There was also a stretch early is his career where he provided plenty of offense along with all those penalty minutes — three times he had 15-plus goals and 45-plus points as a defenseman with Chicago and Edmonton.

This is his first season as an assistant coach for San Diego in the AHL. The Gulls play the Colorado Eagles in Loveland on Friday night, so he had the chance to catch his son’s NHL game Thursday night.

He ended up watching his son accomplish something that he never did at this level. Josh Manson had two goals, four points and an early fight in the Colorado Avalanche’s 8-2 win against the Ottawa Senators at Ball Arena.

“It was fun,” the younger Manson said. “I don’t think he’s ever seen that before. He’s seen me fight. He’s maybe seen me score, but I don’t think he’s ever seen … well, actually, nobody’s ever seen that before out of me in the NHL, so it was the first for everybody, including myself.”

Josh Manson’s monster night included career highs in goals (2) and points (4). His father scored two goals in a game six times, and he had a one-goal, four-point, one-fight night in his career. But never two goals, four points and a tilt.

The younger Manson had a fight, a goal and an assist, or a Gordie Howe hat trick, before the game was 23 minutes old. He was on the ice for five Avalanche goals and neither of the Senators’ tallies. He was also the co-leader in shots on goals (5) and hits (3).

“Well, that was something,” Avs coach Jared Bednar said. “I mean, he had a Gordie Howe hat trick early in the second period, and then he just kept coming. He was involved in everything tonight — the physicality of the game, what we just normally evaluate him on the defending and all that was good, and then on the offensive side of it. He just had a fantastic night.”

The fight happened barely more than two minutes after the opening puck drop. Ottawa defenseman Tyler Kleven lined up Ivan Ivan for a big hit near the center red line as the Avs callup was sending the puck into the Senators zone.

Kleven is a big hitter, and that was a perfectly clean one. For a team that played last night, it was a tone-setting adrenaline boost that his teammates surely appreciated.

Manson had other ideas.

“It was kind of just one of those things,” he said. “The hit was … I thought the hit was actually OK. And I’ve kind of complained in the past where if it’s a clean hit, you shouldn’t really have to fight. So I just kind of presented myself there if he wanted. I felt like it was a good time for our team. Hopefully, spark us here on home ice on this home stand, coming off two losses. And so he obliged.”

It proved to be a pretty physical evening at Ball Arena. Kleven’s hit and the fight with Manson got it started, and then the lopsided nature of the score helped fan the flames.

Samuel Girard, with and none since 2019, dropped the gloves with Senators star Tim Stützle early in the third period. He nearly got into another later in the period. Avs goaltender Scott Wedgewood even got involved in a post-whistle dust-up.

“They’ve got some guys that are going to forecheck hard and finish plays, especially in a frustrating game like that,” Wedgeood said. “You try and let Sammy and Manson know who’s coming. They’re gonna get their licks in, and then I got a jab there. I just wanted to see if he wanted to come on my podcast, or whatever the conversation was.

“But it was also our guy was going to get two on one’d, so just kind of grabbed on to make sure he wasn’t getting mauled before we can get reinforcements. And I’m not going to do anything, but it was fun for a second.”

The Avs didn’t get to 32-4-7 and a double-digit lead over the rest of the NHL following the same blueprint for success every night. They’ve proven they win just about every type of game. Low-scoring, physical, wide-open, chaotic — the Avs have been comfortable in all types of contests.

“I think we’re going to be tested, right?” Manson said. “You lose (Devon Toews). You lose Gabe (Landeskog) and we lose two games there. So I think this was kind of the first step in building that mental fortitude that we can rely on depth, and we can go out and play against good teams. I mean, that’s, that’s a good team across the way … so that was a big win.”

They were well down the organizational depth chart for the Colorado Avalanche one year ago. And now, here they are, primed to be critical players for the Colorado Eagles this season, but also potentially key depth players for the parent club as well.

“I think I spend more time with Jack than I do my wife,” joked Aamodt, who rooms with Ahcan on the road. “I think my wife knows that, too. We spent quite a bit of time together. We’ve had a couple great years together with the Eagles and really enjoy our friendship.”

Colorado went on a depth defenseman shopping spree during the 2024 offseason. The Avs added Calvin de Haan, Oliver Kylington, Jacob MacDonald, Calle Rosen and Erik Brannstrom in July and August. They claimed John Ludvig on waivers in early October.

All of those guys were ahead of Ahcan and Aamodt on the depth chart. Fast forward to this season, and none of them are. MacDonald had a historic season in the AHL last year with 31 goals, but he’s out for months after hip surgery.

The rest are no longer with the organization. Brent Burns is here to replace Ryan Lindgren, who arrived at the trade deadline after no one from that collection of bargain options could lock down a regular spot. But the only other defenseman with NHL experience added was Ronnie Attard, who has been put on waivers and sent to Eagles camp.

Keaton Middleton is the Avs’ clear No. 7 defenseman, and as of now, the next guys up are Ahcan and Aamodt.

