The Stanley Cup Semi-Finals are now set, as the Vegas Golden Knights defeated the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday to join the Montreal Canadiens, New York Islanders and Tampa Bay Lightning in the National Hockey League’s Final Four. As with many clubs that have been eliminated, the Avs face a number of questions and difficult decisions in the off-season, and many of them are similar to those made or to be made by the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The Avs have a solid core group centered by a Hart Trophy nominee in Nathan MacKinnon as Toronto does in Auston Matthews, but both the Leafs and Colorado stars are growing frustrated at their club’s inability to break through in the post-season.
With the Leafs, it is the extreme example of playoff futility in not being able to win a series in 17 years. In spite of a bevy of talent that includes Mikko Rantanen, Gabriel Landeskog, Vezina nominee Philipp Grubauer and Norris nominee Cale Makar, the Avs have not been able to advance past the second round since 2002, and followed up a disappointing loss to Dallas in 2020 with a second round exit to the Knights.
GM Joe Sakic faces the same decision that Kyle Dubas had in 2019, which is what to do with Nazem Kadri after the former Leaf was suspended for eight games following an open ice hit on Blues defenseman Justin Faulk in Game 2 of the first round.
The suspension left the Avs without a #2 center, forcing rookie Alex Newhook into the lineup and JT Compher to be moved up to the second line (which had an effect as the series with Vegas went on), but as in Toronto, Kadri displayed an irresponsibility to his team that might be unforgiveable.
Kadri is 30 and has one more year at $4.5 million before becoming an unrestricted free agent. With Landeskog, Brandon Saad, and Grubauer also UFA’s and Makar’s ELC expiring, Sakic may need the cap space, but could also want to rid himself of a player who has displayed an ongoing lack of impulse control.
Colorado has MacKinnon locked up for two more years, and signed Rantanen to a six-year, $55.5 million deal in 2019, as the Leafs did with Matthews and Mitch Marner, but now Sakic has the difficult task of getting team captain Landeskog and one of the best young defensemen in the NHL in Makar extended. If both are signed to long-term deals, the Avs will be in a very similar spot as Toronto with a core group making close to 50% of the salary cap that has not won anything.
"There's always next year. I feel like we're always talking about next year. I'm going in my ninth year and I haven't won shit." MacKinnon said after the Game 6 loss on Thursday.
Sakic also has to make up his mind about his starting goalie. Grubauer had an excellent regular season, but faltered against Vegas in a head-to-head matchup with Marc-Andre Fleury, after getting injured in the bubble last season and forcing the Avs to go with Pavel Francouz and Michael Hutchinson.
Grubauer still has a lot to prove in the post-season. Frederik Andersen was not able to come through for Toronto over five years, and the emergence of Jack Campbell is allowing the Leafs to move on from Andersen this summer. Colorado may choose to re-sign Grubauer, but they could also look for a better option in free agency or the trade market before next season.
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