, doesn’t fit that part of the plan. But Colorado is also built to win now, and a veteran who knows how to handle pressure can still bring real value even when the box score stays modest.
The bigger issue is what the rest of the forward group looks like after the departures. Colorado appears to have less proven scoring depth than it did a year ago, and the fourth line has already been singled out by some as a concern. But that label may be too narrow.
A fourth line isn’t just about points. In the playoffs, those shifts are often about energy, physicality, and grinding opponents down. Looked at through that lens, the projected trio of Parker Kelly, Fedor Svechkov, and Zachary L'Heureux could give the Avalanche something they’ve been missing.
Physicality has been a recurring issue for Colorado, and it showed up in the Western Conference Final against the Vegas Golden Knights, when the Avalanche had trouble dealing with a heavier, more aggressive team. Kelly, who scored 21 goals last season, brings the kind of edge that can change the tone of a game. He plays every shift with force, welcomes contact, and brings a relentless style that doesn’t care who’s across from him.
It doesn't matter whether the player standing across from him is five-foot-seven or six-foot-seven - Kelly brings the same level of intensity every night.
Adding L'Heureux only deepens that identity. If Kelly keeps producing while staying true to that physical style, Colorado’s fourth line could end up being more of an asset than a liability.
That doesn’t erase the loss of Jack Drury, though. His nearly 60% faceoff percentage in the postseason was valuable in important moments. At the same time, paying $4.5 million annually for a fourth-line center was never going to be a realistic long-term fit for Colorado.
Nichushkin’s departure carries its own weight. He was one of the key players from the 2022 title team, and at his best he is one of the league’s most complete wingers - a strong possession player, a defensive presence, and someone who can tilt a game without scoring.
But availability has always been the issue. Last season was the first time in a decade that he played more than 70 regular-season games, and even then, his offense didn’t match the heavier workload.
With his injury history and uncertain long-term value, Colorado had to ask whether his trade value was ever going to be higher.
So where does that leave the Avalanche?
It’s hard to say they are a better team on paper. They have fewer proven forwards, more questions around secondary scoring, and limited salary cap space to make another splash.
But this wasn’t a reckless offseason either. Colorado chose flexibility, physicality, and a cleaner cap picture over expensive commitments to aging depth pieces.
That may not be the kind of summer that grabs headlines. But for a team trying to keep its Stanley Cup window open, it might be the kind of offseason that makes the most sense.
In Other News...
Former Avalanche First Round Pick Is Suddenly Back In Focus
Justin Barron is getting another chance to settle in on a blue line, with Nashville bringing back the former Avalanche first-round pick on a one-year deal. After arriving from Montreal, Barron skated in 52 games for the Predators last season, and the contract gives him a fresh runway to carve out a more permanent role on a roster that still seems to be sorting out its defensive picture.
For Colorado fans, Barrons name still carries a little extra weight because of where he came from and how his career has unfolded since leaving Denver. He has now played 208 NHL games across three teams, but the playoff stage remains one thing he has not reached yet, which leaves his next step in Nashville worth watching as the season approaches. [Read more 🡒]
Avalanche Fans May Hate How The Alex Newhook Trade Looks Now
The Alex Newhook trade has aged into one of those deals that can make a fan base wince a little harder with each passing month. Montreal got the forward from Colorado for draft picks and a defenseman, and Newhook has kept trending up while giving the Canadiens useful playoff production and a contract that looks especially friendly as he heads into the final season of his deal at a modest cap hit.
Colorado, meanwhile, is still waiting for its side of the return to really show up in a meaningful way. One pick became Mikhail Gulyayev, a defenseman whose path to North America is still a long one, and another was moved along in a separate chain that eventually led elsewhere, which leaves the Avalanche with plenty of reason to wonder whether the full value of the trade will ever arrive in time to matter. [Read more 🡒]