It’s safe to assume that following the trade of Tomas Tatar, the Avalanche aren’t done making moves. The league is going into a one-week holiday freeze on Wednesday, which means it’ll be difficult for Colorado to make a trade within the next day or so. But the expectation is that general manager Chris MacFarland is heavily scouring the market for forward depth, according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.
The Avs sent Tatar to the Seattle Kraken for a draft pick on Saturday just three months after he signed a one-year deal. Tatar was unable to find his place in the lineup and didn’t fit what the team was trying to do.
Friedman spoke on the 32 Thoughts podcast and outlined that several contenders are keeping an eye on the Avs, awaiting their next move. One of the names he linked to the team was Calgary Flames center Elias Lindholm. The 29-year-old is a pending unrestricted free agent and will garner a lot of interest if the Flames choose to move him.
Any deal involving a second-line center may have to include Ryan Johansen. Though it’s unclear if the Avalanche are trying to move the veteran center, the reality is, he hasn’t quite fit in with the club. Johansen is on the books for another season after this at $4 million.
Here’s the full transcription from Friedman on 32 Thoughts:
“They made that Tomas Tatar trade and everybody is saying ‘okay what’s the other shoe?’ And I think they need to wait because they’ve got some cap issues and roster issues. But there isn’t a contender in the league who isn’t trying to figure out what the Avalanche are up to. I know some people suspect Lindholm but they’re not the only ones. But I know some people suspect that’s one of the guys they’re eyeing.”
