Avalanche have their work cut out for them this NHL offseason

After a first-round elimination at the hands of the Dallas Stars, the Colorado Avalanche will have a number of decisions to make. Will they try to extend Martin Necas? Can they afford Charlie Coyle as their third-line center? What about defenseman Samuel Girard?

On Wednesday’s episode of Daily Faceoff LIVE, Frank Seravalli and Tyler Yaremchuk discuss the Avalanche’s offseason and what fans should expect this summer.

Tyler Yaremchuk: They made a splash last week signing Brock Nelson, and it basically took up all the cap space they have. They currently have the least amount of space in the NHL right now with just $1.2 million. They don’t have a lot of draft picks. Is it fair to say that Chris MacFarland is going to hit the trade market to not only free up space, but maybe recoup some picks?

Frank Seravalli: I think there’s less of a focus on recouping picks as it is trying to field a roster for next season. They’ve got their work cut out for them, much like the Dallas Stars making their own bed when they went after Mikko Rantanen.

The Colorado Avalanche are right back at square one, and there’s a reason why three guys on their team are on our trade board, and there could be more. When you’ve got the cap space dolled out as you see it, with $12.6 million to Nathan MacKinnon, then your second-line center with Brock Nelson locked up at $7.5 million for the next three years, and Charlie Coyle at $5.25 million on your third-line center.

The problem is, it’s a luxury at this moment in time that Colorado probably can’t afford. They’ve really got some depth issues on their blue line, as their third pair was as thin as any in the league this season. Things might be getting even more thin, as Samuel Girard has been involved in trade discussions for three or four years now.

You’ve got Girard, you’ve got Coyle, and oh yeah, there’s the question about Martin Necas.