The Colorado Avalanche may have completed the bulk of their offseason work, but Joe Sakic made it clear Friday that the front office is still looking to add before training camp.
Speaking ahead of the opening round of the NHL Draft, Sakic said Colorado hopes to bolster its forward depth while potentially adding another defenseman, although the team’s salary cap situation will ultimately determine what is possible.
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“We’d still like to sign one or two forwards and a (defenseman),” Sakic said.
After creating cap flexibility through multiple trades over the past two weeks, the Avalanche used some of that space to sign veteran defensemen Brent Burns and Brett Kulak. Even so, Colorado has less than $6 million in cap space, making value signings the most realistic option once free agency opens.
Sakic acknowledged that several difficult roster decisions were made with the salary cap—not performance—in mind.
“Those decisions for us really were cap decisions, free up some space. We couldn’t have brought everybody back,” Sakic said.
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With much of the roster now appearing set, attention now shifts to the two young forwards Colorado acquired from the Nashville Predators. Both Fedor Svechkov and Zachary L’Heureux are expected to compete for full-time NHL roles next season.
Svechkov, the former first-round pick, drew praise from Sakic for the way he impacts the game beyond the scoresheet.
“Svechkov, he’s like a (Chris) Drury,” Sakic said. “He’s not quite at Drury’s level yet, but we think he can get there, and he’s only 23.”
L’Heureux brings a completely different element. The hard-nosed winger has built a reputation as an agitator who thrives on playing with an edge—something Colorado felt it lacked during its sweep at the hands of the Vegas Golden Knights in the Western Conference Final.
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“He’s going to be exciting for us,” Sakic said. “He’s type of player that we were looking for. He’d be great for us, we probably wish we had that player in the playoffs.”
The challenge for L’Heureux will be channeling that physical style without crossing the line.
The Hockey News previously reported that one of the Avalanche’s biggest shortcomings against Vegas was its inability to match the Golden Knights’ physicality. L’Heureux undoubtedly addresses that need, but he also arrives with an extensive disciplinary history.
During three seasons with the Halifax Mooseheads in the QMJHL, L’Heureux was suspended nine times, including a 10-game suspension after spearing fans following a game. In 2020 alone, he served four separate suspensions. Overall, he has been suspended 12 times throughout his junior and professional career, costing him 39 games.
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His NHL résumé has been much cleaner, although he was suspended three games last season for slew-footing Minnesota Wild captain Jared Spurgeon. If L’Heureux can maintain his trademark physicality while staying out of the penalty box and avoiding supplemental discipline, he could become exactly the type of player Colorado believes it was missing in the postseason.
The NHL Draft began Friday and concludes Saturday. The Avalanche hold 10 selections across Rounds 2 through 7 as they look to replenish a prospect pool that has been depleted by years of aggressive, win-now moves.
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