An offseason checklist for the Colorado Avalanche

It sounds crazy to think now but at the time the 26-year-old signed his current seven-year, $44.1M deal, there was some risk attached to it. While MacKinnon had shown flashes of offensive dominance, he had also failed to reach 25 goals in a single season. They were paying up with the expectation that he’d continue to improve and provide extra value by the end of the contract. It’s safe to say he has done that and more as only two players in the league have more points than MacKinnon over the last five years.

While the salary cap has flattened out in recent years and still has another couple of years on its current trajectory, MacKinnon is in line for a substantial raise on his next contract. Connor McDavid’s deal represented 16.67 percent of the Upper Limit when it was signed; that rate applied to the current cap would push MacKinnon just past $13.75M. Granted, McDavid has been the better scorer but it’s not out of the realm of possibility that MacKinnon checks in around 15 percent of the cap which would put his next contract around the same $12.5M AAV that McDavid currently has now. It’s a price tag Colorado shouldn’t be balking at paying either as if he was to somehow hit the open market next summer, several teams would be going after him with that type of money.

At this point, there isn’t a lot to gain from waiting while there’s value in having certainty about costs moving forward as Colorado plans other moves. Accordingly, expect a push to get something done on this front quickly.

Re-Sign Lehkonen

While Manson and some of their other late acquisitions were pending unrestricted free agents, that wasn’t the case for winger Artturi Lehkonen. The extra year of team control was enough for Sakic to justify parting with one of their top prospects in Justin Barron to get him from Montreal at the trade deadline. He certainly made an immediate impact with his new team, logging over 16 minutes a game in their middle six down the stretch and then scored two critical goals in the playoffs with the series-winner against Edmonton and the Cup-winner against the Lightning.

Lehkonen has arbitration rights in his final year of RFA eligibility so expect Colorado to take a run at signing him to a long-term deal that buys out his prime UFA years. Such a move would push his AAV past the $4M mark even though his highest point total during the regular season is 38 which he put up this year. It’s a high price to pay for a winger that isn’t going to consistently light the lamp but his versatility and penalty killing ability made him an integral part of their team in the playoffs and it’s unlikely they will give him a chance to move on anytime soon.

Replace Outgoing Free Agent Forwards

While Colorado managed to get one prominent free agent off the table on Monday when they signed winger Valeri Nichushkin to an eight-year deal, they’re still set to lose a pair of key free agent forwards in Nazem Kadri and Andre Burakovsky. Knowing the money that they’re going to be paying MacKinnon in 2023-24, they know they’re not going to be able to keep Kadri which creates a big opening down the middle. While Alex Newhook has shown some promise, he’s not really for full-time duty in the top six yet and while J.T. Compher can hold his own when covering for injuries, he’s not the preferred option to take Kadri’s spot either. Adding a proven veteran center on a short-term contract would be huge for the Avalanche.

Then there’s Burakovsky whose 61-point campaign likely priced himself out of what Colorado can afford with Lehkonen effectively taking his spot and role on the roster. But another winger that can at least slot in on the third line with an ability to move up when needed would certainly help lengthen their attack. The Avs have around $14M to spend this summer with Lehkonen set to take up a sizable chunk of that. Between a new center to replace Kadri and some defensive depth, there might be enough left for that type of winger to help keep one of the top attacks in the NHL three lines deep.