“It’s pretty cool,” Ahcan said of seeing the duo slowly climb up the depth chart. “You’re trying not to think about it too much. Just play your own game. Playing with the Eagles the last two years, it¶¶Òõap been awesome. I love it up there. And it’s really just kind of going to work, and whatever happens, happens. Try to have a good camp every year and make it a hard decision for them to make.”

They are different types of players. Ahcan is diminutive, listed at 5-foot-8 and 180 pounds, but he’s quick and an offensive driver for the Eagles. Aamodt, at 6-foot and 201 pounds, plays a more physical, defensive style.

They are both from Minnesota. They haven’t played together a lot as a pairing with the Eagles, but that could change with MacDonald’s injury.

“It¶¶Òõap tough seeing J-Mac go down, but it¶¶Òõap nice to be one of those (key) guys,” Ahcan said. “If we are down there, it¶¶Òõap nice to be a leader and take pride in that and kind of lead the charge with an older group and a new coaching staff coming in, too.”

Both were undrafted. Ahcan, 28, spent three years with the Bruins and got nine NHL games with Boston before signing with Colorado. Aamodt, 27, signed with the Avs after four years at Minnesota State and is trying to be the next Colorado player to go from undrafted free agent to NHL regular.

Aamodt made his NHL debut at the end of last season, getting to play in the final two games of the regular season and collecting his first career goal in the finale at Anaheim.

“It was super cool,” Aamodt said. “Over the summer, you get asked (about the NHL) quite a bit. It¶¶Òõap a good thing. It¶¶Òõap all these people who helped you get there along the way, like people at the hometown rink, on the golf course, family and friends. No one gets there alone. It was really cool to share that experience with them.”

Ahcan played in those two games as well. Now, the pair is looking for more.

If the Avs aren’t active on the waiver wire before the regular season begins, they should be next in line when the defense corps needs help.

“It’s not just about the couple (NHL) games,” Avs coach Jared Bednar said. “That’s a good indicator that it wasn’t too much for them. They weren’t overwhelmed. They kept playing the game that we’ve seen them play with the Eagles.”

Footnotes: Bednar said Samuel Girard (lower body) could join the full-team practice Monday for the first time during camp. Girard is still trying to be ready by opening night.

The Avs have cut 13 players from NHL camp over the past two days, including Ivan Ivan, who was in the mix for the No. 4 center role, and former University of Denver defenseman Sean Behrens.

The month began with a career-affirming contract and ended with his wedding. For the Kellys, their time in Colorado is just getting started.

“It was a fun summer,” Kelly said. “We had lots of other weddings to go to (as well). We’re kind of getting into that age where everyone is getting married, so we were pretty busy.”

Kelly signed a two-year contract on July 1, 2024 with the Avalanche. At the time, he was a relatively unknown 25-year-old forward who had just set career bests in goals, points and games played with the Ottawa Senators.

Fast forward 365 days, and the Avs had several players entering the final year of their contracts who were eligible for extensions. Kelly was the first to sign, inking a four-year pact worth $1.7 million per year — more than double what he made his first season with the club.

He’s now under contract for five more seasons in Colorado, and is one of six players on the roster signed through at least 2030.

“Easy,” Avs coach Jared Bednar said when asked what made Kelly a player the organization wanted to commit four more years to. “Just watching him operate every day. He’s a committed guy. Love his skating. We have the flexibility with him to be able to play middle or the wing.

“Just a highly competitive guy that wants to win, and his details are really good. Kind of fits the mold of what we’ve had in our successful third and fourth lines in the past. So he’s easily identifiable as a guy that we can move forward with.”

Kelly finished his first season in Denver with eight goals and 19 points over 80 games, almost identical numbers from the previous year in Ottawa. He became a trusted glue guy for the Avs, starting the year at center for the first time in his professional career and then settling in as the wing on Bednar’s new “identity line” next to Jack Drury and Logan O’Connor.

For all of the star power this franchise possesses, it’s not a coincidence that O’Connor and Kelly are two of those six Avs with contracts that reach the next decade.

“I was on the (golf) course with my dad,” Kelly said. “We were just like, ‘What? This is crazy.’ But now there’s expectations with this contract, too. I’m ready to take that stride and live up to those expectations. There’s also responsibility, too. They put their trust in me, and now I’ve got to return the favor. I’ve got to show that on the ice and off the ice.”

Playing center was new for Kelly last year, just like it was for Ross Colton the season before. The Avs needed both to make the move out of necessity.

This season, Bednar would like to keep both players on the wing. Drury was the club’s No. 4 center after arriving in January, and the Avs would like him to prove he can center the third line. They also have three young players — Zakhar Bardakov, Ivan Ivan and Nikita Prishchepov — who could emerge as the 4C.

“Look at (Kelly’s) analytics, look at his game in Ottawa — one of his major strengths is how effective he is on the forecheck,” Bednar said. “He played center for us for half the season, then we got Drury. We moved him to the wing, and immediately, you saw the impact he could make on the forecheck and just how good that line was. So I don’t want to take away that strength to put him in the middle.”

For Kelly, the burden of playing in a contract year, the wondering and worrying about the future, has been lifted. After three years of trying to force his way into the NHL and two in Ottawa trying to carve out a role, he’s found a home.

