Avalanche Address the 3C Position and Trade For Nicolas Roy. Will He Be a Good Fit?

0:00Call out our avalanche trade with the Toronto Maple Leafs for Nicholas Wann, address the 3C position. Are they done? Or does Chris McFarlane have another trick or two up his sleeve? Let's talk about it on a new episode of Lockdown Avalanche coming at you. Your Lockdown Avalanche, your daily podcast on the Colorado Avalanche, part of the Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day. All right, everybody. Welcome to another episode of Lockdown Avalanche, part of the Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day. I'm your host, Chris Maselli joining me as always, Mr. Zach Pearson. Thank you for tuning in and making it your first listen of the day and for making the Lockdown Podcast Network the number one sports podcast network in the country. Always appreciated. We're going to start with the trade. There was a singular trade for the abs a little bit early on in the day too. So I was like, okay, this is a start of another one,

1:00but as of us recording this, there has not been still a few hours left in the day. So maybe there could be, but right now we get a trade with Toronto Avalanche go get Nicholas Wann for a first round pick in 2027 and a fifth round pick in 2026. Those are both conditional picks. The conditions on the fifth round pick, whatever the conditions on the first round pick are kind of like whatever to because it's a top 10 protected. You would have to think the Avalanche will not be one of the 10 worst teams next season. So that should hold and you would think Toronto would get. Let's hope later as later of a round pick as possible. So it doesn't look horrible for the abs. Not that this trade looks horrible, but give me your first your thoughts on the trade and we'll kind of break things down little by little.

2:03So my initial reaction was actually exactly what you posted on social media is that the last name Waw does have a tendency to working in Toronto. So you know, this is boating well. I thought, so gut instinct was first and a fifth seems steep for a third line, but then as I'm looking at it a little bit more big guy. He's not super fast, but it looks like he's pretty physical. Good forecheck is what people seem to be saying about him. Potential for like second unit power play or penalty kill. Don't know if they'll use them on either of those, but yeah, well PK, power play. I don't know if they will. Not awful. But yeah, it because he's also one of the slowest skaters in the league, if not the slowest skater based on what some people have said. But so like I've kind of gone back and forth, but what I've really landed on is this feels like a

3:03playoff grit guy with enough talent to keep up with everything you would want to do in your bottom six. I don't know that I see him hopping on a line with Landis Gog and HS and centering something like that and keeping up with him. But as a bottom six guy finishing his checks aggressive on the forecheck seems to have pretty good numbers overall. And then the biggest thing for me playoff experience. He's gone all the way to a Stanley Cup championship. That is huge. So I feel I feel good. Like I said, at first I was, and then now as I've gone on, I'm like, no, I actually, I think this is a decent little bit of work. I think this is a good spot. I agree. I think the player, I think the player is good for what the abs need him for. You needed to figure out the three feet three C position. Does this do that? I think the jury is out on if it works. I think that's every every trade that happens. You want it to work. We have to see what's up? Do you say the

4:08jury is out on if this works? Oh boy, look at you. Which by the way, we now have another Y and a jury on. I know. I was thinking that too. Like we're just going right back to that era. And I have jokes but have didn't about, you know, if a Y is coming to this team, he needs to keep that double number going. And he was 55 with Toronto. And Patrick, wow, was 33. So that would have been just a nice little added thing. But he's not. Apparently he's going to be wearing number 10. We already know that. So he didn't stick with 55. It would have been a nice little, little nugget there. But whatever. Like I said, I think I like where it's going. And I think the potential of this working out is high. So and I'm trying to separate the the player for what you traded to get him. Because yeah, I think the, like I said, the fifth round pick, whatever, I'm not, I'm not

5:13super concerned about that. I don't know. I've just grown up just always feeling like first round picks are gold, no matter what the sport is. And maybe that's a little bit unfair in the world of hockey, because I think for late first round picks and hockey are not the slam dunk that they are in, like say football. And I'm not even saying they're slam dunking football. But you can find the late, late round picks usually pan out in football basketball. You know, I mean, for hockey, it's a little bit different. So I'm trying not to get so attached to first round picks. And I, I have to feel that way because the avalanche clearly are not anymore. They are going down the road of we're looking at like the Florida Panthers model of or Vegas golden nights model of we don't care about picks. And it's worked out for them. So I think for the ads, they're thinking like if we,

