3 Offseason Targets For Colorado Avalanche

The Colorado Avalanche have a very full roster, but there will be some players leaving and a need to fill a few spots. Goaltending is set and so is most of the forward and defensive positions, but there is expected to be two holes in particular to address.

Sam Bennett

The second line center position is the first that needs to be looked at. There is a decent chance that the Avalanche don't bring back 33 year old Brock Nelson and look a bit younger. But they also can't downgrade. In the free agent market, a player that is in his prime and isn't a downgrade is Sam Bennett. Lots of teams will be targeting him and the Avs might not be the favourite, but they are a contender and he would be playing with some talented wingers at all times. Some grit in the top-6 for Colorado would go a long way.

Brian Dumoulin

The expectation is that Ryan Lindgren leaves in free agency, so there will be a hole on the left side. But just one hole. Erik Johnson won't be back and Keaton Middleton is a seventh defenseman. I would expect Sam Girard to move up to the second pairing, so the need will be for a third pairing d-man. He doesn't have to be a left shot, but it would work a bit better. Brian Dumoulin has a lot of experience and would benefit from playing a little less minutes where he can win his matchups. As a veteran, the contract only has to be short-term as well.

Nate Schmidt

Nate Schmidt is a different player than Dumoulin and seeing him as a target gives the Avalanche different options. The veteran has also revived his career in Florida this season and fits best on the third pairing. He has the ability to move up and chip in offensively, but will be relatively cheap and can outperform his contract for a year or two.