“It was a lot of fun to go through that process,” Kelly said. “Happy to stay here and get some insurance. It was a great day and we celebrated with lots of friends and family. It was awesome.

“It¶¶Òõap a great city to live in. My wife and I love it here. It¶¶Òõap a direct flight from Edmonton. There’s no layover in Toronto, which is nice. It¶¶Òõap an easy flight for family to come down and see us.”

What are the expectations for Zakhar Bardakov this season? Will he see any NHL time, or is he strictly playing for the Eagles?

— John B., Houston 

Avalanche general manager Chris MacFarland met with the media three times in short order — after the Charlie Coyle/Miles Wood trade, after the NHL draft ended and after the club signed Brent Burns. He mentioned Zakhar Bardakov as a player the Avs are excited to see in training camp twice.

It was certainly notable. When the GM goes out of his way to mention a player twice, he moves up the list of intriguing players at camp in a hurry. I was covering the Devils when they drafted Bardakov to very little or no fanfare in the seventh round in 2021.

He was similar to Nikita Prishchepov, a Russian overage prospect very late in the draft. The difference was Prishchepov played in the QMHJL, while Bardakov had just finished his first full season of KHL action.

Bardakov didn’t look like a future NHL player after the Devils drafted him. What’s changed? Well, he moved to a better KHL team — SKA Saint Petersburg — and 2024-25 was a breakout season for him. Bardakov nearly doubled his career high in points (35) and nearly matched his total from the previous four years combined in goals (18).

Is he actually going to win a spot on the Avs roster? We’ll see. I think a decent comp for him might be a not-as-fast Miles Wood. Similar in size and a desire to create chaos on the ice. Whether or not that will translate for Bardakov on the smaller ice and in a much faster paced game is to be determined.

Has there been conversation on how/if they will address scoring depth?

— M_Stefski, via Reddit

Who are some guys that could fill the bottom-six forward spots?

— CurrentAmbassador435, via Reddit

If everyone is healthy, the Avs have four obvious guys for the bottom six — Ross Colton, Jack Drury, Logan O’Connor and Parker Kelly. O’Connor is expected to miss the start of the season after hip surgery, but eventually he’ll slot in.

That leaves three spots in the opening-night lineup, and probably a fourth as the extra, up for grabs. The Avs will almost certainly add at least one more forward, if not multiple guys, before camp starts — even if it’s someone on a tryout deal.

It could be a wide-ranging, wide-open competition in training camp. I think Ivan Ivan should be the favorite to lock down one of the jobs, but he’s got to play more like he did at the beginning of the year than he did towards the end after his demotion.

Prishchepov was a nice story last year, but he’s got to prove the handful of solid NHL games he played were not a small-sample burst. Bardakov is clearly going to have a chance to skip the line on some Eagles guys if he looks the part.

Matthew Stienburg might not be a bad bet. Avs coach Jared Bednar took a bit of a liking to him last year before the suspension. He and Bardakov are probably the guys who play the most like typical fourth-line forwards.

If Bednar decides he’s just taking the guys who can help him win right now, Alex Barre-Boulet and Jason Polin could win spots as well. Gavin Brindley has the most upside of the bunch. If things ever click for Oskar Olausson — and this year might be his last chance to make that happen — he could move to the front of this group, but it might take a few strong preseason games before the Avs believe in the improvement.

Any update on Joel Kiviranta? He helps our bottom 6 be strong and would hate to lose him.

— PigletAmazing1422, via Reddit

Of all the guys still on the open market, Kiviranta makes the most sense for the Avs. They know him. Bednar trusts him. So why is he still out on the market?

Kiviranta scored a career-high 16 goals this year. He’s spent the past two years on league-minimum deals, so this was likely his best chance to cash in and get a nice contract. If another team had signed him to a three-year deal worth $1.5-1.75 million per on July 1, the reaction would have been, “Good for Kiviranta, that’s solid for him and his new team.”

So what gives? Teams don’t expect him to score 16 times again, which is fine. Even as a 10-goal guy, he’s worth more than the league minimum.

I think he’s also getting squeezed in the Summer of Smashmouth Hockey. Kiviranta is a good NHL player, a solid fit for anyone’s fourth line and even third on some clubs. But he’s not big and he’s not mean. And everyone in the NHL is trying to get bigger and meaner because the Panthers keeping winning.

He could still end up back with the Avs. Here’s one theory why he and his agent might be willing to wait — the Dallas Stars are probably still going to find a team to take Matt Dumba’s $3.75 million off their books, which will get them under the cap ceiling and leave about $2 million in space to play with.

The Stars are the other team that knows Kiviranta well. He might still be able to get a little more money — from the Avs, Stars or someone else — if he waits out the Dumba situation.

Are there any indications that the Avs might get another outdoor game appearance soon? Utah owner Ryan Smith indicated that Mammoth may be involved in an outdoor game, and the Avalanche would seem to be a logical, easily-marketable opponent.

— Keith L., Seattle

It certainly makes sense for Utah to host an outdoor game soon, just as Seattle did in 2024. And the Avalanche is the most logical opponent, to help the league try and build up something of a regional rivalry.