6:13we have, we know who we want. And if you want to label it as an overpay, go ahead. Label but we got the guy that we wanted, which I'm not 100% sure they got the guy they wanted because even Elliott Friedman put in his 32 thoughts blog that there, there was talk between the avalanche and the Calgary Flames on, on Nazum Kadri. I'm just going to read the blurb that he put in there. Prior to trading for Nicholas Walk, Colorado and Calgary did discuss Nazum Kadri. I have to assume the same picks, Toronto received were available. And there was an understanding of some level of retention, but it never got over the finish line. And that's a change from what we had heard about Calgary. They were, they were sounded like they were kind of steadfast on we are not retaining anything on Kadri. According to Elliott Friedman, maybe there was a little bit of retention there.

7:13But for whatever reason, and getting it out of the the final stages. And is this a panic move for the abs? To say like, hey, we're not, okay, the Calgary thing fell through. We got to go find something before the well dries up. And they went out and got, wow, I don't know. But I find it funny that the three guys that Toronto held out of the game yesterday. And it's close. I've been attached to the avalanche. Neither one of those guys came here. And the guy that played is the guy that the abs trade for. I kind of found that a little bit funny. I have also found it funny as I mentioned on the last episode with the trades. Abs are tied to the penguins. And then you get somebody you don't expect. Abs are tied to the predators. You get somebody you don't expect. Same thing with the Leafs. So not only though this time, it's two people you don't expect. So yeah, I don't know. Who else are we tied to right now? Because we got to start looking at their, their whole death chart to figure out who might come over in the next day. Well, that's the funny thing is the, the abs are good at

8:15this. Who do you think they're going after? They don't. I didn't really hear much that Nicholas Wah was on their radar. And Nicholas Wah as a whole really, I don't think was out there dangling for every team to go after. So I think this is Chris McFarlane kind of digging, talking with other GMs, figuring things out. Hey, let's, let's, this is who we like. Let's go get him. So, and I find it interesting that the last two guys that the avalanche got with Wah and Kuleck are very like not assuming do your job type of guys. Yep. They don't need the flash. They have the flash. They have, they have Nathan McKinnon, they have Kilmacar, they have Martin Hs. They need guys that have size. And Kuleck's got that. Wah, that was six four. I know it's a four two hundred plus. And guys that, you know, are, are playoff seasoned. Like they have an idea of what they want to go

9:18after. And for the last two guys, that's what it's been. Like I said, it's just been like the quote unquote, do your job type of guys. And I necessarily don't have a problem with that. I think that's, no, and that's, that's actually something that I, I thought about too is I've been looking at this is you don't, like, Cadre would be nice. I, everybody would love to have him back on as the three C. I still think the cost was probably too high. And even if Calgary was willing to retain, you're probably not making that fit. But you don't really need a ton more depth scoring. Our depth guys produce. They, they don't not produce. Not as much as our top guys. But obviously, you need need, like you said, the last couple guys, you need these guys that are just going to go out there, play the game, play it right, play it smart. Don't do anything egregious. And in the, uh, gentlemen, we picked up yesterday five foot nine Nashville guy.

10:19I can't thank you. Plank it. I was drawing up blank. That was not planned. I could not think of his name either way. He's, uh, you know, like pretty good point producer this season. I think for a bottom six guy for your three C, 20, 20 points this season so far for, uh, yep, 25 goals. You probably want to see a little bit more, but he's also playing on a very not good this year Toronto team. So, um, you might be able to do some of that. Let's get our first break in here. And then that's kind of where I want to pick things up on the other side of it is, uh, it hasn't worked out for him in Toronto or didn't work out for him. Toronto, you say I thought in the past tense. Um, and is that a reason why the abs should not have given up a first round pick for him. So let's talk about that. I want to get a break in.

