3 players Avalanche must target after shocking Western Conference Final sweep

They came into the Stanley Cup Playoffs as one of the overwhelming favorites to finish as Stanley Cup champions for what would have been the first time since 2022, but the Colorado Avalanche met a disappointing end to what they felt should have been a much deeper run.

The Avalanche, who swept the Los Angeles Kings in the Western Conference Quarterfinal before dispatching the Minnesota Wild in just five games in the Western Conference Semifinal, were stunningly swept by the Vegas Golden Knights in the Conference Final. Their season officially came to an end with a 2-1 loss in Game 4 earlier this week at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, sending the Golden Knights to the Stanley Cup Final for the third time in franchise history and the second time since 2023. The quick exit marked a disappointing finish for a team that had ultimate aspirations of being the final club standing.

While the Golden Knights are now preparing to face the Carolina Hurricanes for hockey’s ultimate prize, the Avalanche are left searching for answers about what went wrong and how they can bounce back while their Stanley Cup window remains open.

Colorado was not helped by the absence of star defenseman Cale Makar, who was nominated for the Norris Trophy for the sixth time in his seven NHL seasons, in the opening two games of the series. While he was able to return in Game 3, disaster struck for Colorado. Despite leading 3-0 after the opening 20 minutes of play, they surrendered five unanswered goals as part of a 5-3 setback.

And from that point on, the Avalanche were unable to become just the third team since 2010 to pull off a reverse sweep.

Understandably, there are several questions surrounding not only the Avalanche roster, which will collectively be a year older by the time next season starts, but also their coaching staff. Already, there have been rumors surrounding the job security of head coach Jared Bednar.

But in the meantime, it will be up to Avalanche general manager Chris MacFarland to decide what to do with the club’s multiple pending free agents. Defensemen Brent Burns, Brett Kulak, and Nick Blankenburg, as well as forward Joel Kiviranta, are all pending unrestricted free agents, while forward Jack Drury is a pending restricted free agent. Should one or more of those players not return next season, the Avalanche will need to look for replacements for them outside of the organization.

Kraken forward Shane Wright needs a change of scenery

The Seattle Kraken selected forward Shane Wright in the first round (fourth overall) of the 2022 NHL Draft, despite him widely being projected as a potential first overall pick; upon his being picked by Seattle, he infamously glared at the Canadiens management team as he walked on stage to accept his new Kraken jersey.

However, Wright hasn’t realized his full potential with a Kraken club that has only made the Stanley Cup Playoffs once in five seasons. If the Avalanche do not re-sign Jack Drury, an acquisition of Wright could make sense. Not only would he be surrounded by higher-end offensive talent, but his two-way play would be beneficial for the Avalanche.

So far in his NHL career, Wright has played in 169 games, scoring a total of 39 goals with 42 assists.

Mason Lohrei would fit in well on the Avalanche blue line

As previously mentioned, the Avalanche have multiple pending unrestricted free agents on their blue line, including Brent Burns and Brett Kulak. At 41 years of age, Burns isn’t getting any younger, and while he could be offered another one-year contract, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Avalanche choose to move on in favor of a younger option.

That’s where Lohrei could come into the picture. The 25-year-old Lohrei, who is currently with the Boston Bruins, had been involved in multiple trade rumors leading up to the March NHL Trade Deadline, and is under contract for another season with a reasonable salary cap hit of $3.2 million. This past season, he scored seven goals with 21 assists in 73 games played.

He has scored 16 goals with 56 assists in 191 career NHL games.

Blake Coleman could become teammates with Nazem Kadri again 

The Avalanche acquired 2022 Stanley Cup winner Nazem Kadri back from the Calgary Flames, with whom he had signed a seven year contract after helping Colorado reach the summit.

But right now, the Avalanche badly need to upgrade their bottom-six depth, and that’s where forward Blake Coleman could come into play. A veteran two-time Cup winner in his own right with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2020 and 2021, Coleman had been involved in multiple trade rumors in the days leading up to the Deadline, though he was ultimately not moved.

He’s under contract through 2027 with a $4.9 million cap hit, and also has a 10-team approved trade list.

It’s going to be up to MacFarland to fill the necessary holes on his roster to ensure that they can make the most of their Stanley Cup window while players like Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar are still in the primes of their careers.

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