Former Colorado Avalanche who are still on the 2025 NHL free agent market

We are a month past the beginning of free agency on July 1. Over a billion dollars in contract value have been handed to free agents since then. Despite this, there are still quite a few players looking for new homes. Some of those names are former Avs. Let’s take a look at some of those former Avs who are still on the free agent market:

Tyson Barrie

Barrie, a PTO with the Flames last season, turned training camp into a one-year, $1.25M deal. He spent the majority of the time as the team’s eighth defenceman, factoring into 13 games and scoring three points. The Flames placed Barrie on waivers in February. He spent the rest of the season with the Calgary Wranglers, notching five points in 11 games, and didn’t factor into any AHL playoff games.

Barrie played parts of eight seasons with the Colorado Avalanche – reaching a career high of 59 points in 2018-19. He was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs alongside Alexander Kerfoot and a 2020 sixth round pick in exchange for Nazem Kadri, Calle Rosen, and a 2020 third round pick.

Alexandar Georgiev

Georgiev, acquired by the Avalanche in 2022 in exchange for a 2022 and 2023 third round picks and a 2022 fifth round pick, played two and a half seasons with the Avalanche. His first season, 2022-23, with the Avs saw a strong 40-16-6 record and a 0.919 SV% and 2.53 GAA. He posted a 38-18-5 record with a 0.897 SV% and 3.02 GAA in 2023-24, and a 18-8-7 record with a 0.874 SV% and 3.38 GAA in 18 games in 2024-25.

Georgiev was then shipped to the San Jose Sharks alongside Nikolai Kovalenko, 2026 second round and 2025 fifth round draft picks, in exchange for Mackenzie Blackwood, Givani Smith, and a 2027 fifth round pick. After a 7-19-4 record, 0.875 SV% and 3.88 GAA, Georgiev wasn’t a part of the goalie musical chairs on July 1st. With the seats now filled, does Georgiev head overseas or wait for an injury to take place somewhere?

Erik Johnson & Givani Smith

Johnson, who spent parts of thirteen seasons with the Avalanche, finally won a cup with the team in 2022. Johnson spent a year with the Sabres, and one and a half years in Philadelphia, before he was brought back to the Avalanche at last years deadline in exchange for Givani Smith.

Johnson played fourteen regular season games and two playoff games after being acquired. Now 37 with 1023 NHL games under his belt, this might be the end of the road for Johnson. If that’s the case, it was perfect to end it back in Colorado.

Smith, acquired from the Sharks in the Georgiev deal, played seven games with the Avalanche last year, registering zero points. After being moved to the Flyers, Smith spent the rest of the 2024-25 season with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms in the AHL.

Jack Johnson

Johnson, now a veteran of 1228 NHL games, played two different stints with the Avalanche. First, he signed a one-year deal for the 2021-22 season. He played in 74 regular season games and 13 playoff games, finally putting his name on the Stanley Cup. After the cup win, Johnson signed a one-year deal with the Chicago Blackhawks – but after 58 games with the Hawks – was re-acquired by the Avalanche in exchange for Andreas Englund. Johnson re-signed for the 2023-24 season and played in 80 regular season games. After leaving the Avalanche as a free agent, Johnson signed with the Columbus Blue Jackets – a team he spent the 2011-12 through 2017-18 seasons with – and played 41 games.

Calvin De Haan

De Haan signed with the Avalanche as a free agent last summer. He played 44 games with the club, scoring seven assists. De Haan was packaged alongside Juuso Parssinen and 2025 second and fourth round picks, in exchange for Ryan Lindgren, Jimmy Vesey, and Hank Kempf.

Joel Kiviranta

Kiviranta had a career-best season in 2024-25 with 16 goals and 23 points in 79 games with the Avalanche. Kiviranta likely headed into free agency looking for a raise on the league minimum contract he was on the last number of seasons. As the summer goes on, does his ask fall to a point where the Avalanche feel comfortable bringing him back? They certainly have a spot open in the bottom-six.

Matt Nieto

Nieto is another player who has had multiple stints with the Avalanche. His first stint was the 2016-17 thru 2019-20 seasons, where he carved out a role as a bottom-six forward. Nieto was initially claimed off waivers from the Sharks in the 2016-17 season. He signed with the Sharks after his first stint ended and played parts of three seasons in San Jose. Nieto was then traded back to the Avalanche alongside Ryan Merkley, in exchange for Jacob MacDonald and Martin Kaut. Nieto played in 36 games with the Avs in his second stint, notching nine points, before signing with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Nieto has spent the last two seasons with Pittsburgh and their AHL affiliate, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

Oliver Kylington

Kylington signed a one-year, $1.05M AAV deal with the Colorado Avalanche last summer. Hampered by injury, Kylington got into thirteen games with the Avs, scoring four points. He was packaged alongside Calum Ritchie and a 2026 first-rounder and sent to the New York Islanders in exchange for Brock Nelson and William Dufour. Kylington was immediately dealt by the New York Islanders to the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for future considerations. After one point in six games with the Ducks to round out the 2024–25 season, Kylington is a UFA.