Avalanche Mailbag: Who is most likely to be traded ahead of 2026 NHL deadline?

Denver Post sports writer Corey Masisak opens up the Avs Mailbag periodically throughout the season Pose an Avalanche- or NHL-related question for the Avs Mailbag Are the Avs still fundamentally content with the speed-centric build of the crew or are there inklings of wanting to get bigger and more physical to keep up in the playoffs GunsmithSnek on Reddit I think trying to get bigger and finding more players who fit the idea of playoff hockey has been happening for at least two years now but the Avs also aren t going to drastically change their identity under Jared Bednar either Two seasons ago the Avs added Yakov Trenin and Brandon Duhaime at the deadline with that idea in mind Remaking the center depth chart with Brock Nelson Charlie Coyle and Jack Drury this past season was a nod toward playoff hockey as well Nelson fits both ideas He s big and can handle himself in the physical areas of the ice but he s also fast and skilled Drury plus defenseman Ryan Lindgren are not big but excel at the physical parts of the battle It s a delicate balance The Panthers are a physical mean company But they re also extremely talented Trying to load up on one aspect of that while neglecting the other is not going to lead to success The Avalanche Lightning and Penguins have still won five of the past nine soon to be championships Vegas and now Florida have helped bring more attention to the size debate Every gang wants forwards like Matthew Tkachuk and Sam Bennett and defensemen like Alex Pietrangelo But the number of players who fit the playoff mold and are also still really good at hockey is limited You mentioned a buyout scenario for Miles Wood What is the scenario for waivers and burying his salary with the Eagles if Wood is unclaimed What are the salary projections for Lindgren Jonathan Drouin and Joel Kiviranta on the open industry Steve Centennial If a participant on a one-way contract is put on waivers and unclaimed an NHL unit can save what the current veteran minimum is plus The league minimum for next year is so burying a salary in the minors can save million in cap space Related Articles Avalanche Journal Brock Nelson signing adds stability but not without jeopardy Avalanche s Nathan MacKinnon Cale Makar named to NHL postseason all-star crew Cale Makar wins second Norris Trophy continuing path to all-time great status Avalanche offseason reset What s next with Brock Nelson signed Logan O Connor injured Avalanche Journal The best individual seasons I ve covered as a beat writer Given that Wood has four years left on his contract going unclaimed would be likely It would be one avenue to save a little space for someone else while still keeping him around as a callup for when someone goes on LTIR or as a depth option in the playoffs However that s a tough sell on a personal level for the contestant so getting the best version of him in January or April might also be unlikely Here are the contract projections from AFP Analytics Lindgren three years million per Drouin three years million per Kiviranta two years million per If the Avs could sign Kiviranta for two years at million that contract would already be done He could and maybe should get a little more than that I think all three guys could ostensibly get an extra year on the open domain but the money for Lindgren and Drouin feels about right Maybe they get closer to million and million if a inadequate teams get involved in a bidding war For the Avs to bring either of them back someone making that much is going to have to be shipped out Of the three I still think the odds of Kiviranta returning are a bit higher Who is currently under contract that is most of likely to be playing for another unit by the deal deadline DoctaMan on Reddit I think the majority likely is Ross Colton if only because he is in the sweet spot of being on a reasonable market-value contract with real business value but also not likely to be in the Avs top six He s a valuable player and a bit of a swiss-army knife but looks like a bit of luxury on a unit with cap issues and defensive depth issues But there s a group of names that could fit here Coyle Martin Necas Samuel Girard Josh Manson There s been a lot of chatter about who might be available from the Avs right now which leads me to particular context that necessities to be pointed out When a member of the media says they are hearing that Athlete X is available or has been mentioned in exchange discussions that doesn t mean his squad is actively shopping him If another general manager calls Chris MacFarland and asks about a member he has now been mentioned in business discussions Sources have to be protected and we don t know if that info is coming from an Avs source or someone with the other company Or what the motivation is for explained source to give commented information to the reporter There is also the matter of Colorado s current salary cap situation Everyone including the other teams can look at one of the two cap websites or their own internal database and see that the Avs are a gang in a tight squeeze It makes sense for other clubs to reach out and see who might be available Conversely it makes sense for MacFarland to canvas various other GMs and see what the sphere might be for any of about eight or nine players on his roster That doesn t mean he s going to pact any or all of them But their names are now in transaction discussions and that info is often going to get out there even if the Avs have a well-earned reputation around the league for being more buttoned up with information than greater part Want more Avalanche news Sign up for the Avalanche Insider to get all our NHL analysis