5 biggest questions on the way to the avalanche out of season

With the long offsean for us there will be enough time to analyze where the Colorado Avalanche is going from here, but for now these following five songs are coming to the biggest on the horizon. As always, grid construction and contracts play the majority

Is Landenskog really back forever?

The Playoff -3 captains were admirable and impactful, but the question will now change to this? It is important for schedule construction purposes and the allocation of his $ 7 million CAP -hit, to which Chris Macfarland indicated that they are planning to have landskogs services. We have seen the comeback and nothing on the ice showed us why Landenskog should not be calculated as a 2025 training camp, full participant, but following a large part of the comparison is still out of season.

What will Martin Necas sign for?

Lost in the trade stories of Mikko Rantanen is the fact that a large part of the transaction from the Colorado perspective is about securing NECAS services in the future. He is signed at a fairly $ 6.5 million for the 2025-26 season, but then he will be an unlimited free agent there. Certainly, the avalanche knows that he is a big elevation and is willing to pay it, but they still have to get it done with a player with a UFA leverage and a history of heavy negotiations with Carolina. After establishing a career of 83 points, good for the top 20 of the competition scoring, plus five extra points for Colorado in the play-offs, Necas gets a considerable contract if the avalanche wants to keep him in the long term.

Who is coming back and who is not?

As usual, there is a long list of current free agents where the avalanche has to take decisions and then negotiate before they hit an unlimited free agency on 1 July. Brock Nelson Headlines this list and will not be an easy player to keep with a high price tag that is said to be more than $ 7 million a year and a lot of external interest rates, even if the 59-day stay in Colorado made some impression on the 33-year-old. The avalanche spent the farm to acquire Nelson, but varied its overall fit and performance. Nevertheless, Nelson will not be easy to replace in that elusive second line center position, so it is a big decision that is for the Colorado front office.

Usually Jonathan Drouin would have received this group, but after finishing the top five in the team's score, he was relegated to the doghouse that played a little less than eight minutes in the decisive match seven loss against Dallas. It is difficult to imagine that Drouin's questions and Colorados that offer will agree. Joel Kiviranta may also have priced with 16 goals in a career year, especially if another team believes that production can continue.

Others with expiring contracts include colleague rental in defender Ryan Lindgren, who is probably looking for a wage increase for his current $ 4.5 million salary and should also have a lot of interest on the market. Erik Johnsons now returns to Colorado (and career) after he was in the press box for the last five games of the series or does he get cheap to have a last hurray for another year? Depth attacker Jimmy Vesey is the other rent that could return, but after he did not get into play -off games, there is probably not much mutual interest.

Is Sam Malinski really part of the plan?

Separately from the previous group is limited free agent Sam Malinski who also needs a new contract. Good news is that he cannot walk to the market, but Malinski now has arbitration feet as his two -year contract ends. The value to place on him is difficult because the right shot defender settled as an NHL player with 76 games that were played in the regular season, but saw his production only 15 points in the year. Part of it was due to shooting 1% for a large part of the season, but the avalanche does not have to pay for what was missing.

If Malinski is seen as an important depth piece that is progressing, it is not difficult to sign, but if the organization only wants cheap veterans depth at minimal prices of the competition, then he goes out of Colorado. The level of trust also seemed to fluctuate about Malinski, but he is the only other type of young defender, who is 27 years old this summer, that offers a spark and a high game at their disposal.

Is Ilya Nabokov coming to Colorado?

All parties have played these cautiously, but the avalanche has not hidden their interest in contracting their best remaining prospect in the Russian goalkeeper Ilya Nabokov. It should not have an influence on the NHL -Tandem with Mackenzie Blackwood and Scott Wedgewood who will return next season, but probably getting Nabokov to Noord -America for a season in the AHL would be a big step in realizing his NHL potential. The date to view is June 1, because that is now the date that KHL contracts officially lapse and if all parties want to make this step, a contract should be quick.