By: Chris Nosek

Last season, Chris MacFarland was one of the most active general managers. No move was more shocking than when he sent Mikko Rantanen to the Carolina Hurricanes. He did this because he felt they would be unable to re-sign the pending unrestricted free agent. While they were expecting a deep playoff run, they ended up losing their first round matchup against the Dallas Stars. They lost in the first round to the Dallas Stars. MacFarland will be looking to get them further in the playoffs this season.

Biggest Departure: Mikko Rantanen, traded to Carolina

In a blindsiding move, MacFarland moved Mikko Rantanen to the Carolina Hurricanes (via the Chicago Blackhawks) on January 24. They were able to receive Martin Necas as part of the return. However, losing Rantanen was a massive blow. Rantanen has had six seasons of over 80 points, he’s played 10 seasons in the league. Meanwhile, Necas has only one 80 plus point season over his 8 year career. There is no way MacFarland would make this trade again. Now that we know Carolina moved Rantanen back into the division, this is the most regrettable trade of last season.

Biggest Acquisition: MacKenzie Blackwood, acquired via trade from San Jose

Last season the Colorado Avalanche showed just how important it is to get better-than-average goaltending. After trading backup netminder Justus Annunen for Scott Wedgewood, MacFarland also swapped out the starting role. MacKenzie Blackwood was acquired from the San Jose Sharks. After the goaltending changeover, the Avalanche were giving up over a goal less per game. Instead of a team hovering a little over a .500 record and were on a 92 point pace. This would have had them finish outside the playoffs and behind the Wild, Blues, and Flames. They secured their future in net by locking Blackwood in with a 5-year $26.25 million contract. While Blackwood isn’t considered a top tier goaltender in the league, he has proven to be a significant upgrade. He can play at a level that will help Colorado make a deep run in the playoffs.

*Gabriel Landeskog, healthy again

I would be remiss if I failed to mention the return of Gabriel Landeskog here as well. Landeskog spent a total of 1032 days on injured reserve due to multiple surgeries on his right knee. The 32-year-old posted 4 points over 5 playoff games last season. The trading of Mikko Rantanen left a massive hole in the offense. Landeskog can help fill that hole. He needs to remain healthy. He also needs to produce like he did in the playoffs last season. If he’s able to do both of those things, he is certainly a bigger “acquisition” than MacKenzie Blackwood. However, it’s nothing short of incredible that Landeskog has gotten this far in his recovery. That alone warrants recognition.

Best Contract: Cale Makar & Nathan MacKinnon, re-signed on July 24, 2021 & September 20, 2022

This is a very unusual situation. The case for either player is pretty much equal. Despite the cap hit for MacKinnon being $3.6 million higher, and his personal trophy case being lighter, he is equally as valuable to the team as Makar. Makar is the best defenseman in the league while MacKinnon is one of the leagues undisputed top 5 players overall. Over the past three seasons, only Nikita Kucherov and Connor McDavid have scored more points than MacKinnon. Meanwhile, Makar has led all defenders in scoring over that time. He is second to only Drew Doughty in time on ice per game. Both are critical to the success of the Avalanche. Players of their quality bring critical value to the organization. You’d be hard pressed to pick one over the other, regardless of their cap hit.

Worst Contract: Brent Burns, signed July 2, 2025

On it’s face, the contract for Brent Burns doesn’t appear to be too terrible. He’s been a top defenseman for years. It looks great that he has a $1 million salary with performances given he is 40 years old. He has a $3 million bonus that kicks in once he plays 10 games. Another bonus of $1 million will be added if he plays at least 23 minutes in 70 games. This indicates he likely won’t be on the bottom pair. He’s also played all 82 games each of the past four seasons.

The new rules from the new collective bargaining agreement are going into effect. These rules make this contract a potential ticking time-bomb. This is because of the new “salary cap” that will be in affect during the playoffs. He will count as a $4-5 million player toward the “playoff playing roster averaged club salary.” The question is whether he will count as such a player this season, or worse next season. At this time, performance bonuses aren’t specifically mentioned in the calculation in the memorandum of understanding. I fully expect that to change, but not knowing exactly how that will play out is a problem for MacFarland. Yes, it wasn’t a problem when the deal was signed. However, it is a problem for them now. Exactly how big of a problem remains to be seen.

Notes:

Despite a slow start due to extremely poor goaltending, the Avalanche still made the playoffs. They have two of the best players in the entire league. As long as they have both Makar and MacKinnon, the Avs will be worth watching. Chris MacFarland is determined to compete for cups. He will do everything possible while he has those two players on his roster. They have limited options to work with given their restraints under the cap this season. However, their lineup looks solid and very talented. They should be able to compete this season. Watching how MacFarland keeps this team competitive going forward will be its own show.