(Denver) The question of confidence could guide several of the Colorado Avalanche’s summer plans.
It is questionable whether captain Gabriel Landeskog will be able to make a comeback after missing two full seasons due to a knee injury.
It remains to be seen if the team can count on Valeri Nichushkin, who left the Avalanche in the middle of the playoffs for the second year in a row, for problems off the ice.
President Joe Sakic and general manager Chris MacFarland have tough decisions to make after seeing their team eliminated in the second round against the Dallas Stars.
The Stars defeated the Avalanche in six games, ending the final game in the second overtime period.
Landeskog and Nichushkin are priority files.
You hate having this uncertainty because it makes planning more difficult. For management, for Chris and Joe, how can you plan? They will clarify this as much as possible, to prepare the best possible plan. You hope for answers and clarity so you can build your team around it.
Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar
Landeskog hasn’t played since helping the Avalanche win the Stanley Cup in 2022. The 31-year-old forward has been around the team, sometimes on the ice, but has never been close to a return to play during the playoffs.
It’s been over a year since surgery on my right knee. Landeskog has five more years left on his $56 million contract, which lasts eight seasons.
Nichushkin received a minimum six-month suspension without pay for violating the terms of the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program. He will be out until some point next season.
Nichushkin was the Avalanche’s top scorer in the playoffs, but his eight-year, $49 million contract, signed in 2022, means he could prove difficult to trade.
The Avalanche made a big play at the trade deadline this year, adding Casey Mittelstadt, Brandon Duhaime, Yakov Trenin and Sean Walker.
Nathan MacKinnon had his best career season with 140 points (51 goals, 89 assists). This was the highest point total in team history in a single season.
MacKinnon is a finalist for the Hart Trophy, while star defenseman Cale Makar was named a finalist for the Norris Trophy for the fourth straight season.
Mittelstadt will become a restricted free agent this summer. The team will also see forwards Andrew Cogliano, Duhaime, Joel Kiviranta, Trenin and Quebecer Jonathan Drouin, who posted career highs in points (56) and assists (37) this season, test the market if they don’t do not sign a new contract.
On the blue line, Jack Johnson, Caleb Jones and Walker also need new deals.