With the Colorado Avalanche eliminated from the Stanley Cup Playoffs after their first-round series against the Dallas Stars, we can now evaluate the roster and determine who will return next season. In this piece, we will examine the trade deadline acquisitions added to help the Avalanche push for a deep playoff run.
Management has traded most of the team’s draft capital in recent seasons to acquire players who can help bring the Statnley Cup to Colorado. That sacrifice makes this first-round exit particularly disappointing. Here’s a look at the 2025 Trade Deadline deals.
Necas for Rantanen Trade
Avalanche Receive: Martin Necas, Jack Drury, 2025 2nd Round Pick, 2026 4th Round Pick.
Hurricanes Receive: Mikko Rantanen
Initial Trade Grade: B+, Elimination Trade Grade: B-
This deal was difficult to accept. There were rumors and reports that the Avalanche and Mikko Rantanen were struggling to agree on terms related to his contract. It was reported that the Avalanche had an “internal cap” preventing any player from earning more than Nathan MacKinnon. In light of this, general manager Chris MacFarland made what he believed was the best decision and traded Rantanen to an Eastern Conference team.
The return was never going to be enough for Rantanen. The Avalanche traded a 100-point, 50-goal scorer who won a Stanley Cup, and got the best return they could. While I thought they could have gotten more, they got pieces that could help up and down the lineup as well as draft capital.
At the time, the Carolina Hurricanes thought they would re-sign Rantanen and gave up good, not great, pieces. Martin Necas and Jack Drury are still under contract and were great when they joined the Avalanche. They both showed promising results in the regular season: Twenty-eight points in 30 games for Necas and nine in 33 for Drury (whose defense and strong faceoffs were the highlight of his play.) But they could have been better in the playoffs. Necas had five points in seven games, but was streaky at times, and Drury had two points in seven games.
It hurts that Rantanen performed as he did in Game 7, helping to come back from a two-goal deficit by scoring a hat trick during a four-point night. Unless Necas and Drury can reach another level with the Avalanche and help them make another push at a Stanley Cup, this trade will be graded lower than a B- in the future.
Ryan Lindgren Trade
Avalanche Receive: Ryan Lindgren ($2.25 Million Retained), Jimmy Vesey, Hank Kempf
New York Rangers Receive: Jusso Parssinen, Calvin de Haan, 2025 2nd Round Pick, 2026 4th Round Pick.
Initial Trade Grade: B-, Elimination Trade Grade: B–
While Cale Makar and Devon Toews played well, Josh Manson, Samuel Girard, and much of the Avalanche defense struggled this season. Sam Malinski, Josh Manson, and Girard weren’t performing well to start the season, and the bottom pairing had multiple players in and out of the lineup to see if anything really worked.
Lindgren joined a team where his primary focus was playing defense. Makar can carry the offense from the back end, and he had Toews to help with some of the offensive load, while maintaining their strong defensive play. He didn’t need to contribute offensively much; he only had three points in 18 regular-season games, but he played on the penalty kill and was another reliable shutdown defenseman.
The Avalanche improved the age of their roster by trading de Haan, who turns 34 next season, and Parssinen, who struggled to find his place in the lineup. The team only sacrificed its own 2026 fourth-round pick. Additionally, the second-round pick they included was an extra acquired from the Utah Hockey Club during the 2024 Draft. Lindgren turns 28 next season and shouldn’t take too much to re-sign and help solidify the defensive group next season.
Brock Nelson Trade
Avalanche Receive: Brock Nelson, William DuFour
New York Islanders Receive: Calum Ritchie, Oliver Kylington, 2026 1st Round Pick, 2028 3rd Round Pick
Initial Trade Grade: C+, Elimination Trade Grade: D+
I thought that two prospects were untouchable, Ilya Nabokov and Calum Ritchie, so to say I was shocked would be an understatement. The Avalanche needed a second-line center. Parssinen was not skilled enough; the Casey Mittelstadt experiment was over, and Ross Colton was okay but unreliable. AA change was needed, and they paid for it. I understand the timeline of Ritchie not fitting in the lineup and them wanting to compete and win a Stanley Cup with the best and most experienced roster, but the way Nelson played and knowing what we know now makes losing Ritchie is hurt.
In 19 regular-season games with the Avalanche, Nelson recorded a respectable six goals and seven assists, totaling 13 points. However, once the postseason began, he struggled in critical situations. He is a pending unrestricted free agent and will turn 34 next season. The team can consider re-signing him, but for how long and at what cost? If they decide not to re-sign him, they will find themselves back at square one, facing the challenge of not having a competent second-line center, losing Ritchie for the future, and missing out on the 2026 first-round pick. William DuFour is an intriguing prospect—another middle-to-bottom-six player who could grind and crash the net—but this trade will likely have significant repercussions in the future.
Losing a guy who, if he didn’t injure his shoulder before the 2023 NHL Entry Draft, could have gone in the top 12-15 range (the Avalanche selected him 27th overall) is going to hurt a lot. Prospects are one of the most valuable stocks in the NHL; they can either turn your franchise around or be a complete blunder, but Ritchie has looked great. They also lost their 2026 first-round pick, which they can’t use to make another trade or use in the draft. If Nelson doesn’t get re-signed and we don’t see some use from DuFour either in another trade or see him take a step up in this game, this will be a trade that haunts the Avalanche for the future.
Charlie Coyle Trade
Avalanche Receive: Charlie Coyle, 2025 6th Round Pick
Boston Bruins Receive: Casey Mittelstadt, William Zellers, 2025 2nd Round Pick
Initial Trade Grade: B-, Elimination Trade Grade: C+
Once the Nelson trade was finalized, it became evident that Mittelstadt’s time with the team was coming to an end. His offensive production was declining, and he was not performing well defensively. In this context, Coyle represents an upgrade; while he struggled with the Bruins, he is significantly better defensively and excels at faceoffs. However, with a cap hit of $5.25 million this season and next, along with a no-movement clause, the trade could be a risky gamble unless we see an increase in production from him. Unfortunately, like Nelson, it was the same situation; he played well in the regular season, recording 13 points in 19 games, but struggled in the playoffs, with only one goal in seven games, and that’s all that matters.
The pick was Carolina’s second-rounder from the Rantanen trade, but losing another prospect, William Zellers, hurts. He isn’t as touted as Ritchie, but he showed a lot of promise in the United States Hockey League (USHL). He is joining the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) next season, and it will be a significant year for him to see what he can bring to the Bruins’ organization if he succeeds. Coyle’s cap hit is large, so the Avalanche expect a significant step up from him next season. If not, it will take quite the price to move him.
This was supposed to be the trade deadline that we speak highly of for years as it improved the center depth, bottom six, and the defensive core. All the Avalanche got was another disappointing first-round exit to the Dallas Stars by the same guy they initially traded in late January. The salary cap is going up, which will help them, but they have a lot to look for with the amount they gave up and will be scouring for scraps to build another championship roster. The value of draft picks and players is often a subject of debate filled with numerous hypotheticals. Discussions revolve around how good a prospect can become, the value of a draft pick, and the short-term versus long-term effects of a trade. The Avalanche have been down this road plenty of times, but this time, it feels like the amount and quality they gave up could have some impact on their future.
