Colorado Avalanche’s Key Targets at the 2025 Trade Deadline – The Hockey Writers Colorado Avalanche Latest News, Analysis & More

As we enter the 4 Nations Face-Off break, it’s time to delve into the Colorado Avalanche’s 2025 Trade Deadline board. We already saw Mikko Rantanen moved to the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for Martin Necas, Jack Drury, and draft picks, but what comes next for the Avalanche? The team gained more salary cap flexibility through that trade – Rantanen’s cap hit this season is $9.25 million, while Necas and Drury’s combined cap hit is $8.225 million.

The Avalanche now has over $5 million in cap space for 2025-26, which they wouldn’t have had otherwise. This amount does not account for any players currently on the roster that could be traded, potentially opening up more cap space. With the trade deadline date of March 7, less than a month away, who are the Avalanche potentially looking at acquiring that could help them this season? Here are some potential trade targets the Avalanche could acquire to help them not only this season, but for seasons to come.

Upgrading the Defense Pairings

Rasmus Ristolainen, RD, Philadelphia Flyers, Age: 32, Contract: $5.1 million cap hit, Unrestrictd Free Agent (UFA) in 2027.

Rasmus Ristolainen is not typically favored by analytics enthusiasts. However, his metrics have improved this season, leading to an increase in his average ice time by four minutes per game. In 54 games, he has two goals and 13 assists, with 85 blocks and 83 hits. Over the years, Ristolainen has developed into a physical shutdown defenseman with a sizeable frame. He excels on the penalty kill, blocks shots effectively, and can log over 20 minutes a night. 

Would the Avalanche be interested in acquiring him at a $5.1 million salary? Probably not. However, if the Flyers were willing to retain some of his salary, he would be an ideal fit capable of alternating between the second and third defensive pairs alongside Josh Manson. This would also mark the second-consecutive season that the Avalanche have turned to Philadelphia for a right-shot defenseman, following their acquisition of Sean Walker last season.

The Avalanche have a history of developing players like Ristolainen into effective stay-at-home defensemen. Jack Johnson was at the end of his career and was bought out by another team before he was brought in on a professional tryout (PTO), and the organization successfully transformed him into a valuable contributor over three playoff runs.

Ivan Provorov, LD, Columbus Blue Jackets, Age: 27, Contract: $4.725 million cap hit, UFA in July.

An Ivan Provorov trade would be complex. On the surface, he is likely the best defenseman available before the trade deadline. He has six goals, 19 assists, 88 blocks, and 16 hits this season. Although he is a left-shot defenseman, which Colorado already has in Devon Toews and Samuel Girard, he is also 27 years old. The pending UFA would only be a rental player and would add to the list of players who need to be re-signed this summer, which is particularly difficult given their limited cap space. He currently has a cap hit of $4.750 million, which is a solid cap hit, but he would need either the Blue Jackets to retain a bit of it or make more cap space available this season.

Beyond their top three defensemen, the Avalanche lack depth on the blue line for future seasons, and they could be looking for their next version of Manson to secure on a multi-year contract after acquiring him. While Manson still has one year remaining on his deal, if he reaches the end of the 2025-26 season, he is unlikely to remain in a top-four defensive role.

Provorov is expected to command a first-round pick and more, especially considering how well he and the Blue Jackets are performing this season. If the Avalanche were to pull off a trade involving Provorov, it would cost their 2026 first-round pick, their 2025 second-round pick, and potentially more. However, it would be with signing him to a lengthy extension in mind.

Mario Ferraro, LD, San Jose Sharks, Age: 26, Contract: $3.25 million, UFA in 2026.

How about considering a long-term acquisition on the blue line? Unlike other options, Mario Ferraro is under contract for another year after this season with a manageable cap hit. He has five goals and 11 points, 81 blocked shots, 117 hits, logs significant minutes, plays a physical game, and contributes on the penalty kill. Additionally, Ferraro is a left-shooter, which means that if he were to join the top four, Girard would need to shift to the right side or be dropped down to the third pair (unless another trade comes up).

Related: Avalanche Prospect Christian Humphreys Talks NTDP, NCAA & OHL

Unlike Provorov and the Blue Jackets, who are having successful seasons, the Sharks continue to struggle in their rebuild. With defensive prospects like Sam Dickinson, Nate Misskey, and Luca Cagnoni nearly ready to join the roster, the Sharks could move Ferraro, who would be the cheapest to acquire of the three defensemen covered.

Could a Second/Third-Line Center Addition Be On the Horizon?

Casey Mittelstadt started the season strong, accumulating 13 points in the team’s first 10 games. However, his production has taken a significant drop, with 19 points in his last 44 games. Head coach Jared Bednar has now moved Mittelstadt, who was brought in to fill the second/third-line center role, to the third and fourth-line center positions, hoping to help him regain his form.

Just recently, Mittelstadt’s name was added to Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli Trade Board, stating:

“Given that both Mittelstadt and Bowen Byram are on our targets board, it’s fair to say that neither [Buffalo or Colorado] has been enthralled with the one-for-one swap that was one of the true surprises of Deadline 2024. Unlike Byram, Mittelstadt is at least under contract for two seasons beyond this one, so he would provide a little cost certainty moving forward. He just hasn’t quite been a fit, or as productive, in Jared Bednar’s lineup, and we’re told the Avalanche are willing to shake things up if they can find the right deal.”

Many big-name options that were once on the market, like J.T. Miller, Morgan Frost, and Mikael Granlund, have all been dealt. Dylan Cozens’s name has come up in rumors, but would the Avalanche want to go for a young center in a deal with the Buffalo Sabres again?

They could acquire a rental player, say Scott Laughton or Yanni Gourde, who can fill the 2C position, allowing Mittelstadt to move down to the third line for the rest of this season. Then, during the summer, they can reassess whether Mittelstadt deserves another chance at being second-line centre or if he should be traded for a player who becomes available as the salary cap rises to $95.5 million, prompting other teams to restructure their rosters. 

Moves Will Be Made… Just How Big Will They Be?

Over the next three seasons, the NHL salary cap will skyrocket, changing the league as we know it as big-name contracts expire and general managers look to “reset” the market. Rantanen tried to get in on it, but the Avalanche didn’t budge, which could help set the tone for how they want to structure their cap space moving forward. With key players like newcomer Martin Necas and Cale Makar looking for extensions in the coming seasons, the Avalanche will want to ensure that when it’s time to hand these extensions out, their cap space will be set.

It will be interesting to see how they position themselves heading into the deadline. Will they trade for players on expiring contracts or ones with multiple years left? Overall, they should do what’s best for the team this season to ensure they can make another deep playoff run.