The TL;DR version: Yes, the Avs should play the Mammoth in an outdoor game in Utah and, yes, it could be awesome.

The two big questions would be where and when. The two candidates for where are Utah’s Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City or BYU’s LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo. They are two of the prettiest settings in college football. If you’re not a CFB fan, do a google image search. If the weather cooperates, either would be a titanic home for the NHL from a game presentation standpoint.

Rice-Eccles is in the same city as the Mammoth, but don’t rule out Provo. Edwards Stadium is bigger, and most importantly … Smith is a BYU guy. He’s the BYU guy right now, helping transform the Cougars into a potential recruiting powerhouse in both football and basketball.

When is probably less tricky. The days of the NHL hosting a Winter Classic in a major college stadium are likely over, thanks to the expanded college football playoff. As of right now, only the first round is on campus (Dec. 19-20 this coming season), but that could very well be expanded as the playoff itself grows in 2027 and beyond.

So, that means a Stadium Series game, likely in February or very early March. One question that needs to be answered — is either stadium winterized? That was the hold up for Ohio Stadium, but the expanded playoff and the ability to host games was the nudge Ohio State (and Penn State, which will also likely host an outdoor game) needed to get that done.

One final wrinkle — Rice-Eccles is going to host the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2034 Winter Olympics, and a big expansion/renovation is planned. When that starts could affect the NHL’s plans if it doesn’t grant the Mammoth a game in the next couple of seasons.

Well, the past couple of days removed a lot of the seasoning.

Fifteen players have signed contracts worth $5 million per season or more in the past week, while veteran players Jamie Benn, Patrick Kane, John Tavares and Jonathan Toews have all agreed to deals below that threshold as well. Several of the big deals went to pending restricted free agents, but the top of the UFA class disappeared when Mitch Marner, Sam Bennett, Aaron Ekblad, Brad Marchand and others took their names off the market.

The names might not be as big on Tuesday, but there are still plenty of teams with a lot of salary cap space as free agency opens in the NHL, so expect to see some not-elite players sign larger-than-expected contracts.

The Colorado Avalanche has a little bit of cap flexibility, but also several depth spots on the roster to fill. Don’t expect the Avs to get into a bidding war for any of the top names still available, but they could also make another trade to free up more cap space, fill one or more of those holes or both.

Colorado does have several players hitting the free agent market Tuesday, including forwards Jonathan Drouin, Joel Kiviranta and Jimmy Vesey, plus defensemen Ryan Lindgren and Erik Johnson.

NHL free agency updates

Day 1: July 1

1:05 p.m.: The Avs bolstered the blue line for the Eagles by signing Ronnie Attard to a one-year, two-way contract. Attard, 26, was a third-round pick in the 2019 NHL draft. The 6-foot-3, 208-pound defenseman split last season between the Philadelphia Flyers’ and Edmonton Oilers’ AHL affiliates. He has 29 games of NHL experience with the Flyers, spread across the previous three seasons.

12:55 p.m.: Jonathan Drouin is moving on.

Drouin signed a two-year, $8 million contract with the New York Islanders, becoming the second UFA to leave the Avs on the first day of free agency. Drouin had 30 goals and 93 points in 122 games across two seasons with the Avs.

He signed two one-year contracts with Colorado, and was one of the best bargains in the NHL both years. Drouin came to Denver to reunite with his friend Nathan MacKinnon and help rebuild his value. In doing so, the Avs got a productive forward on a cheap contract who also evolved in a much better two-way player during his tenure.

Drouin goes to the Islanders to play for Avs legend Patrick Roy. He’s also there in part because the Isles had some extra cap space they wouldn’t have if Brock Nelson had signed before the trade deadline last season and not ended up in Denver.

11:30 a.m.: The first of Colorado’s free agents has found a new home.

Ryan Lindgren has agreed to a four-year, $18 million contract with the Seattle Kraken, according to multiple reports. Lindgren just concluded a one-year deal at the same $4.5 million AAV. The Avs acquired Lindgren, along with Jimmy Vesey, from the New York Rangers before the trade deadline for Calvin de Haan, Juuso Parssinen plus second- and fourth-round picks.

Lindgren had two goals and an assist in 18 games for the Avs. He had played mostly on New York’s top pairing with Adam Fox, but settled into a No. 4/5 role with Colorado.

10:45 a.m.: Colorado retained two key players for the Eagles on one-year contracts.

T.J. Tynan, 33, and Jack Ahcan both signed one-year deals to remain with the organization. Tynan had eight goals and 49 points in 52 games for the Eagles last season. He also had one point in nine games for the Avalanche.

Ahcan, 28, had five goals and 41 points in 69 games for the Eagles. He also played in the Avs’ final two games of the regular season.

10:20 a.m.: The Avalanche signed one of its forwards with one year remaining on his current contract, but it wasn’t the one people might have been expecting.

Parker Kelly signed a four-year, $6.8 million extension Tuesday, a league source confirmed to The Denver Post. The deal will carry a $1.7 million cap hit. It doesn’t start until 2026-27 and runs through 2030.

