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Avalanche’s dream scenario for 2024 NHL trade deadline

Originally posted on ClutchPoints | By Tristin McKinstry | Last updated 2/18/24

The Colorado Avalanche are a really good team once again. Despite playing without captain Gabriel Landeskog for the entire 2023-24 season, Colorado is incredible. They are in second place in the Central Division, three points back of the division-leading Dallas Stars. Colorado is just one point ahead of the Winnipeg Jets, who sit in third place.

And it’s hard to be surprised that Colorado is good this year. Losing Landeskog certainly hurts, as it would hurt any team. However, the Avalanche still have an impressive collection of talent on their roster. Nathan MacKinnon is continuing his dominance, for instance. And Cale Makar is a legit Norris Trophy contender.

That said, the Avalanche certainly aren’t a perfect team. Granted, no team in the NHL is ever perfect. Even the 65-win Boston Bruins from a year ago had their faults. The overall point is there is room for Colorado to make this already good team even better within the next few weeks.

The 2024 NHL Trade Deadline is rapidly approaching now. In a little over two weeks, contenders will do what they can to bolster their rosters for the upcoming playoff push. There’s a lot the Avalanche want to do before time runs out on March 8. And with that in mind, let’s go over the dream scenario for the Colorado Avalanche at the NHL Trade Deadline.

What the Avalanche need

The Colorado Avalanche are in need of two things. One, a second-line center. Colorado traded for Ryan Johansen in the offseason. However, that trade has not worked out in the slightest. The veteran forward has played 55 games in Denver. Yet, he has just 11 goals and 19 points this year.

Second, Colorado needs a backup goaltender. Pavel Francouz is out for the rest of the season due to injury. As a result, Alex Georgiev has assumed the brunt of the workload. Or, more accurately, he has shouldered the vast majority of the workload. Georgiev has played in 45 of Colorado’s 56 games this year.

Colorado could certainly go without adding in either of these areas. However, addressing both of these scenarios represents the dream NHL Trade Deadline scenario for the Avalanche. The question that remains, though, is who Colorado could target prior to March 8.

Dream NHL Trade Deadline targets for Avalanche

Let’s get the easier one out of the way. There are a number of backup goaltending options on the market this year. In fact, there are a few targets that could even start for a team needing a better option in between the pipes. Colorado could look for someone to play more than simply a backup role if they wanted to.

In that event, one option they should look into is Calgary Flames puck-stopper Jacob Markstrom. The Flames goalie has bounced back from a down year last season. Markstrom has recorded an impressive .913 save percentage to help Calgary remain in the playoff race to some extent.

When it comes to the second line center, though, that is more difficult. The center trade market is rather thin after the trades of Sean Monahan and Elias Lindholm. As a result, the cost of a center could be drastically high. And we may see some names move that we never considered to begin with.

In terms of a second-line center, there is one option that represents a true dream scenario for the Avalanche: Buffalo Sabres star Casey Mittelstadt. Rumors around Mittelstadt have increased in recent weeks. And even though Buffalo is hesitant to deal the 25-year-old, if the Avalanche make it worth their while, it doesn’t seem as if the Sabres would say no.

Of course, this is all easier said than done. After all, that’s why this is a “dream scenario” in the first place. But if the Avalanche were able to add Mittelstadt and Markstrom to their roster, Colorado would jump straight into Stanley Cup contention.

This article first appeared on ClutchPoints and was syndicated with permission.

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