Avalanche’s Best Trade Deadline Assets

The Avalanche are merely following the protocol of major contending teams in recent years: trade the future for the present. The Avalanche will be legitimate contenders with the core they have built for the next three or four years, at a minimum. While it is nice to have a stocked cupboard, the Avalanche have also built such a strong roster that it would be quite difficult for a prospect to crack it.

Ross Colton

The move to send Girard and his $5 million AAV out of town has lessened the need to move on from Colton’s $4 million AAV through 2026-27. Colton plays with speed and tenacity, capable of chipping in 30-40 points when he’s fully healthy.

Including Colton – a valuable middle-six presence – would give the Avalanche more flexibility and likely only cost them a single premium asset instead of two or three. Colton’s salary is also meager enough that it doesn’t present a huge workaround.

It would not be surprising if Colton remains in Denver as a valuable third-line presence. With nearly $9 million in cap space, the Avalanche have a lot of flexibility to work with. Colton would only need to be sent the other way in a truly massive move.

Mikhail Gulyayev/Ilya Nabokov/Oskar Olausson

The Avalanche have one of the weaker farm systems in the NHL right now, but that’s what happens when you trade assets away to take another run at a Stanley Cup. There are no slam-dunk prospects that make sense, but a few B-level prospects that could be attached to a pick.

Gulyayev, the 31^st pick in 2023, has good size and mobility on the back end. He has puck skills but doesn’t look like much of an offense presence at the next level. The biggest question is whether he will leave the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) or simply remain at home.

Nabokov was signed to a two-year entry-level contract but ultimately loaned to Metallurg Magnitogorsk of the KHL for this season. He’s had a few high-end seasons, showing great athleticism as a starter in the KHL. It is expected that he will be in North America for 2026-27, so he could be enticing to a team that needs young goaltending potential.

A 2021 first-round pick, Olausson hasn’t quite found his offensive game yet, posting okay numbers in the American Hockey League (AHL). He might be a good fit in someone’s middle-six because of his playmaking ability but it feels doubtful he will crack the stacked Avalanche lineup, making him a more likely candidate to move.

Many Potential Options

The Avalanche have a big week ahead of them with the potential to add to the NHL’s best team (according to the standings). The Kulak trade gave them more financial flexibility to make a move, making them contenders for virtually every big name on the market.

Adding another piece to the puzzle and finding a way to stay healthy down the stretch and into the playoffs will put the Avalanche in position to win another championship. They are certainly doing everything in their power to make the path in the playoffs more tenable.