Kelly, 26, joined the Avs a year ago on a two-year, $1.65 million deal. He had eight goals and 19 points in 80 games for the Avalanche, spending a large chunk of the season as the No. 3 center before settling in on the wing of the fourth line after the club revamped its roster.

This was the first day Kelly was eligible to sign a new contract. Martin Necas, Jack Drury, Josh Manson, Scott Wedgewood and Sam Malinski are all eligible for new deals that begin in 2026.

10:00 a.m.: Monday was the deadline to extend a qualifying offer to restricted free agents. The Avs did not qualify forwards Jean Luc-Foudy, William Dufour, defenseman John Ludvig and goaltender Kevin Mandolese, so they are all officially unrestricted free agents.

Avalanche depth chart

Here’s where the Avalanche depth chart stands the morning of July 1, before the free agent frenzy gets started:

Artturi Lehkonen – Nathan MacKinnon – Martin Necas
Gabe Landeskog – Brock Nelson – Valeri Nichushkin
Ross Colton – Jack Drury – Parker Kelly
??? – ??? – ???

Internal options: Ivan Ivan, Nikita Prischepov, Zakhar Bardakov, Matthew Stienburg, Jason Polin

Devon Toews – Cale Makar
Samuel Girard – Josh Manson
??? – Sam Malinski

Internal options: Keaton Middleton, Wyatt Aamodt, Jacob MacDonald

Mackenzie Blackwood
Scott Wedgewood
Trent Miner

Injured: Logan O’Connor (hip)

And here’s some reading material to get updated on the Avs’ offseason to date:

Avs sign RFA Sam Malinski

Avs have clarity, cap flexibility … and could be patient

Avs trade Charlie Coyle, Miles Wood to Columbus

Avs 2025 NHL draft tracker

Renck: Avs re-signing Brock Nelson puts Chris MacFarland, Jared Bednar on notice

Avs sign Brock Nelson, answer biggest offseason question

The Avs made their second big move of the offseason Friday, trading Charlie Coyle and Miles Wood to the Columbus Blue Jackets. It’s a move that weakens the team’s present depth at forward, but also allows the club more flexibility to fill out the edges of the roster.

Colorado received the No. 77 pick in the 2025 NHL draft, a second-round selection in 2027 and prospect Gavin Brindley in the trade, which also clears $7.75 million in salary cap for this coming season.

“We believed in (the 2024-25) group tremendously, and it still stings,” Avs general manager Chris MacFarland said. “Our cap was tight, right? It’s still tight for this year, and this was an opportunity to loosen it up a little bit. We’re really excited about that aspect of it, and obviously it comes at the expense of losing good hockey players and good people.”

By removing Coyle and Wood from the cap ledger, the Avalanche now has $9.725 million in space with 10 forwards, four defensemen and two goaltenders signed to one-way contracts. One of those forwards, Logan O’Connor, is expected to miss the start of the season after hip surgery, so Colorado could have an extra $2.5 million in space available until he’s ready to return.

A fifth defenseman, Sam Malinski, will still be under team control if he doesn’t have a new contract by July 1 and becomes a restricted free agent. MacFarland said the club will qualify Malinski in the coming days and hopes to get a deal done with him soon.

Brindley was the No. 34 selection in the 2023 NHL draft and instantly becomes one of the Avs’ top prospects, albeit in a thin system. He had six goals and 17 points in 52 games in the AHL last season, but the 20-year-old wing was one of the youngest players in the league.

He had 25 goals and 53 points in 40 games as a sophomore at Michigan the previous year.

“Going back to his draft year, he’s a high-motor, tenacious player that plays with really good pace,” MacFarland said. “That book has traveled and just followed him to pro hockey.”

The 2025 third-round pick gives the Avs three selections in this week’s draft, along with fourth- and seventh-round picks. Both of the draft picks in this deal could become valuable trade chips, whether Colorado makes those selections or deals them ahead of time.

Colorado traded for Coyle just before the trade deadline last season in a deal that sent Casey Mittelstadt, prospect William Zellers and a 2025 second-round pick to the Boston Bruins. Coyle slotted in as the club’s No. 3 center for the stretch run and opening-round playoff series loss to the Dallas Stars.

When the Avs signed Nelson to a three-year, $22.5 million contract earlier this month, it left the team with little cap space and several depth spots on the roster still to fill. Coyle will cost $5.25 million against the cap in 2025-26, the final year of his current contract.

Coyle was an instant fit with the Avs. He had 13 points in 19 regular-season games, and coach Jared Bednar raved about his all-around game and versatility. But Coyle was also one of several key forwards who did not produce offensively against the Stars. He had one goal and no assists in the series.

The Avs signed Wood to a six-year contract with an average annual value of $2.5 million ahead of the 2023-24 season. Wood had four goals and eight points in 37 regular-season games this past season, missing a huge chunk of it with a lingering back injury. He appeared in only one playoff game after Colorado bolstered the forward group at the deadline.

