In 2021-22, it regarded like Johansen had turned a nook as he notched a career-high 26 targets whereas recording 63 factors. Those numbers weren’t precisely price an $8M price ticket however in the meanwhile, he and Matt Duchene had been giving Nashville a minimum of respectable manufacturing up the center. Unfortunately, that didn’t carry over to this previous season because the 30-year-old managed simply 28 factors in 55 video games earlier than present process emergency leg surgical procedure in February, ending his marketing campaign prematurely.
For Colorado, this can be a comparatively low-risk gamble that Johansen can rediscover his offensive contact. They by no means really changed Nazem Kadri who left in free company final summer time, opting as an alternative to largely go together with inner choices together with J.T. Compher. Compher had a profession yr in 2022-23, selecting up a career-high 52 factors however he’s set to turn into an unrestricted free agent subsequent month and can seemingly land a contract that’s price greater than what the Avs will likely be protecting on Johansen’s deal. At $4M, so long as Johansen can put up round 40 factors whereas persevering with to be above-average on the faceoff dot, he’ll present ample worth for Colorado and with the firepower they’ve, an uptick in manufacturing is actually a chance.
With this swap, the Avalanche have round $8.5M in cap room, per CapFriendly with a minimum of six gamers to signal with that cash. However, that doesn’t account for Gabriel Landeskog’s harm that can trigger him to miss all the 2023-24 marketing campaign so GM Chris MacFarland has roughly $15.5M nonetheless at his disposal over the approaching weeks.
As for Nashville, that is an underwhelming return, to put it frivolously, for somebody that just some years in the past was one of many focal factors of their assault. But the Predators are clearly embarking on a minimum of a partial rebuild after jettisoning a number of veterans on the trade deadline and in a flat wage cap setting, getting full worth for Johansen would have been subsequent to inconceivable. The transfer now offers them a bit of over $19.5M in cap room to work with, per CapFriendly, so if they need to be lively in free company to attempt to make it a fast retool, they’ll have the pliability to accomplish that. Alternatively, if they need to tackle a nasty contract or two to add extra property, that will even be a viable possibility for them.
Notably, this swap now encumbers two of Nashville’s three allowable retention slots by way of the 2024-25 marketing campaign as one can also be getting used on Mattias Ekholm. These retentions plus the buyout to Kyle Turris give the Preds $6.25M in lifeless cap for the upcoming season.
Galchenyuk’s inclusion on this trade is sort of actually only for contract-matching functions. Even although he’s a pending free agent, he nonetheless counts as below contract till July 1 as do all pending free brokers. For the time being, Nashville has 47 contracts on their books whereas Colorado sits at 45 so each franchises have some wiggle room within the coming weeks on that entrance.
Galchenyuk performed in simply 11 video games with the Avs this previous season, being held off the scoresheet within the course of. The 2012 third-overall choose spend many of the yr with AHL Colorado and was productive with them, selecting up 42 factors in as many video games. He’ll virtually actually be heading for one more two-way contract subsequent season if he opts to keep in North America however after clearing waivers twice within the final two seasons, it’s potential that the 29-year-old appears to attempt his hand at enjoying abroad.
Discussion about this post