Based on the last four games, it s hard to criticize the Avalanche for doing little Monday’s NHL trade deadline. After outscoring four opponents by a combined 20-4 — including 5-0 at Nashville on Saturday — that the Avs are playing their best hockey of the season and believe they have what it takes to make the playoffs for a second consecutive year.
Absolutely, this group is good enough to make the playoffs. But just making the playoffs and making a run for the Stanley Cup are two unique objectives, and obviously, Colorado isn’t as Cup-focused as Western Conference foes Winnipeg, Nashville and Vegas — who each made big splashes Monday by incorporating forward Kevin Hayes, Wayne Simmonds and Mark Stone, respectively.
The Jets, Predators and Knights, in addition to the San Jose Sharks, made moves which should strengthen their legitimate likelihood of getting the Western Conference champion. The Avs, meanwhile, picked up impending unrestricted forward Derick Brassard — who will help replace the injured Matt Nieto in a top-six role — in an day in Denver.
Brassard, a rental based on his contract, compliments a group which has collected points and sits a stage behind Minnesota for a wild-card playoff berth with a match in hand over the Wild. Brassard won’t disrupt a locker room full of players that are thankful to remain intact through Monday’s 1 p.m. deadline.
“We’ve been playing some good hockey of late and (management) trusts us,” Avs defenseman Tyson Barrie said after a morning skate at the Pepsi Center.
“I don’t know what today would have been like if we didn’t rattle off four in a row and put ourselves back in place,” Avs captain Gabe Landeskog added. “It’s a credit to the guys in this room for working through things and sticking with it. ”
Brassard, 31, came to Denver with the Panthers and was preparing for Florida’s morning skate before he was pulled off the ice when the transaction was finalized. He switched dressing rooms and is expected to play against his former team in his first match with the Avs.
Colorado gave up a 2020 third-round draft pick in exchange for Brassard and the Panthers’ 2020 pick.
It wasn’t much to help the team make the playoffs. And it wasn’t sufficient to create the Avs a Cup contender.
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The Avs wish to take their chances with what they have, and they have five choices in the first three rounds of the 2019 draft — including two first-rounders, since they didn ’ t create any significant updates.
“I think we’d sitting in a little bit different situation right now so or if we hadn ’ t played well the last week,” Avs defenseman Erik Johnson said. “Winning type of everything around here. The situation is, if we went on a three-, four- or five-game losing streak, we be selling. But we’ve managed to place ourselves. ”
Brassard becomes the Avalanche’s sixth pending free agent, along with forward Colin Wilson, Gabriel Bourque and Andrew Agozzino, defenseman Patrick Nemeth and goaltender Semyon Varlamov. The Avs likely would have attempted to move Nemeth and Varlamov, among others, should they weren’t in the playoff hunt.
“I just think our staff was well aware of where we’re at in the standings and what we need to do to attempt and make sure we’re making a push to make the playoffs,” Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said. “It took us a while to get our game in order — a little too long —, for certain but I love what we’ve been doing the games. ”
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