The Colorado Avalanche were one of the biggest disappointments in the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Coming off a Stanley Cup Championship, the Avs produced a decent season despite the injuries. After getting into the playoffs, they faced the upstart Seattle Kraken. They went into the series heavy favorites, but they were unable to get out of the first round.
This offseason was a roller coaster for the Avalanche. They learned that Gabriel Landeskog would miss the entire season due to a knee injury, but he could return as early as the playoffs. It seems unlikely, but hope is hope.
This is also a team with huge stars. Cale Makar, Mikko Rantanen, and Nathan MacKinnon all make $9 million or more, with MacKinnon coming in at more than $12 million per season. With contracts that high, there will be ample turnover each season. This offseason was no different. While adding players like Ross Colton, Miles Wood, Tomas Tatar, and Jonathan Drouin, they lost more than a dozen players to free agency and trades. Looking back, which losses hurt the most now?
3. J.T. Compher - Detroit Red Wings
The Detroit Red Wings have been one of the surprise teams of the season. A hot start has them locked into a playoff spot in the incredibly intense Atlantic Division. J.T. Compher has been an incredible signing, as surprising as it was this offseason. He has 13 points in 17 games. Only Dylan Larkin and Alex DeBrincat have more on the Wings.
Compher has been doing most of his damage in passing. Not like "in passing" but literally passing the puck. He has 10 assists on the season, but some of his underlying numbers (via Natural Stat Trick) tell a completely different story.
His 41% CorsiFor (basically, how many chances happen when he's on the ice over how many chances his team gives up) is terrible. It's nearly impossible to have his offensive numbers with those advanced stats.
Still, the performance is undeniable. Compher is out to prove the Avalanche were wrong to let him go, and he's doing a good job of it so far.
2. Evan Rodrigues - Florida Panthers
Every so often, even the smartest teams make moves or non-moves that make us question their judgment. The Avalanche seemed like the perfect fit to re-sign Evan Rodrigues. He's the type of low-cost forward who really fits a team with championship aspirations. He had 39 points in 69 games for the Avs last season, and he stepped up when players got injured. He ended up playing close to 18 minutes per game, which was his career-high.
It really surprised us when Rodrigues signed a four-year deal with the Panthers. While the Avalanche move made sense, it didn't make sense that the Avs could fit a $3 million per season deal. They seemed to choose Miles Wood, the speedster from New Jersey with maddening inconsistency, over Rodrigues.
Evan Rodrigues is 30 years old, so it could be as simple as the Avs looking to get younger. This contract will be judged by the way it ages, but for now, Rodrigues looks like a winner for the Panthers. He has 13 points so far this season, well outplaying his $3 million salary.
Meanwhile, Wood has five points in 15 games. Both players go through hot streaks, so maybe Wood has one around the corner, but Rodrigues is playing the way the Panthers hoped when he signed.
1. Jonas Johansson - Tampa Bay Lightning
This one especially hurts because of the situation both teams are in. The Tampa Bay Lightning signed Jonas Johansson to replace Brian Elliott this offseason. He's been best used as a third option throughout his career, but when Andrei Vasilevskiy is your goalie, you don't need many backup nights. That is unless a devastating injury plagues one of the best goalies in the world. That's exactly what happened to Vasilevskiy, who hasn't played a game this season after back surgery.
Johansson has been fine in relief. He has a .895 save percentage. It's not anything to go home about, but it's better than anyone expected from Johansson. He's been able to keep his head above water.
This isn't breeding confidence for anyone, but we bet the Avalanche wish they still had Johansson's rights. The Avs lost starting goalie Pavel Francouz for the season. Now, they have Alexander Georgiev and Ivan Prosvetov. Prosvetov has kept his head above water as well, but we'll see if he ends up better than Johansson.
At the end of the day, the Avalanche believe they can replace what's been lost. They still have the trade market to find additions if the likes of Tatar or Drouin aren't working out. Their losses signed long-term deals they weren't willing to sign. It might work out in the long run, but the short term is showing they might miss their former teammates.
