Avalanche general manager Joe Sakic is fine with 11th-hour re-signings of free agents this year, and he’s not opposed to bringing them back after the final hour.
After all, allowing a player to talk to another team doesn’t mean that player will leave Colorado.
So, if the salary cap-strapped Avs don’t agree to terms with left wing Gabe Landeskog and/or goalie Philipp Grubauer, among others, by 10 a.m. Wednesday, Sakic said it won’t mean that they’ve moved on from them.
“There’s been a lot of free agents that have tested the market and then come back to their teams. So we’ll see where that goes,” Sakic said. “Both Philipp and Gabe, obviously our captain, we’re hopeful we can come to terms and have them signed. (But) I won’t comment on the negotiations. Still going on. Still a lot of time. They’re both unrestricted free agents so they’ll probably look at where they are in the marketplace and they have to make that decision.”
Landeskog, based on his leadership and lockerroom influence, is probably the team’s priority heading into Wednesday. But a team can’t win the Stanley Cup without good goaltending. Grubauer, 29, wants a handsome raise after becoming a Vezina Trophy finalist for the first time. He undoubtedly wants more than the $2.75 million base salary ($.3.3 million cap hit) he made last season.
The Avs are probably offering around $5 million annually in a 4-or-5-year contract. If Grubauer wants $6 million annually, the Avs will probably look to free agency or a trade to fill his spot as the No. 1A goalie beside Pavel Francouz, who missed all of last season after undergoing hip surgery.
Some of the top unrestricted free-agent goalies include Tuukka Rask (2.28 goals-against average, .913 save percent with Boston last season), Petr Mrázek (2.06, .923 with Carolina) and former Av Jonathan Bernier (2.99, .914 with Detroit). Possible trades for a goalie currently under contract are extensive.
Colorado could also let Grubauer walk, anoint Francouz the No. 1 guy, and put more faith in a prospect as his backup. The club recently re-signed Jonas Johansson, 25, and also has two drafted prospects in Adam Werner, 24 (restricted free agent), and Justus Annunen, 21.
The Avs are not just looking for a top-six left wing and goaltending in free agency or trades. They also have to replace expansion-draft-loss forward Joonas Donskoi, plus likely UFA-departing forwards Brandon Saad and Pierre-Edouard Bellemare and UFA defenseman Patrik Nemeth. Also, oft-injured forward Matt Calvert retired.
A handful of young Avalanche prospects with entry-level contracts could step into those roles. But Sakic will still have to add pieces to complete his NHL roster as well as the AHL’s Colorado Eagles.
“We’d like to know, first of all, where’s Grubauer? Where’s Landeskog? Hopefully, they’re back, and then we’re going to have to see what we can fit in,” Sakic said. “As our top guys are getting more expensive we’re going to have to complement that with less-expensive guys.
“If it happens to be our young guys stepping in and taking over those roles, that would be a great thing. We just don’t want to put too much pressure on them to make the jump if they’re not ready.”
Avalanche facing key free agent decisions, starting with Gabe Landeskog - The Denver Post
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