11:19We'll talk about that on the other side. A lot more to do with this. And we're going to talk about the big game on Friday too against Dallas. So we'll do that next. All right, we're going to hear from indeed workplace chaos deadlines stacking up inbox overflowing. And the one position you have to fill is still sitting open. And when the pressure is on and you need the right hire. This is a job for sponsored jobs. Indeed sponsored jobs helps you helps you reach the people who actually fit what you're looking for skills experience location. So you're not just hoping the right candidates stumbles across your post spend less time searching and more time actually interviewing candidates who check all of your boxes less stress less time more results. And when you need the right person to cut through the chaos. It's a job for indeed sponsored jobs listeners of locked on avalanche. We got a $75 sponsored job credit to help get your job. The premium status it deserves at indeed.com slash podcast. Just go to indeed.com slash podcast right now and support this show by saying you heard about indeed on this very podcast. Once again,

12:23it's indeed.com slash podcast terms and conditions apply. If you need to hire, it's a job for indeed sponsored jobs. So the the first round pick is the thing that seems to be the like decisive right now between like avalanche nation and and niqua. I first of all, like I said, I talked about it in the first segment just like first drum picks in general. I don't like giving them up. But I understand it. It's kind of like the nature of the beast these days. Teams that are looking to trade they want those high value picks. First drum picks always have that. First of all, I find it like funny how on one hand, a lot of the avalanche nation always complains that the abs do a terrible job of drafting and developing. And then on the other hand, when they trade that pick, it's like, well, don't trade the first round picks like it's like, you can't have

13:25both things, but I get it. I get it. For this one, yeah, it was not working out for why in Toronto. And you're kind of almost doing them a favor by taking him off of their hands. So did did a first round pick need to be included here? It's almost like you feel like Toronto's making out by getting a first round pick for a bottom six guy, which has happened before. But I think guys that are a little bit better than what Bob can produce. So are you letting them off the hook by like, hey, you could you could you could you're at the deal if you're dealing with Toronto. And you say like, hey, why's not working out for you? We'll take him. But and then Toronto, he's like, okay, for a first round pick and you just say, okay, do you know what I'm saying? Like it doesn't add up to me on if he's not the right fit for you, we will take him from you. But we're not going to give you kind of a premium pick

14:30to do that. Yeah, I think like the abs maybe slightly overpaid here by including the first round pick for his position. Just I'm wondering what because I don't feel like we've seen the abs. I mean, I take that back. Every trade I've seen the abs make, I feel like some people have said overpay. I don't I don't know that this one feels like a dramatic overpay. And I saw something online that made a lot of sense to me as well. What picks do you have a lunch have in the second round coming up? Basically, nothing next year, they have two in 27 and zero in 28. So you're you're not really in a position full of picks in that second round anyway. I'm wondering if that's not why the first round came into effect. Like you don't have a second round this year to give them. And that could

15:31be what just drove the price up just enough. Very well could be. You could be 100% on that. And I think maybe by the abs thinking is like, well, if this works out and we go win a cup, that doesn't matter. That's the last pick of the first round essentially a second round, late early second round. You know what I mean? So yeah, I get it. And that's why I'm not so completely bent on a shape on this. Yeah. The only thing. And I wonder if the abs would have done this, but in his his cap is not huge. It's a $3 million cap hit. And you have them for another year. So this is not a rental. Like you have them for next year. That if it works out, that's good. It would have been nice to have any type of salary retention is good. Any type, right? Even if it was half, obviously, one and a half would have been much better than three. But that is what it is. I would have liked to seem like maybe half staying in Toronto. But

16:35what do you? I don't disagree. Yeah. I definitely think that would have been that would have made the first round pick pill really a lot easier to swallow. Yeah. I agree. And the whole thing with his skating, you're seeing a lot of that on like he's slow. I sometimes get a kick out of people who like, he's a slow skater. Sure. Maybe he's a slow skater. It doesn't mean he's Chris Farley, you know, in that figure skating skit where he's struggling to keep up. You know what I mean? He's not. He's a hockey player so he can skate fine. It's just, okay, if 22 miles an hour is the average, he's at 20 and a half. Okay. It's not like he's dogging it. Man, that image is now in my head and I wasn't expecting. So that was good. That took me off guard.

