Zach L’Heureux could either become exactly what the Colorado Avalanche have been missing or give Jared Bednar one more headache to solve.
That is what makes bringing the 23-year-old forward to Colorado so intriguing. L’Heureux may not be the most naturally gifted player on the roster, but he brings something the Avalanche badly lacked when their season ended: physicality, nastiness and an unmistakable edge.
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Colorado was swept by the Vegas Golden Knights in the Western Conference Final last season, and Vegas repeatedly imposed its more punishing, hard-nosed style on the Avalanche. L’Heureux gives Colorado another player capable of pushing back.
But there is a fine line between providing an edge and becoming a liability, and L’Heureux has spent much of his career walking it. He has been suspended at every level of hockey he has played, including nine times in the QMJHL — one resulting in a 10-game ban after he jabbed a fan with his stick. He was also suspended three times during his AHL career before receiving a three-game NHL suspension for slew-footing Minnesota Wild defenseman Jared Spurgeon.
For Colorado, the challenge will be harnessing L’Heureux’s aggression without allowing it to become more trouble than it is worth.
His NHL numbers tell an equally interesting story.
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L’Heureux’s 63 penalty minutes in 62 games during his first full NHL season with the Nashville Predators in 2024-25 further illustrate the double-edged nature of his game. He averaged just 12:03 of ice time per night, meaning he was racking up more than a penalty minute per game despite playing limited minutes. That physical edge can be valuable for an Avalanche team that needs more pushback, but it also comes with a caveat: Colorado needs L’Heureux making an impact on the ice, not watching from the penalty box.
That is the balancing act Bednar will have to solve.
The Avalanche have lacked some bite in their lineup at times, particularly when games become nasty and opponents try to drag them into the kind of physical battle that can disrupt Colorado’s speed game. L’Heureux has never needed an invitation to make things uncomfortable.
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The question is whether Bednar will trust him to do it.
There is a significant difference between playing with an edge and becoming a nuisance, and L’Heureux’s career suggests he has occasionally crossed that line. Colorado’s coaching staff will have to find a way to preserve the aggression that makes him valuable without allowing it to become the very thing that keeps him out of the lineup.
It is an interesting problem to have.
As the old hockey saying goes, it is easier to rein in a player with too much passion than it is to manufacture passion in a player who does not have it.
L’Heureux certainly does not need anyone to teach him how to play with emotion.
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What remains to be determined is whether he can turn that emotion into consistent NHL production.
The pedigree is there.
L’Heureux was a first-round pick for a reason, and his production in the AHL has only reinforced the offensive potential that made him a coveted prospect. He erupted for 19 goals and 48 points in 66 games with the Milwaukee Admirals during the 2023-24 season before taking another step forward last year, recording 14 goals and 14 assists for 28 points in just 30 games.
That is a jump from 0.73 points per game to 0.93, an indication that L’Heureux was becoming increasingly productive at the AHL level. The question now is whether he can finally translate that offensive consistency to the NHL.
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And perhaps just as intriguing for Colorado is the cost of finding out. L’Heureux is signed for the next two seasons at just a $875,000 annual cap hit, giving the Avalanche a former first-round pick with legitimate offensive upside and a physical edge without requiring a significant financial commitment. If he breaks out, the value of that contract could become enormous.
If he can put everything together, Colorado may have landed one of the sneakiest steals of the offseason.