Colorado still has Jack Drury, Parker Kelly, Ross Colton and Ivan Ivan as potential options to fill out the center depth chart behind Nathan MacKinnon and Nelson. Drury was the No. 4 center after Nelson and Coyle arrived at the deadline.

MacFarland also mentioned Zakhar Bardakov, a 24-year-old prospect the Avs acquired in March 2024 from the New Jersey Devils, as a player who could earn a job during training camp.

“We know what we’ve got in terms of cap space and roster holes. You do the math and try to figure it out,” MacFarland said. “We’ll look at anything we can to improve, including the back end. I think the only area that we’re probably set as we sit here tonight is in net.”

While the NHL creeps toward crowning its champion for the 2024-25 season and prepares for its annual spending spree three weeks from Tuesday, MacFarland and the Colorado Avalanche crossed the No. 1 item off the offseason list this past week by signing center Brock Nelson to a three-year, $22.5 million contract.

The No. 2 center behind Nathan MacKinnon has been an ongoing issue since Nazem Kadri left for Calgary after the 2022 Stanley Cup run. Nelson, who turns 34 years old in October, should give the Avs the most stability at that spot than the club has had in four years.

“We were able to work something out, and we’re very excited about that,” Nelson said Tuesday on Altitude Sports Radio. “I’ve enjoyed my time here. I think it’s a special group with a lot of special players and talent that has the opportunity to do something special.”

The other big piece of Avs roster news came two days later. Key depth forward Logan O’Connor is expected to miss the start of next season after undergoing a second hip surgery in 15 months. The official timeline is 5-6 months, which would set a potential return for mid-November or December.

That timeline means the Avalanche could put O’Connor on long-term injured reserve to start the season. As Avs fans are familiar with by now after the past three seasons with captain Gabe Landeskog, that means Colorado could begin the season with a roster that is more expensive than the salary cap ceiling, which is set at $95.5 million for 2025-26.

Signing Nelson to a contract with a $7.5 million annual price tag ate into nearly all of the club’s available cap space, but the O’Connor surgery could give MacFarland and his staff a little more time and a little more flexibility to put the final pieces of the roster puzzle together before opening night in early October.

Here’s where the depth chart stands right now, with salary cap figures in millions (click here to view in mobile):

The Avs currently have $1.975 million in cap space available, according to CapWages. That includes O’Connor’s $2.5 million, but does not include the two-way contracts of Ivan Ivan and Keaton Middleton.

Someone from the current roster was going to have to leave town before the O’Connor surgery news, because Sam Malinski still needs a new contract at minimum. If O’Connor’s cap hit is moved to LTIR, that would up the available space to $4.475 million, with 3-5 roster spots to fill.

AFP Analytics projects a two-year pact for Malinski at just shy of $1.8 million per season. That would leave room for three guys who combined to cost less than $900,000 each.

To create more space, the Avs would still need to move one or more of the 17 guys signed to one-way contracts for next season. All of them have some level of trade protection except for Cale Makar and Martin Necas. The former is going nowhere, obviously.

Necas has one more year left on his current deal and is eligible to sign an extension July 1. He could be both the most valuable trade chip the Avs have outside their established core, but also one of the best values in the NHL this season if he produces another year with 85-plus points.

Moving Necas or any of the other guys in the top half of the roster, including a different top-six forward or one of the second-pairing defensemen (Samuel Girard or Josh Manson) would create a big hole to fill, and likely with a contract that offers less bang for the buck.

Ross Colton currently has a full no-trade clause, but that shifts to a modified no-trade clause July 1. The simplest way to create a little more space would be to buy out Miles Wood, who has four years left on his deal.

When he’s healthy, Wood is a valuable bottom-six player, but he’s missed one and a half of the past four seasons with injuries and played only once in the playoffs after the club got fully healthy.

A buyout would save the Avs just shy of $1.8 million for next season and just short of $1.3 million for the next three years. It would also be $708,000 in dead cap space for the following four years, but the cap ceiling will likely be approaching $120 million by then.

That would push Colorado’s cap flexibility to nearly $6.3 million immediately, or about $3.8 million plus O’Connor when he’s ready to return.

The Avs got a big piece of their business out of the way. If Colorado still wants to do anything else beyond filling out the roster with some bargain bin shopping, trading a significant player looks like the only avenue.

Do you see the Avs improving next season with (Gabe) Landeskog and (Martin) Necas playing for them the full season?

— AccomplishedHair3582 on Reddit 

I think there are two different questions in play for the 2025-26 Avalanche season. One, can the Avs be better next year during the regular season, even with just the players they have right now? Two, can they be as good, on paper, as they were in the Dallas series? The second one is trickier, and the answer might not be known until the trade deadline.

The Avs have been a very good team each of the past two seasons, but the gauntlet to get out of the division has been rough (see Dallas in the conference finals). Having an “easy” first-round series really helps. Winning the division does matter (see Colorado in 2022).

How can the Avs be better during the regular season next year? Here are some ways, ranked in order of probability:

1. A full year of Mackenzie Blackwood and Scott Wedgewood. This one is pretty easy/obvious — 80-ish starts from those two instead of 54 could be worth another 5-6 points, at a minimum.

