NHL Rumors: Analyst Guarantees Avalanche Trade To Bolster Specific Area

Colorado’s sitting first overall and playing like a team that knows exactly who it is. 

That said, the chatter around the league is pretty clear. The Colorado Avalanche are still expected to go get another defenseman before the March 6 trade deadline.

The Denver Post's Corey Masisak’s reporting basically frames it as a near lock. Colorado’s been dominant, but the playoffs always find the weak link, and the Avalanche don’t want to be the team scrambling after an injury in late February. 

Even if the add is more insurance policy than “star upgrade,” it’s still a move they’re widely expected to make, because depth on the back end is the easiest thing to appreciate when series get nasty and minutes climb.

Why Colorado’s blue line still feels like it needs one more piece

A big part of the conversation comes down to style and matchup. Colorado’s third pairing has taken heat in some circles for not having that heavier, meaner edge that tends to matter more when whistles go away in the spring. That’s where names like Ilya Solovyov pop up in the discussion too. He’s bigger, can handle more of the trench work, and his recall has people wondering if Colorado’s prepping for a different look down the stretch. 

None of that screams a trade is guaranteed on its own, but when you combine it with the league-wide expectation that contenders add at least one defenseman, it fits.

At the same time, the Avalanche are also sniffing around depth moves up front, and even getting linked to a winger like Kiefer Sherwood as a possible sneaky fit.  A third line center might be the wish list item, but another defenseman is the thing people around the team expect them to actually do.

What kind of defenseman makes sense for the Avalanche

Colorado’s already got their core guys and they don’t need to reinvent the blue line. The best fit is a defender who can survive playoff forechecks, kill plays fast, and hold a third pair role without the team having to shelter him. If an injury hits, that same player needs to slide up a pairing without everything falling apart.

Masiak believes the Avalanche will "almost certainly" add another defenseman before the March 6 trade deadline, and it will be interesting once more rumors start flying around who they're targeting.

Photo Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images