3 Avalanche Trade Targets For 2025-26 Season

The Colorado Avalanche will be contenders this season, so they will be looking to add, at forward and defense. But forward is the area I look at and think they need more immediate upgrades. Whether that happens before the season or not, the trade deadline is where the team will look for deals to add a third line/bottom-6 forward.

Ilya Mikheyev

It isn't hard to assume that the Chicago Blackhawks are going to once again be at the bottom of the league. This will make them sellers and there are some players on expiring contracts that the Colorado Avalanche and other contenders will look at. The one that makes the most sense for the Avalanche though is Ilya Mikheyev. Though there isn't much cap space, Chicago can easily retain half of the $4.037 million AAV deal. He bounced back for 20 goals last season and plays in the bottom-6; perfect for what Colorado is looking for. He can kill penalties, is fast, and received Selke Trophy attention too.

Michael Bunting

The Nashville Predators have a ton of work to do to bounce back from the very poor 2024-25 season and they didn't really make any moves that would indicate they can do so. I think that they will be on the outside of the playoff picture looking in and some players will start to be shopped. While the new core of the team includes players like Jonathan Marchessault and Steven Stamkos, who could be traded in bigger deals, Michael Bunting hasn't been in Nashville very long and will also draw plenty of attention as a rental. He has one year left on his deal at $4.5 million AAV and scored 19 goals and 38 points last season split between a bad Pittsburgh Penguins team and an even worse Predators team. He was good with a better group around him in Toronto and Carolina, so the Avalanche could benefit from grabbing him at 50% retention for their third line ahead of a playoff run.

Victor Arvidsson

Victor Arvidsson didn't fit in very well with the Edmonton Oilers, but he has been good everywhere else he's gone. I think he can bounce back on the Boston Bruins, even though they won't be very good offensively this season. Playing in the top-6 as he is projected to do will up his trade value and once again, the Avalanche will need retention and should get it if they target Arvidsson. His cap hit is $4 million AAV for one final year, and despite 15 goals and 27 points in 67 games last season, he put up 52 goals and 123 points in 161 games with the Los Angeles Kings before that.