2. Better health luck in general. The Avs used 50 guys this season. That’s nearing historic territory for a Stanley Cup contender. Colorado may not get 80 games from Val Nichushkin or Artturi Lehkonen, but something like 70-75 each could add more wins/points.

3. A (slightly) improved power play. The Avs had the No. 1 power play from the day after they traded Mikko Rantanen until the end of the regular season, but still finished eighth overall at 24.8%. They have the talent to finish higher, and a new voice in charge could make that possible. A few extra PPGs could be worth an extra win or two.

4. A full-ish season of Landeskog. No one is going to expect him to play 75-80 games (no one expected him to be as good as he was against Dallas, either). He’s likely going to run into some minor things, and the Avs may just rest him in some back-to-backs as well. But even 55-60 games of Landeskog, given what he showed during the playoffs, would be valuable.

Having Necas for a full year doesn’t feel like an upgrade, but if he can continue to produce close to what Rantanen did, that’s definitely a plus.

The potential downside for the Avs is the top guys (Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, Devon Toews, Rantanen, then Necas) have all been very durable of late. A serious injury for any of them would put huge pressure on the club’s depth and likely prevent it from challenging for the top two spots in the Central Division.

Do you foresee the rising cap as an opportunity for teams like the Avs to use a buyout option to open up cap space, knowing that the penalty down the line will be a smaller percentage against the cap than in years previous?

— Gabe, Fort Collins

I could definitely see that being a trend. The first year of MacKinnon’s current contract (2023-24), the cap ceiling was $83.5 million. By year five of his deal, the cap ceiling is expected to be $113.5 million. That’s more than a 25% increase. A $2 million cap hit from a buyout is going to be a lot less punitive in 2028 than it has been in recent years.

If a GM with some cap issues in 2025 can save enough money to add an extra player now, those penalties at the end of the decade might be a lot easier to justify.

With not a ton of room in the cap and some prospects and picks traded away from this last Cup push, how do the Avs retool to be able to be a Cup contender again with strong Central Division rivals? What pieces would you mortgage now? Or do you run it back until the wheels come off?

— TopShamrock, via Reddit

How the Avs navigate this coming season is going to be fascinating. I think we can basically lump the offseason and the lead-up to the trade deadline together. Would it be ideal if they figure everything out before opening night? Sure. But the Avs couldn’t afford Brock Nelson, Ryan Lindgren, et al. under the salary cap in October.

They don’t have many premium assets left to trade. Trading young goalies is hard, and the market can be weird for them. Plus, Ilya Nabokov could slide in as the replacement for Wedgewood after next season.

Mikhail Gulyayev is the most intriguing prospect they have. But he’s also small-ish and Russian, both of which could affect his trade value. Do the Avs keep him and plan for him to slot in as a replacement for Samuel Girard? Or is he the key piece in a deal for a No. 2 center/No. 4-5 defenseman at some point in the near future?

I think any other prospect they currently have should be available in a win-now trade, but none of them are likely to get a big deal done on their own.

The one young player they have with significant trade value is Necas. Trading him would obviously create another significant hole, and at some point, trading the best player in a deal for two or three parts could eventually hurt the club’s ceiling. Moving Rantanen may already have, but there is time for the Avs to “fix” that.

If Mitch Marner ends up an Avalanche this summer at $12.5 million-$13 million per year, do you think this would reflect positively or negatively on (Chris MacFarland) and (Joe) Sakic, with their inability to extend Rantanen?

— WastedTalent34, via Reddit

Marner isn’t going to end up here. The Avs would need to move multiple players under contract to make that happen, and it’s hard to see them deciding that Marner is worth twice as much as Necas next season.

Now, if it did happen? It would be a … strange look, given what Avs management has said about Rantanen/team building since the trade. Are there ways to talk around it? Sure. There could be some (more) subtle blame put on Rantanen’s agent. They could just say they have new/different information than they had in January — the projected cap figures weren’t known then, the team’s first-round exit informed the decision, etc.

Free agent Mikey Eyssimont — any chance the Avalanche could sign this relentless forechecker?

— Bill M., via email

Eyssimont has an interesting backstory, and not just because he’s a local guy and former Colorado Thunderbirds player. I was covering the Sharks when they got him on waivers from the Jets and he immediately became a regular for them. San Jose flipped him to Tampa Bay, and 20 games of a waiver claim for what became a fourth-round pick (from the Jets, no less) was a nice bit of business.

As Bill mentioned, there’s an obvious appeal to Eyssimont’s game. He’s pretty similar to Miles Wood, both good and bad. An agent of chaos, but also takes a few too many penalties at times. He could be a nice pickup, but I’m guessing the Avs wouldn’t be able to go much past $1 million for him. He made $800K the past two seasons, but could be a nice fit next to Jack Drury and Parker Kelly.

Who are we leaning into to make the next permanent jump from the AHL to the NHL?

— DoctaMan, via Reddit

The simple answer is Ivan Ivan. He played 40 games for the Avs this season, but also hit the rookie wall. He can be a defensively responsible fourth-line guy, but whether or not he provides enough energy and offense to become a trusted guy for Jared Bednar like Kelly, Drury or Logan O’Connor have remains to be seen.