17:36But no, I'm serious. I think when people think, oh, he's slow. It's like he just, it's like he's skating in like quicksand. Yeah. Maybe he's a little bit on the slower side, but it doesn't mean like he can't get up and down the ice. He clearly can. So I don't see a lot of people saying all the time that like, Chris Drury is really slow, but Megan Engley with Gorilla put up a thing and she's like, I understand the concern, but look at these two next to each other. They're actually relatively comparable. Similar. Yeah. Um, so I don't know that he, yes, he is maybe a slower skater, but I agree. You're not thinking this is going to be a guy that's just like sludging through a mud. He's going to do fine. Yeah. I don't think it's going to be a problem. And like I said earlier, you don't expect Drury to go up and play with Nejas and Landis Gog and keep up with everything they're doing and right or McKinnon, you're not expecting, uh, want to do that either. So yeah,

18:43not bad. No, I think like on the surface, like the problems you have with it are the first round pick. If that's really the only problem you have with it and if all, if everything goes well, it's a 25 to 32 first round pick. Yeah. Then then I don't think we need to be as up in arms about it as we are. And if it works out, everything is for the better anyway. So, but it is in my opinion, I think it definitely is a weight and sea trade because I'll bring I'll bring the J fresh. No, that's not it removed. There is the graphic backup. I feel like at the the war percentile over on the right hand side, like how it kind of looks like at the top of a house, right? You want what he brought in Vegas. Like, and I think that's what the avalanche are banking on. Hey, it just was not a fit in Toronto. And sometimes that is very true. So if you can go back a

19:47year or a couple of years and get what he was providing in Vegas, you are just fine with that. Just fine. Agreed. But we need to see if that does come, come to be. And then you just gotta wait and see. So that's where we are. Um, agreed. Are the abs done? Do you think that they have anything else up their sleeve? Is this it? You don't, you think you should begin. I don't really have a timeline yet, but you're still hearing Logan O'Connor could return. That's essentially like making a trade. But guy, you haven't had all season. Uh, is there anything else really that the abs need to do? I don't know if there's any, unless it's like a monumental move, where they're really shaking things up. But I don't think they want to do that right now. I think they're happy with how the team is. And there's plug in some holes. If I had to guess, I would say they're out there looking for a couple more depth moves to make, but Eames may or may not. So

20:50I think if the, I don't think they want to be done, but I also don't think like you said, they're very happy with what the team is as they should be because this is a very good team. So you don't need to go like read completely retool anything. So I think they're probably done with big moves. I think they want to go for probably a couple more shore up some pieces. And I don't know that there's room or teams to, to do that with. So they might be done just out of that fact on its own. Again, though, it's trade deadline season. And so we have zero idea of what these guys are talking about behind closed doors. And they could go completely do something off the wall. So they really could. We'll see. I don't expect it, but man, it could be. Then it's going to happen. Yep. When you least expect it is when it's going to happen. So let's get our last break in. People on subtext are chiming in on this. And then kind of just briefly discuss the big

21:50matchup in Dallas. We'll do that next. All right, over on subtext, people chiming in on the trade Christina says still think it was an overpay, but only time will tell how it all ends up. But hey, if he can help us get past Dallas, I'm all for it. Still curious to see if they're actually going to stick with him or if he is going to be part of another trade. I haven't heard that that he's like a flip. I think the avalanche were feeling like we had to go find our guy and they went and did that not necessarily their guy, but a guy to fill the spot. And I think that's what they did. So I would be surprised if they flip him. Yeah, I agree. Especially with the first included. If there wasn't a first round pick, maybe I could see that a little bit more, but I don't know. You'd feel kind of bad to give up a first for a guy that you kick out the door the next day in 24

22:52hours. Adam says I don't mind the trade at all. It's not the splashy move that everyone wanted with cadre, but I do like the fact that they're trying to get bigger and more of a physical presence within the lineup, especially since Dallas will now have Bischel and Myers on their back end. And they just went and got bunting. They need something to combat the physicality beyond just speed. But that being said, his biggest downfall is how fast are they skater? He is. My worry is that he won't mold to the speed of the game that the abs like to play. Lastly, I wish there was some retention from Toronto because the first round draft pick seems like a high price for a 3C, but I'm glad he signed through next year. It's like our subtext people are on the same page as us. It's uncanny. It's uncanny. Adam, I couldn't have said it better myself, which I already did. No nailed it right on the head. Love it. Bear says love it. I have lots of respect for Drury, and he is still a key for us, but what at 6'4 is a physical

