With training camps across the NHL set to open in less than two weeks, four of the most recognizable unrestricted free agents still sitting on the market are all former Colorado Avalanche players. None of the four has a contract yet for the 2026-27 season, and none has even landed a professional tryout agreement.
Nick Blankenburg is one of the names in that group. Colorado brought him in at the trade deadline last March, hoping he could help stabilize the blue line down the stretch. His start with the Avalanche was rough, but he settled in and eventually carved out a role as a depth defenseman.
Still, the fit never quite turned into the kind of difference-making addition the front office probably envisioned. Against bigger teams like Minnesota and Vegas in the playoffs, he was physically overmatched. Even so, he did give Colorado one memorable moment: his goal in Game 1 of the second round against the Wild.
Jonathan Drouin is another former Avalanche forward still unsigned. He split the 2025-26 season between the New York Islanders and St.
Louis Blues, after signing a two-year deal with the Islanders last July. New York later sent him to St.
Louis as a cap dump in the Brayden Schenn trade, and the Blues eventually bought out his contract.
Colorado had used Drouin in its top six for two seasons from 2023-25 while Gabe Landeskog was recovering from knee cartilage replacement surgery. Since leaving the Avalanche, though, Drouin has not looked especially sharp, and the source of that slide goes back even farther: he also struggled in his final season before arriving in Colorado.
Brandon Saad and Tyson Jost complete the former Avalanche quartet still on the UFA board.
Saad spent last season with the Vegas Golden Knights, but most of it was spent watching from the sidelines as a healthy scratch. He played in 49 regular-season games and finished with three goals and nine points. He also appeared in five playoff games, though none of those came in the Stanley Cup Final.
Jost’s 2025-26 season came with the Nashville Predators, where he skated in 69 games and totaled 16 points. Since Colorado traded him to the Minnesota Wild in 2022, he has played for four different teams over four seasons. His best scoring season remains 2018-19, when he posted 26 points at age 20.
Among the other notable UFAs still available, but without any Avalanche ties, are forwards Vladimir Tarasenko, Patrik Laine and Michael Bunting, along with goaltender Petr Mrazek.
In Other News...
Former Avalanche Pick Tyson Jost Is Fighting For His NHL Future
Tyson Josts NHL path has already taken plenty of turns, and the former Avalanche first-round pick is at it again. The unrestricted free agent center is headed to Nashvilles 2026 training camp on a professional tryout, giving him another chance to show he still belongs after spending last season with the Predators.
Jost arrived in Nashville via waivers from Carolina and became part of a career that has now wound through Colorado, Minnesota, Buffalo, Carolina and Nashville. For the Avalanche, he remains one of the more familiar names from a previous era, and this latest camp invite is another reminder that his future in the league is still up for grabs. [Read more 🡒]
Avalanche Prospect Debate Is Back With One New Name To Watch
Colorados pipeline keeps offering fresh names for the Avalanche to track, and the latest round of NHL debuts has only sharpened the conversation around what comes next. After the club introduced several forwards to the league in 2025-26, including Taylor Makar and Zakhar Bardakov, the focus now shifts to the next wave of prospects who could be knocking on the door when 2026-27 arrives.
The list is not short, and it includes a mix of familiar development bets and a few players who could force the issue if their progress keeps trending the right way. Sean Behrens, Ilya Nabokov, Alex Gagne, TJ Hughes and Matthew DiMarsico are all part of that debate, while goaltender Nikita Novosyolov brings a different kind of intrigue as a possible surprise addition to the mix. For a team that has steadily fed talent into the NHL, the question is no longer whether the Avalanche will find more debutants, but which one makes the strongest case first. [Read more 🡒]
Avalanche Still Have One Big Decision To Make In Net
The Avalanches goaltending picture remains one of the biggest questions hanging over the offseason, even after a season that showed why the position still matters so much in Colorado. MacKenzie Blackwood entered the conversation with expectations tied to his health and upside, while Scott Wedgewood ended up giving the club steady, convincing work that forced the issue in a way few saw coming.
Carter Hutton and Jesse Montano both pointed to Blackwoods injury as a major factor in how the season unfolded, and the bigger question now is whether Colorado can confidently hand him the outright No. 1 job. Wedgewoods performance gave the Avalanche a viable alternative, but the team still wants more consistency in net before it can feel settled about who should carry the load moving forward. [Read more 🡒]