Colorado Avalanche
Cap Space: $4.63 million
Red Wings in Play: Jon Merrill, Marc Staal, Luke Glendening
The Avalanche are one of the best teams in the NHL this year, and they hold first place in the West division. They have a lot more cap room than the Knights and can afford to make a bit more noise at the deadline. But there aren’t many gaps in this roster. The only glaring issue, the backup goaltending situation, was solved a few days ago, as the Avalanche acquired Devan Dubnyk from the Sharks. With the best offense in the league, the Avs really just need players with specific talents (like Glendening’s faceoff skills) and veteran experience on the blue line.
Staal and Merrill are both decent options to reinforce the defensive line of the Avalanche. Merrill has quietly had a good year in Detroit, and with the help of Troy Stecher, Staal is also having a solid year. Glendening also provides a veteran presence, with the addition of his ridiculous face off percentage.
Best Case:
Jon Merrill: ’21 3rd rounder
Marc Staal: ’21 5th rounder
Luke Glendening: ’21 3rd rounder
Staals name has come up in a surprising amount of trade lists this year, but Wings fans shouldn’t get their hopes up for anything better than a 5th. Nemeth went for a 4th, and he’s a better player than Staal – cheaper, too. Merrill and Glendening are both relatively desirable depth pieces, and a 3rd rounder is not unreasonable for either.
Realistic:
Jon Merrill: ’22 4th rounder
Marc Staal: ’21 6th rounder
Luke Glendening: ’22 3rd rounder