Why the Colorado Avalanche should avoid a Panarin deal

The Colorado Avalanche’s start to the season has been nothing short of historic, despite a few rough weeks in recent weeks. With a record of 34-5-8 for 76 points, 47 games played, they are still on pace to break the Boston Bruins NHL single-season record for wins and points in 2022-23.

There, players like Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar lead the way in their voting for the respective trophy. Goaltending, once a major red flag for this organization, has been a big reason for its current success. So the question arises: could this team improve?

Avalanche leads in many NHL mid-season awards races Midway through the 2025-26 NHL season, Colorado Avalanche players are at the top of many NHL awards races thanks to how well the team has started heading into the second half of the season.

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Well, New York Rangers general manager Chris Drury sent a letter to all Rangers fans a few days ago regarding their current lack of performance this season and the significant changes expected to come to the roster, both this season and in the future.

The biggest news is that star wing Artemi Panarin, a pending UFA this summer, will not receive a contract extension, easily crossing the finish line and becoming the number one trade target for many teams trying to acquire him before the Olympic roster freeze on February 4 or the trade deadline on March 6.

Panarin has an $11.6 million cap hit and a full no-movement clause, but with the recent news about the team’s future, he might be willing to give it up for the right team that can meet his Stanley Cup aspirations and might offer the best trade package Drury could like for the Rangers.

This all comes back to the Colorado Avalanche and how their season started. This is a team that is the definition of ‘cut or bust’, the window is starting to narrow, and with the team firing on all cylinders this season, there is no doubt that they move on to two to improve this team.

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Including Elliotte Friedman, Sportsnet Insiderand how he named the Avalanche alongside the Florida Panthers, Minnesota Wild and Washington Capitals as names to watch in Panarin’s business mill. While, frankly, I agree that Panarin can come in and be a major contributor to this team, I don’t see general manager Chris MacFarland and president of hockey operations Joe Sakic making the space to accommodate him without taking too much from this already successful roster.

As of this writing (Jan. 20), the Avalanche have a $1.7 million cap hit, and that’s Logan O’Connor on LTIR, Joel Kiviranta on IR, plus Devon Toews and Gabriel Landeskog out week to week. To bring in Panarin, who would become the second-highest paid player on this team, you’ll need to move more than just draft picks and prospects to make this deal work.

Avalanche was smart not to buy before the roster freeze With the NHL roster freeze taking place before Christmas, two trades took place at the last minute. Should the Avalanche have been one of those four teams to make a deal? I don’t think so.

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You’re looking at players on the move like Samuel Girard, Valeri Nichushkin, Ross Colton and Artturi Lehkonen, and that’s if the Rangers even wanted any of the players listed. Even the listed players have altered trade clauses, and while I doubt the Rangers are listed on theirs, if they are, there’s another wrench in your plans, and now you have to turn to another player to make the money work.

What about picks and prospects? Drury, in the letter, said it was more of a reorganization then a rebuild, but despite that, the Avalanche don’t have much to offer that would be super attractive.

A lot was spent acquiring Brock Nelson and more at last season’s trade deadline, and they don’t have a first, second, or third round pick in the 2026 draft. So unless Drury wants picks in future seasons or has recruiters who like some of our prospects, our package is definitely not the best to compete with others.

Mid-season check on the Colorado Avalanche’s 2025 draft class Let’s take a look at how the three selections made by the Colorado Avalanche in the 2025 NHL Draft have fared so far, mid-season.

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Then there is the expansion part. As noted, the salary cap increases significantly, but if you look at who the Avalanche need to extend over the next few summers, adding Panarin to that list is going to make things really difficult, especially for a guy who will be 35 next season and already making $11.5 million.

They just extended Martin Necas next season, which carries a cap hit of $11.5 million. Cale Makar is eligible for contract extension talks this summer, and that will be the number one target this summer heading into next season.

So unless Panarin is willing to take a steep salary cut, the Avalanche return to the situation where the majority of their money is invested in the best, which could affect their bottom six and, therefore, their depth.

MacFarland and Sakic need to be smart as the trade deadline approaches. This team is poised for playoff success, but how do we improve this team without taking away what already makes it successful? Panarin, even at his age, is a game-changer, but given the Avalanche’s current cap situation, draft picks and roster construction, it’s too risky to take on another big fish like him.

Valeri Nichushkin injured after being involved in multi-car accident Jared Bednar revealed that Valeri Nichushkin was involved in a car accident on his way to the arena, but the injuries were minor.