When the Colorado Avalanche brought in Jaden Schwartz this offseason, the appeal was obvious: he has been a reliable goal scorer for a long time. Seven times in his career, he’s hit the 20-goal mark, and that kind of production is exactly why Colorado could see him as a workable answer to the opening left by Valeri Nichushkin, who was traded to the Columbus Blue Jackets.
That said, the move comes with real risk. The Avalanche gave Schwartz a three-year contract, which means they’re betting he can hold up physically across the life of the deal.
Health has been the big question around him for a while. Schwartz has played 70 or more games in just six NHL seasons, and out of a possible 1,230 games, he has appeared in 861, or 70%.
He did manage to suit up for 81 games with the Kraken in the 2024-25 season.
Colorado is also making this bet with the NHL moving to an 84-game schedule starting this upcoming season. That adds another layer to the durability conversation, and it will be worth watching whether head coach Jared Bednar chooses to trim Schwartz’s minutes at times to keep him fresh.
Offensively, Schwartz could still be more than just a placeholder. If he stays healthy and available, there’s a path to him becoming a 20-goal scorer for the Avalanche.
Bednar may not need that right away, but if Schwartz gets rolling early, the role could grow. Bednar has never been afraid to shuffle his lines, and movement up or down the lineup could open the door to more production.
The financial side makes the deal easier to live with. Schwartz is set to carry a $3.25 million AAV over the next three seasons, which doesn’t put a major strain on Colorado’s books.
Still, every million matters in the NHL, even with the salary cap climbing. If Schwartz performs and earns Bednar’s trust quickly, this could end up looking like a bargain - especially with a contract $2.875 million cheaper than Nichushkin’s.
In Other News...
Devon Toews Just Had A Very Colorado Sports Moment
Devon Toews got a little taste of Colorados other pro-sports stage recently, stepping onto the mound at Coors Field to throw out the ceremonial first pitch before a Rockies game. The Avalanche defenseman took part in the pregame festivities and then settled into the stands to watch from a different vantage point, a simple crossover moment that fits neatly into the way Colorados biggest teams tend to overlap.
It was one of those only-in-Colorado scenes that reminds you how tightly the states sports world can knit itself together, from the Avalanche to the Rockies and, of course, the Broncos. Even with recent reports swirling around the Broncos ownership group, Toews trip to the ballpark served as a lighter snapshot of that shared local spotlight, with one of the Avalanches most recognizable players spending an evening right in the middle of it. [Read more 🡒]
Cale Makar Has A Chance To Enter Rare NHL History
Cale Makar keeps finding himself in the kind of conversation reserved for the NHLs most special players, and this one reaches all the way into league history. The Avalanche defenseman is not just admired as one of the games best blue-liners, but as someone with a legitimate path to an award that usually belongs to elite forwards, a path that only a handful of defensemen have ever managed to travel.
For Makar to get there, the season would have to be extraordinary in every phase, with offense and defense both strong enough to make him impossible to ignore. Even then, the Hart Trophy is a voter-driven race, and he would still have to separate himself from names like Connor McDavid, Nikita Kucherov and Nathan MacKinnon, which is what makes the possibility so intriguing and so difficult to pull off. [Read more 🡒]
Avalanche Leave Jared Bednar Question Unsettled Entering Key Offseason
Jared Bednars contract situation has become one of the quieter storylines around the Avalanche as the offseason gets underway, but it carries real weight for a team that has spent the better part of a decade under his direction. Joe Sakic said there is no urgency to get an extension done, even as the sides continue talking, and that reflects a certain calm around a coach who has been on the bench since 2016 and helped guide Colorado to a Stanley Cup title in 2022.
Bednar is heading into the final year of his current deal, which would normally add a little more edge to the conversation, but both sides seem content to let the process breathe. For now, the Avalanche are leaving one of their most important decisions unresolved as they turn toward a crucial offseason, with the expectation that discussions will keep going without anyone forcing the issue. [Read more 🡒]