Avalanche trade rumors heat up as cap space dwindles. Which players are on the chopping block?
On today’s episode of Locked on Avalanche we dissect potential trades for the Colorado Avalanche, ranking candidates based on contract value and team needs. The duo evaluates Sam Girard’s trade likelihood, debates Martin Necas’ future with the team, and grades Sam Malinski’s season performance. Key discussions include the Avs’ tight salary cap situation, Miles Wood’s contract implications, and Josh Manson’s trade potential.
Will Necas prove his worth alongside Nathan MacKinnon? Can Malinski secure a second-line pairing role? Tune in for expert analysis on the Avalanche’s roster moves and playoff aspirations.
0:00 Intro: Players likely to be traded from Avalanche
5:08 Top 5 players most likely to be traded
10:29 Miles Wood and Sam Girard trade possibilities
15:16 What Nichushkin needs to do next season
21:01 Nichushkin’s potential on top line with MacKinnon
26:29 Sam Malinski’s performance grade and potential
32:45 Debate over Malinski’s development and future role
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27 Comments
Girard gets muscled all the time. Manson is slowing down and making mistakes. Move both of them.
Screw Necas. If he "isn't overly thrilled" playing on a line with 2 of the Top 3 best players in the NHL he can go somewhere else for a nice return.
The Colorado Avalanche are not the Carolina Hurricanes or the Vancouver Canucks.
They're a Premier Franchise with Premier Talent that Wins a Cup 13.3% of the time they run a team out.
So Necas can get on board, or get dealt to some middling franchise.
I know Clayton Keller would LOVE to be out of Utah. Maybe we go Girard and Necas for Keller, Simashev and a 2nd?
Boston Bruins insiders are saying there is a proposal of Geekie for Necas. Geekie makes 4M v.s Necas 6.5M, so that would also be a 2.5M cap gain. Geekie did score 34 goals last year.
I think the rumors about necas are just that. Rumors. Nothing more. Not even a credible source just a dude posting for clicks and likes. Gotta give him another run honestly for his price and talent can’t go much better.
Wouldn't be an Avs Offseason without the "Trade Girard" chants………as old as the "Fire Bednar" during the season. It's no wonder Sammy drinks🤷♂️🤦♂️
Necas gots to go
Talking about ' the McKinnon effect', Necas can easily produce 80 points in regular season. Maybe not though 100.
But the Q is, can he produce the stats Mikko did- in play offs? A: never.
He comes from Czech Republic. Those player do seldom produce steady. Its btw high and low. The difference btw a good game and bad game is huge.
You can' t compare mentally in any level to Mikko.
So much is good enough for Necas in play offs ? You tell that.
When I looked yr present roster for 2025-2026 , this is more or less what you got: two top lines and 3 good defenders ( one of them is brilliant though).
Just that , nothing else . To compete for SC.
Compare yr present 3rd line to Panthers 3rd line. What you say ? Or goalie ? Likewise
So…hope ypou find solutions. I like Avs as team .
Its the most entertaining team in NHL at its best day.
Honestly let's move lingren he's a good defenseman, but we don't need 4 penalties a period from 1 guy. We already have wood who is needed but not on the back end
Shouldn’t be the better question, whom should they keep? It’s the shorter list.🤣
Wood and Manson are both negative value assets, meaning you'd need to attach something to get rid of them.
They also both have trade protection, meaning you can't pawn them off on the SJ/CHI/PIT of the world.
Really interesting episode. Thanks.
To say we traded Rantanen to "get" Necas makes it sound like the Avs would do whatever it took to get him. A fair telling of history is the Avs were looking for best value and chose Carolina's package, with Necas being the best player in what they got back.
Guys I wouldn't care if they got dealt: Wood, Kiviranta, Vesey, and Manson.
The rumours of Necas came from a has been Nick Kypreos, Kypreos is just fishing for Toronto Maple leaf content, so this week he can come up with a trade to Toronto that makes him look relevent. this is just a wishlist of the toronto media
i get what kyle is saying with wanting to see certain players make the next step , problem is they hardly ever get the chance , 1-2 games then back down to the eagles , sam is a rare one whos actually done it and didnt he start the year on the eagles ,annunen for so many years needed that nhl time never got it , and who else have we drafted that has panned out other than the big dogs i cant even think of one atm , thats why when it comes to drafts picks i dont care cause anytime we draft someone they get stuck in development hell and they just get used for trade pieces ,ive think ive heard u guys and other ppl in comments make the this player whomever it may be needs more experience well how do u get it if your never playing them , i think that was happening with annunen , he should of had so many more games under his belt before this past season but he didnt never got his "experience ", with LOC being out now is the time to bring up eagles guys and give em a chance not 1 or 2 games and send em back down ,and malinski is ready him and mason 2nd d pair that could free up to trade sammy g, and middleton aswell get him in the line up more 3rd pair with lindgren, our fans biching about we need to get bigger on the back end .. well middleton isnt a small guy 6'6 240 lol like how much bigger can u ask for ,if those 2 aint in the line up on a consistent basis then ill just shake my head cause ill kno now we have a real problem and it aint the "need" players
Any talk about buyouts?
Also for Necas. If you don’t have a good talk with him and lock him up for the says next 3 years then I think he moves up the list. You can’t end next year with a contract for him
Moving about Sammy is some about $$$ but it’s also about in the league today the Avs need to get bigger. We have to many smaller def man . Need bigger and grittier players
Time to be ruthless & put them all on the trade list except MacKinnon & Makar. Can’t really be pay to be loyal.
Mansons good in playoffs so im not sure about trading him but if we get someone better cant complain. Need to resign lindgren at a good price if lindgren wants to stay
Necas for konecy you heard it here first
Trade multiple pieces and sign Necas early
Sakic is making the same mistakes the Red Wings made 15 years ago, trying to keep an aging roster competitive. They really have zero prospects in the pipeline. That's more concerning than the cap space situation. I'd much rather see them load up on prospects, even if it meant sitting out the playoffs for a year or two.
Yeah, I love Sammy, but it's time to move him to get as much for him. Oh, how losing Byrum just got magnified. Manson, Wood – EJ love him, and I think he was the best acquisition in terms of leadership added to the locker room. Sign the players they got at the deadline or you are hemorrhaging draft capital and talent, stop moving players and stop spending so you can rebuild the team from CMACTASTROPHE's boneheaded moves. Oh, by the way, fire CMACTASTROPHE and stop the downward spiral. Necas is on the bubble for me, he needs to show up within the first 2 months of next season or I'm dumping this guy and your team will be a wildcard team or worse. All on CMACTASTROPHE's watch and actions. At that point, you still need a power forward and that won't be cheap.
Colton for B Byram
Avs can hang on to Girard for a 9th season if they are content with 1st and 2nd round exits. If the team is serious about winning again, ditch the terrible defending marshmallow who can’t score to save his life.
No mention of Coyle? Not even as a tie with someone else? You have to look at trading him for some comparable with less cap hit… and teams want him.
I think we do a three-team trade to get peterka and send Necas somewhere else and Buffalo picks up someone from that 3rd team