The Colorado Avalanche face an uphill battle this summer with the salary cap uncertainty brought on by the ongoing injury issues of Gabe Landeskog and Valeri Nichushkin’s third stint to the Player Assistance Program leaving him suspended until mid-November at the earliest.
With that in mind, I’ve been trying to find some bold trade scenarios that could make a little sense for the Avs. These aren’t trade rumors, just me throwing some blind darts and explaining why I think they could make sense for each team involved.
It’s the offseason and everyone loves trades, so let’s talk trades. These aren’t trades meant to be done together, but separately.
Avalanche trade Valeri Nichushkin to Columbus for Patrik Laine
Why Colorado does it: The reasons here are obvious. Colorado removes itself from the uncertain future of Nichushkin and the cap craziness that comes with trying to build a team around the possibility of having his $6.125 million cap hit dropped into their lap in the middle of November if he’s reinstated following his mandatory six-month suspension by the NHL.
This deal sees Nichushkin go to Columbus in exchange for Laine, who is also currently in the Player Assistance Program. In essence, it’s two players who need a fresh start somewhere else. Laine could land in Colorado and for the first time in his career, not be asked to be a savior. He’d immediately slot in alongside Casey Mittelstadt on the second line and give the Avs a formidable top-six forward group.
It also helps that Laine goes way back with fellow Finns Mikko Rantanen and Artturi Lehkonen. Maybe having that kind of infrastructure and removing the pressure of being The Man will help, similar to what the Avs experienced with Jonathan Drouin last year. The difference here is obviously that Laine comes with an $8.7M cap hit for the next two seasons, making it an extremely expensive mistake if things don’t work out. Even if Columbus were to retain a little money, which is unlikely, it’s hard to imagine they retain much.
The Avs would have to be confident that the elite goal-scoring prowess Laine showed early in his career would propel him forward. His all-around game would need to undergo a drastic overhaul, a la Drouin, but it’s not hard to understand why this would be an exciting proposition for the Avalanche. Realistically, they’d likely have to add something significant given the risks involved.
Why Columbus does it: Columbus has had a hell of a time convincing players to stay there with only a few showing a willingness to sign long-term contracts and the list of former Blue Jackets playing starring roles on other teams is seemingly always growing.
The Blue Jackets would be taking on an enormous risk in Nichushkin, obviously, but if he gets his off-ice problems sorted, they get the kind of two-way forward that is nearly impossible to otherwise acquire. They already have young star center Adam Fantilli as a guy to build around and a bevy of blue-chip defense prospects in the organization and could be drafting another high-end center or defenseman with the fourth overall pick at the draft in a couple of weeks.
Despite their struggles and the organizational dysfunction they’ve gone through over the last year, Nichushkin would be a perfect complement to the team’s high-skill collection of young forwards. If things go well, he is signed for six more years and could find a legitimate chance to rebuild his career.
The downside for Columbus is obvious. If Nichushkin finds himself in the program again, he will be automatically suspended for a year with no guarantee of reinstatement. His NHL career would likely be over at that point. He would not count against their salary cap so the financial commitment in that situation would be minimal.
This is the very definition of a high-risk deal for both teams, but especially any team acquiring Nichushkin right now. This might be the only type of situation Columbus could be a landing spot for someone with his skills, however, so the appeal is also obvious. Asking for another piece so they don’t potentially trade Laine for nothing should Nichushkin’s demons continue to haunt him would be prudent, though the asset-poor Avalanche would struggle to make that happen.
