MHH Roundtable: Calm Before the Storm

3 months ago  /  Mile High Hockey

The draft, free agency and an international tournament, oh my! In less than two weeks, the hockey world will explode with the NHL draft, free agency, and development camp, which will shape how the 2024-25 Colorado Avalanche will look. Here are our thoughts heading into that critical time period after the Stanley Cup has been lifted.
What would you like to see happen at the 2024 NHL draft?
Adrian: I would like to see some draft-day trades and drama. I doubt I'll get anything like that, but here I am, hoping we see a surprise move and significant trade leading to an unexpected landing spot for a promising rookie. If I focus on the Avalanche, I hope they prioritize replenishing their prospect pool with centermen and defensemen. Trading away draft successes like Bo Byram and Alex Newhook means they will have only a few potential NHLers in the system.
Ezra: I’m with Ado! Trades!! For the Avs's sake, I hope someone fun drops out of the top 20 and lands in their laps, but I don’t have my fingers crossed for that. I’m looking to a team trying to kickstart a jump up the standings, like Montreal or Detroit, to do something big and possibly really dumb.
Evan: I wish the first round would take less than two hours. But I highly doubt it, considering the fanfare around it. It drags on forever, but it is what it is. Nonetheless, I hope the Avs do what they did in last year’s draft: do not trade your first-round pick. Other trades are free to happen between other teams, but Colorado needs to build up its farm system, and it can do it with the 24th pick in this year’s draft.
Jackie: I’ll be publishing my draft plan for the Avalanche very soon, which will get into specifics to look for at each pick. In general, I just really hope for an infusion of talent and to draft players who have true potential to impact the NHL squad. I, too, would like to see the Avalanche pick somewhere in the first round. One is for selfish reasons yet to be revealed, and the other is because the organization needs that high-end potential and pedigree in the system, especially with no first-round pick expected next year.
Jess: For my money, as much as I agree with Adrian and Ezra and love seeing draft-day trades, I do not want Colorado to be a part of one. If it happens between other teams, then I’m all for it. I’m definitely with Evan that the Avs should make the pick. I don’t think it’s exactly a secret that they’re one of the teams that are slowly running out of assets, but that’s just how it goes when you’re a consistent contender like Colorado. And like Jackie mentioned, with no first-round pick next year, I think they should make the pick this year.
Do you still have any concerns about the goaltending situation?
Adrian: I think it's only fair to give Justus Annunen and Alexandar Georgiev another crack at it in 2024-25. That said, we discussed Annunen's extension on the Mile High Hockey Lab, and it doesn't feel like he got a deal that you'd typically see a true backup goalie get. If he continues to be Georgiev's backup and is serviceable, he could provide a savings opportunity for Colorado, which has to sign Casey Mittlestadt and Jonathan Drouin this offseason. If I have it my way, they will also take care of Mikko Rantanen this offseason rather than following.
Ezra: Oh, absolutely. Georgiev had a great run, but he’s clearly not a guaranteed high-end starter at this point. Annunen showed exciting flashes, but he’s not a guaranteed backup yet, either. There’s big boom-or-bust potential with both these guys right now, and while I am eternally optimistic, goalie is a position where a team like the Avalanche just needs stability. I believe in both guys, but they gotta prove they can be consistent.
Jackie: For the upcoming season, I think the Avalanche have greater issues at hand than trying to find the money and assets needed to replace Alexandar Georgiev. He was largely fine in the playoffs, which is about the same opinion I’ve had on the Avalanche netminder. I’m still waiting to see if Annunen really is pegged to be the NHL backup or if a cheap veteran is brought in for that role. But overall I’m not really concerned about goaltending, I’m more worried about Logan O’Connor playing on Nathan MacKinnon’s wing again.
Evan: No, I don’t know why it should be a concern. Georgiev showed who he truly was after Game One against the Winnipeg Jets and won the fans over afterward. Meanwhile, Justus Annunen has filled the backup role nicely and has shown he can be dependable. He isn’t to the level where he’s dependable as a starter. Unless something happens to Georgiev to keep him out long-term, I don’t think the Avs must look at any goaltending changes.
Jess: I’ll start by saying that I completely understand if anyone is concerned about the goaltending. However, I will also say that personally, I think that it is perhaps a bit revisionist to ignore some context around the goalie situation during the season. Justus Annunen started the season injured, and the Avs did not really have a true backup for a chunk of time. That resulted in Georgiev being heavily relied on practically every night, which obviously isn’t ideal for any goalie. Because of context like that, I agree with Adrian that it is only fair that the tandem gets another shot as an actual tandem for a full season. As both Adrian and Jackie touched on a bit, Annunen also provides some incredibly important potential savings at the goaltender position, especially with signings like Mittelstadt on the horizon for Colorado with his contract. Lastly, to Jackie’s point, too, if we’re putting in order what we’re the most concerned about when it comes to the Avs for this upcoming season, goaltending for me is at the absolute bottom of the list, no doubt about it.
