Trades have transformed Avs’ season
Published
The National Hockey League trade deadline was a busy one, and we witnessed a flurry of major trades from contenders in both conferences.
And while attention was fixated on superstar winger Mikko Rantanen finding a long-term home, his old team in Colorado was putting the finishing touches on their playoff lineup – a finishing touch that has solidified the Avs as a championship contender once more.
Back in January, the Avalanche recognized Rantanen would be an unlikely fit for them long term, setting the stage for his move to the Carolina Hurricanes. The Hurricanes subsequently could not get Rantanen to extend prior to the trade deadline, and ultimately flipped him on March 7 to the Dallas Stars for Logan Stankoven and several picks.
It’s rare players of Rantanen’s calibre are ever available for trade; ditto that of the young Stankoven. As a result, we have spent an awful lot of time assessing the viability of the Stars and Hurricanes as Stanley Cup contenders with these new-look lineups.
But what Colorado has done in the past three months may deserve the most praise, if only because their performance is soaring amidst several critical player acquisitions. As part of the Rantanen trade, the Avalanche acquired winger Martin Necas; at the trade deadline, the Avalanche went after two middle-six forwards in veterans Brock Nelson and Charlie Coyle.
To say all three have integrated seamlessly would be an understatement. Necas played most of his minutes with Nathan MacKinnon and defensive wizard Artturi Lehkonen early on, a deep combination of complementary skill sets. Since the trade deadline, he’s seen some second-line minutes with the newly acquired Nelson, with Coyle anchoring Colorado’s bottom-six and soaking up penalty-kill time.
At the team level, Colorado’s been quietly surging – showing marked improvement since the Necas trade, and marked improvement since the trade deadline as well:
Necas is a point-per-game player since arriving from Carolina, and Nelson and Coyle have combined for 17 points in 15 games since the deadline – a nice secondary scoring boost for a team already loaded with firepower.
What’s most noticeable to me though is how the Avalanche routinely get the better of the play with their new acquisitions deployed. When it comes to winning the battle at even strength, Colorado’s new faces have been fantastic:
While the scoring boost from Necas, Nelson, and Coyle is nice, the Avalanche are reaping most of the benefit on the defensive side of the ice. All three forwards are recognized as quality off-puck defensive players, and since the trade deadline, the Avalanche are third in the NHL in goals conceded (2.1 per 60 minutes); not something we are accustomed to saying about this Colorado club over the years.
Right now, the only reason to be bearish about this team may be their playoff reality – a Western Conference gauntlet that may include matchups with the Dallas Stars, Winnipeg Jets, and Vegas Golden Knights. Daunting to say the least!
Both Rantanen trades will be analyzed for years to come. But I’ve been impressed with Colorado’s resilience and ability to sustain themselves as an elite hockey team despite his January departure. There is a genuine argument this is a better Avalanche lineup than the one they started the season with, and with only Nelson’s contract expiring at the end of the year, they may be a better team into the 2026-27 season as well.
Data via Natural Stat Trick, NHL.com, Evolving Hockey, Hockey Reference