Avalanche Linked To 3 Players Ahead Of Deadline

The Colorado Avalanche are firmly in a playoff spot and have to be thinking about winning their division and going on a deep run this season. The Winnipeg Jets and Dallas Stars are going to load up and the Avalanche might have to the most due to injuries and players missing from their lineup.

That being said, David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period noted that three players have most recently been linked to the Avalanche. These players include Victor Olofsson, Scott Laughton, and Joel Edmundson.

Olofsson is expecting a trade and deserved it at this point. Without playing any worse, the Sabres have just injected so much young talent into their lineup that his ice time has shot down. He is a sniper that has scored 20-plus goals three times and scored 28 goals last season that is either playing on the fourth line or a healthy scratch. His cap hit at $4.5 million isn't that bad for what he can bring to a lineup when used properly, but it looks bad on the Sabres this season. Buffalo might have to retain 50% of his contract that ends after this season and the Avalanche could steal him if that's the case.

Even though the Philadelphia Flyers are in a playoff spot and have been winning games, names like Laughton's are still out there in trade rumors. While the Flyers would like to retool and Laughton would fetch them a nice return, he would be well worth it if the Avalanche could bring him in. He has term, a great contract, and is very versatile. He is like another one of those players the Avalanche seem to collect that can move up and down the lineup and contribute.

With Jack Johnson, Caleb Jones, and Kurtis MacDermid available to fill spots on defense, the Avalanche shouldn't be as worried about upgrading, but Edmundson wouldn't hurt if they can get him for the right price. He would be able to handle more minutes and is a better player than any of the three I mentioned. If there is some cap space available, I could see them having more conversations about adding someone for the back-end like Edmundson.