What defines a successful offseason for the Avalanche?
Adrian: The most important thing is signing Casey Mittesltadt and Jonathan Drouin at a relatively team-friendly clip. If and when Landeskog and Nichushkin's contracts are back on the books, they could potentially be in a cap position to acquire a decently valued talent via free agency.
Jackie: I’d like to see the team improve, which, given Colorado’s current salary cap situation, might be asking for a lot, but that’s always the goal every offseason. Hopefully, we won’t see a lot of replacement-level players and bottom-line/pair NHL veterans getting contracts. Getting Mikko Rantanen’s contract extension taken care of is a must as well, and I’m not sure the team can withstand trading more important pieces away. Success to me is more good moves than bad and some smart upside gambles with a touch of youth. Also, it would be nice to see Calum Ritchie rewarded with an Entry Level Contract which was supposed to be happening “soon” and a real opportunity this fall to go along with it would be super.
Ezra: There will be a lot of new players on the wing in Colorado next season, and most of them will be getting close to league minimum salaries. I think we can define success by filling those spots with guys who can grow into their roles rather than guys who are aging out. No shade to Andrew Cogliano, Zach Parise, or Darren Helm, but if we can avoid banking on guys whose clocks are ticking, that would be ideal.
Evan: As Adrian stated, priority should be given to re-signing players—specifically Mittelstadt and Drouin. Similar to what Jackie said, a new contract for Rantanen soon after he can re-sign on July 1 will benefit the future. Plus, you could do the same for Georgiev, whose own contract expires at the end of the 2024-25 season. He’ll be tougher to work around as he’s due for a raise considering his time here in Colorado, and you have to wonder if Annunen will be ready for the starters role by the start of the 2025-26 season. I know I just said above goaltending is something you don’t have to worry about this offseason, but it’s something to keep in the back of the front office’s mind.
Jess: Adrian, Jackie, and Evan all specifically touched on these things, too. In no particular order, I think your top three priorities have to be re-signing Drouin, getting Mittelstadt signed long-term, and getting Rantanen’s extension taken care of sooner rather than later, too. From there, I think a successful offseason for Colorado looks like, to Ezra’s point, bolstering your depth with guys who will be cheap to add to your roster. Guys like that are generally available in free agency, so they hopefully shouldn’t be too touch to come by. The question for the Avs then obviously becomes finding guys who can successfully play with speed and in their system, which will probably be a bit tougher, but certainly not impossible.
How interested are you in the upcoming Four Nations tournament?
Adrian: I see this Four Nations tournament as a sort of Olympic preview, so I am really excited. If the rosters are as stacked as they should and can be, Sweden, Canada, the USA, and Finland should all be stacked and competitive against one another. We could see Mikko Rantanen, Nathan MacKinnon, Devon Toews, Cale Makar, Arturri Lehkonen and more. That makes me excited/nervous because of the potential for injury and how that could affect the Colorado Avalanche, who will be four months into their regular season.
Jackie: It will be fun to finally see some best-on-best hockey that we have been missing for nearly 10 years, as many elite players in their prime have never had the chance to participate. This is a short tournament and not exactly the Olympics or World Cup, but I am looking forward to it. Like Adrian said, it is a good way to get excited for the 2026 Olympics and start the never-ending roster debates.
Ezra: Not interested, sorry. I know it’s an unpopular opinion, but I’m gonna be on edge that whole tournament hoping no one gets hurt. If the players really want to do it, I can support them - but do they? I’m skeptical. It’s a big diversion from the Stanley Cup they really care about, and it comes with the risk of getting hurt and missing a chance to chase it.
Evan: It will be fun to see some competitive hockey in place of the NHL All-Star Game, and I look forward to watching some of the best in the world combine for their country. I don’t know how long it’ll last and how truly competitive it will be, but it should be an interesting, fun new experiment, at least for its first trial. Similar to everyone else’s concerns, hopefully, no major injuries will occur for the Avalanche participants.
Jess: I’m honestly 50/50 on the event. On one hand, I’m really excited to see some iteration of best-on-best hockey, like Jackie said. On the other hand, however, this event certainly won’t be truly best-on-best because of players like David Pastrňák and Leon Draisaitl being unable to participate, as the NHL is only including four nations in this event, hence the name. If this event ends up being successful and a hit with players and fans alike, and the NHL puts it on in the future, I’d love to see them figure out some way to get players like the two I mentioned above included in the tournament. Adrian, Ezra, and Evan touched on this, but I completely understand the concern about the potential for injury in an event like this. Hopefully, nothing major occurs for any player in this event. ...

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