Some Avalanche Thoughts

Cap problems a worry

Unless my math is wrong, which it is about 99% of the time, the Avs have very little cap space for 2024-25 - unless Gabe Landeskog does not come off LTIR. If he does come off and his $7 million cap hit is factored in, the Avs only realistically have about $3.5 million of cap space.

I have no embarrassment about asking some of you smarter subscribers if I’m wrong here after looking at the Avs’ current payroll situation at Puckpedia. Correct me in the comments otherwise, please.

If their cap space is actually $10.9 million, that still isn’t a lot for a team that needs to give Casey Mittelstadt a new contract and decide if it can afford Jonathan Drouin on a new contract.

About Drouin: No actual formal negotiations have yet to take place between his agent, Allan Walsh, and the Avs. Walsh met Chris McFarland in Buffalo recently at the NHL Combine, but there were no actual negotiations, no numbers formally proffered.

I’m going to guess Walsh’s asking price will be a minimum of $3.5 million per on a new UFA deal, and I’m probably a bit low. Walsh is a hard-ass negotiator who gets the best value he can for his players. That’s why he’s got a growing client list.

Subtract that from $10.9 million and now we’re down to around 7.4. Now factor in a new deal for Mittelstadt, at maybe $4.5-5 million per, and we’re down to 2.4 or so. Not much left to consider for UFAs like Sean Walker, Jack Johnson and Andrew Cogliano.

If the Avs let Drouin walk, they can be more of a player on the UFA market, but the pickings will be fairly slim. Jake Guentzel will be the biggest name on the market as a forward, but he’s going to cost his next employer probably $7 million per - at least. If Landeskog is coming back - which I think he will - and Nichushkin is back in November after missing only one paycheck - then the Avs have some serious cap problems already.

The word I’m hearing on a potential Jack Johnson return: