3 Moves The Colorado Avalanche Need To Make This Summer

The Colorado Avalanche went on to win the Presidents' Trophy this season with a 39-13-4 record. They had a lot of expectations going into the postseason, but were absolutely stunned by the Vegas Golden Knights in the second round. Keep in mind, they blew a 2-0, as they lost four straight to end the series. Now, they have a lot of work to do this off-season if they wish to finally win a Stanley Cup with their deep core.

Here are three moves that are crucial for them to make this summer.

Re-Sign Gabriel Landeskog: The Avalanche and Gabriel Landeskog are having trouble reaching an extension. This needs to change before July 28th, or they could very well lose their captain to free agency. Landeskog is one of the most important players on this roster, as he provides solid two-way play and a nice degree of grit with it.

Re-Sign Cale Makar: Cale Makar is a restricted free agent, so the Avalanche have more control over this situation. The 22-year-old defenseman had a magnificent year this season, as he registered 44 points in 44 games. Having a point-per-game defenseman is quite rare in the modern NHL, so Makar is a real keeper. Locking him up long-term would be ideal, but a bridge contract works, too.

Re-Sign Philipp Grubauer: Grubauer is a very underrated goalie and the Avalanche should work hard to re-sign him. This year was fantastic for the 29-year-old, as he had a 30-9-1 record to go along with a 1.95 goals against average and .922 save percentage. The Avalanche likely won't be able to find a replacement who is better than him through the free agency market, either. Thus, it is best to bring him back.