Nikita Prishchepov is intriguing. He might have a little more upside. He looked like he belonged at times with the Avs last season. But he’s going to need to prove he can do more and do it more consistently to become a regular for them and not just an injury fill-in.

Oskar Olausson and Jean-Luc Foudy have the potential to be more, but they both had so-so years at best and would need a big training camp to get back into this type of discussion.

Teammates, coaches, fans, media members … eventually, someone is going to ask him about his name. It’s never mean-spirited, but people are always curious.

“It is funny,” Ivan said. “A lot of people think my parents hate me or something. I find that pretty crazy. If my parents hated me, they wouldn’t let me play hockey. It¶¶Òõap one of the most expensive sports.

“My parents wanted me to be special, so it¶¶Òõap not a common name.”

Ivan took an uncommon path to the NHL this season. He’s trying to defy pretty long odds, but it’s exactly the type of development success story the Colorado Avalanche needs as the franchise tries to find supporting cast members for its high-priced core of elite talent.

After a promising start to his first NHL season, Ivan spent the second half of the year readjusting to life in the AHL. Now, he’s trying to help the Colorado Eagles chase down a Calder Cup championship, with an eye toward becoming a more permanent part of the Avs’ plans next season.

“When we first saw him at rookie camp and (summer development) camp, we were seeing some tools and we got a little excited,” Eagles coach Aaron Schneekloth said. “You want to be realistic because it¶¶Òõap just rookie camp, but we knew we had something. Getting to know Ivan as a player and a person, he’s been coachable. He wants to learn. He wants to prove he belongs. And he just continued to work every day.

“He’s persistent. It¶¶Òõap been a great find for the organization.”

Marek Ivan played in the WHL as a teenager. His professional career in North America was brief, but he spent two decades playing in Europe, mostly at home in Czechia.

When his eldest son was mapping out his path, he wanted to follow in his dad’s footsteps. So Ivan left home for Cape Breton in the QMJHL in 2019.

His first season was an adjustment, but Ivan felt like his second year would be a lot better and help him find a place in the 2021 NHL draft. But the COVID-19 pandemic that cut his first season in North America short was unrelenting.

He spent the 2020-21 season on loan with his hometown club, which is in the third division of Czech hockey. Ivan practiced a lot and then practiced some more. He played a total of five league games, plus some time at the Czechia world juniors camp.

“It was tough, especially after coming home from playing in Canada,” Ivan said. “I knew I was ready for a big season, but it happened, and I’m glad my hometown team let me skate and all that. I think I could have gotten a better chance of playing more than just being in the taxi squad.”

He fell off the draft radar, but back-to-back strong seasons with Cape Breton after that earned him an AHL contract with Colorado. Ivan was a breakout player for the Eagles last year as a rookie, and by March, he had inked his first NHL entry-level deal.

When the Avs were missing key NHL forwards in training camp, Ivan seized the opportunity. Once Valeri Nichushkin and Artturi Lehkonen returned, Ivan kept his place. At one point, he had five goals and eight points in 22 games.

Eventually, he hit the rookie wall. After 18 games without a point, it was time to return to the Eagles. That adjustment can be hard for young players, especially after making the dream come true.

“It¶¶Òõap a big difference. It feels like it was hard to switch the tempo and style of hockey, especially after 40 games,” Ivan said. “You get used to the habits on the ice. It¶¶Òõap just different. Just trying to work hard, and trying to figure out my game in the AHL again.”

The guy who buried one-timers on the power play from Nathan MacKinnon in October while also playing a responsible brand of hockey took a while to show up in his second go-round in Loveland.

Ivan had 12 goals and 31 points in 67 games for the Eagles last season, but just two and 12 in 31 contests after the demotion. His play started to perk up, and he’s been a key player for the club in six Calder Cup games. The Eagles trail Abbotsford 2-1 in a best-of-five quarterfinal series after losing 2-1 in overtime Wednesday night at Blue Arena. Game 4 is here Friday night. If the Eagles win, a winner-take-all Game 5 would be Monday afternoon in Loveland.

“There was an adjustment period, but he was very mature about it,” Schneekloth said. “He understood. And we’re starting to see it. It¶¶Òõap the most important time of the year right now, and he’s been a great player for us.”

The Avs have 11 forwards under contract for next season, but also a few key free agents. A player like Ivan proving he can be an everyday guy in the bottom six for less than $1 million against the salary cap could be a boon for a club that needs to find bargains.

Players like Logan O’Connor, Sam Malinski and Ivan can help make up for the amount of draft capital the Avs have dealt away recently. Next season will be a huge one for the kid with two first names and the tools to be another undrafted success story.

“There were a lot of takeaways that I’m going to go through this summer. The big thing is consistency. It¶¶Òõap the thing every player has to work on. You have to try and stay on the same line, instead of having a lot of ups and downs,” he said.

“I’ve got to be more offensive. I think my defensive game was really good, but my offensive game was a little worse. I need to get stronger, get my head in the right place and just be more consistent.”