The Colorado Avalanche are in a dogfight for a playoff spot, so rentals could be alluring, but GM Joe Sakic insists that they won’t pay a big long-term price for a short-term boost.
Sakic laid out the specific things he’s been looking for heading into the trade deadline in a press conference on Thursday. You can watch five-plus minutes of Sakic laying out details in the video at the bottom of this post, but here are the basics:
- Like many other teams, Sakic tried to land a top-four defenseman, but no one’s really making those key assets available.
- Hockey Buzz’s Rick Sadowski points out that Sakic is looking for a “puck-management forward” (is this a gesture toward bumping those bad possession stats up?) and a “solid” defenseman. So, does the latter entail a better-than-averaging bottom-pairing blueliner since top four guys aren’t available?
- Again, the Avs may be interested in rentals, but don’t want to give up a high-end draft pick unless that player can provide a boost beyond 2015-16.
- Veteran winger Alex Tanguay may or may not be available, according to Adrian Dater by way of BSN Avalanche.
So, what kind of players should teams pitch Sakic’s way? Do you think the Avalanche are taking the right approach to the trade deadline?
(Again, they’re in the playoffs at the moment, but opponents are closer than they appear because they have games in hand on Colorado.)
Here’s the Sakic presser: