Colorado Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar did his weekly radio spot and discussed a range of Avs topics including the difficulty that was this past season. He also admitted that this team will have a very different look next season with all the UFA’s the Avs have, and how when you win, people want your guys.
Bednar also mentioned Gabriel Landeskog and hinted, but did not say specifically, that another surgery could be in the cards.
Two of the bigger RFA’s this offseason will be Alex Newhook and Bowen Byram. Both likely will get bridge deals, but for how much? And is it a guarantee Newhook is even offered one? We discuss.
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7 Comments
If they lose JT….I'll still be a fan , however a disappointed one.👋
I was Born in Trenton NJ ….shaggy.
JT's 2 goals against the Blues in game 6 last year will always be appreciated. But if he has to go to make the team better, so be it. That's just business.
Im ok with cant win game 7 more then cant win round 2 because if you cannot get out if round 2 then you have a problem but if u avoid game 7 all together then there u gi oroblem solved
Newhook is 22 and has two 30 point seasons. Especially considering the situation with injuries and absences this season, I was impressed with how he played. Is he our 2C for the moment? Absolutely not. Is he a useful player now with high end potential? yes. I personally would pay a bit more for longer term. I'd try to take him to the last year before ufa (4 years?) if possible. I think theres a reasonable chance that he breaks out and if they give him a shorter deal they're gonna pay for that. If they can get both Byram and Newhook locked up through 26/27 for 6 mil (1.5 and 3.5?) AND retain their rfa status, they're doing great. Anything less than that and they're laughing to the bank.
Newhook is doing just fine. He just finished his second year in the league and has back to back 30 point seasons which is pretty good. His main problem this year was that he never had consistent linemates and he was rarely ever put together with legit NHL top 6 talent. When he was playing with equally talented players he was producing points. Some of his best hockey was being on a line with Cogs and LOC – good players, but not a lot of finishing ability. I would say bridge him 2 years at 1.5-2 mil and see what develops as he continues to pack on some muscle and get more comfortable in the NHL. The thing that frustrates me the most about him is the way people keep calling him a bust. He isn't a bust by any stretch of the imagination, people just wanted him to be Kadri 2.0 and he is never going to be that. Due to them winning the Cup and getting rewarded with the shortest off season in NHL history he was really robbed of a crucial development opportunity to really build his strength up to be what he needs day in day out in the NHL. Hopefully he takes advantage of this opportunity and has a great off season.
Byram will be an interesting situation. I think he's either another 2 year bridge or an 8 year deal. That will come down to what does the team want, and what is he willing to agree to. If the team wants long term, but he wants the bridge then it gets really tricky. Keep in mind that the qualifying offer following that bridge deal is basically the actual salary paid in the final year of the bridge deal. So, in your situation where he signs a 3-4 year deal at say 5mil as a concession to the team, they'll probably have to structure it so that the final year of the deal pays him in the 8-9 mil range so that he is all but guaranteed that money the year following that deal and then walk into UFA status. If they agree to a more standard 2 year bridge deal in the 3-4 mil range, that buys the team time under the cap which is critical since it's scheduled to start going up big after next year and would keep the following QO more reasonable. The risk for the team is that he hits superstar status and now you have to pay that premium price a lot earlier in his career than you would like. The risk for the player is that he suffers a career ending injury and doesn't have that guaranteed 8 year contract at say 6-7 mil that he could probably sign right now in the hopes of having two good years and then signing that 8 year deal in the 10 mil range.
This will be a fascinating off season to watch.
Well, I do not want to step on anyone’s foot, but this podcast should now, after the team was eliminated, at least mentioning the facts on a story that has the potential (as written on the Denver Post) to affect the roster big time. The facts are the police report acquired by the NY Post from the Seattle Police are that the team doctor of the Avalanche called for an ambulance 4 hrs before game 3 as there was a heavily intoxicated woman was found by him in Mr Nichushkin’s hotel room. There were no charges filed against Mr Nichushkin, but as we all know, he did not play again in the playoffs. I find it irritating that the Avs organization a Nixonesque blanket puts over this news story and does not comment at all. I expected at least on this Avs podcast to state the facts nothing more, nothing less. The Denver Post stated some possibilities, but that is their opinion. The facts are there, and they do not look good for Mr Nichushkin.
To one point in the podcast, Alex Newhook the biggest disappointment of the playoff series and I would not waste a million on him. This has Martin Kaut vol. 2 written all over it!