23:59playoff experience player. Playmate experience player. Oh, and makes us tougher. Sorry. That's been a big need in the last two years against Dallas. And yeah, I think this is good for Jack Drury too. I think it settles him into the position that he is more comfortable in, or at least the avalanche are more comfortable with him being in, and he can go excel in a fourth line centering position, and now maybe you can put flank guys on him, and you don't have to be playing your fourth line three and four minutes a night. Right. You can go back to them getting normal fourth line minutes and being okay with it. So I think it does help that too, or it should. That's the plan anyway. Should. I like where he's going with that. Vargar, not a fan. Overpay for a big slow marginally effective

25:00third-liner hard pass. Says Vargar. Vargar is a tough nut to crack. You need to prove that you're worthy before he settles in on you, much like Brock Nelson. He wasn't big on Brock Nelson, but I think he's come around to him. At least I hope he has. Everybody else has. He's still not big on Marty Natures. So. Well, and he will be if Natures performs in the playoffs. In the post. That's always been his gripe with with Natures, and I get it. I get it. We can sit here and love what he's doing in the regular season, and he's doing great things in the regular season and the Olympics. Do all that in the playoffs, and you want a fan in Vargar. So that's where we are. All right. Now all of this kind of culminates into a big game in Dallas. I don't think why would be available for this since he plays in Toronto, and he's got to go through customs, and he's got to go through, you know, all the stuff that they have to do if you're coming from

26:04Canada, which takes some time. So I would assume that he's not going to be involved in this in this game. But regardless, big matchup. Yeah. What are you thinking? I am extremely excited for this matchup. Dallas is obviously, they are rolling right now, which is crazy. Seeing as they're still down Miko Ranton and Tyler Sagan. Those are two huge names to have out of your lineup and still go 10 0 and 0. I know. Well done. Good job, Dallas. There's your flowers. Now that being said, the abs have suddenly sort of kicked back into gear a little bit, and Bednar has made it very clear. This is a playoff practice for him. I think that's what he's got the team mindset in as well. This is a playoff game for all intents and purposes as far as they're approaching it. I think they're going to come out.

27:06I think it's going to be an excellent game back and forth. I think the abs are going to win because they're kicking it back into that gear. We're at that time of year where they start to to kind of ramp it back up. They want whether they say they want it or not, or they're just focused on the playoffs, they want the number one seed because of course you want home ice. You just do. Dallas is still what six points back. Yeah, looking at the standings. The abs have one game in hand. This goes a long way to just wrapping up the central division and further. So I think it's going to be you're going to get a heck of a shot from a hot Dallas stars team. And I think for this one though, Colorado might be the team coming out going. We need to beat you to prove who we are. And that could be a big role in it. I mean, regulation win just speaks volumes for both teams. If Dallas can cut that lead,

28:11which seemed insurmountable around the turn of the calendar down to four, even with a game in hand for the avalanche, that's all the momentum is on their side. And not only does it cut it down to four, it gives them an 11 game winning streak. So they're just flying high if they can get flip side avalanche control this game and they win in regulation and they bump that lead back up to eight with the game in hand. And you cut down their 10 game winning streak like now the momentum's back on the avalanche side. So I know at the beginning of March and you still have what six, seven weeks left of the season, but it is. It is a big, big game for how the rest of the season could pan out. And I didn't bring up any stats. I didn't bring up any, you know, who's on a goal streak or any of that stuff because none of it matters when you're going into this game. This is two teams that are just a collision course to go after each other. And I expect this game

29:15to be every bit of awesome as we are expecting it to be. I would be shocked if either one of these teams just blows the other team out of the water. I'd be shocked at it. And for the abs, they need to set the tone because you're in their barn. First goal is always important, even more so in games like this. You want to take them out of it as early as possible. You want to take that crowd out of it as early as possible and be set the tone for the duration of the game. And you're maybe going to have some lapses because Dallas is a good team. They're going to, they're going to, if they're down, they're going to force what they can on you. You got to try to minimize that and not let them get the upper hand at any point in the game. Easier said than done, but it does. It has the, the feeling and mindset of a playoff game, like a one game playoff game. This is a play in game right now. Yeah, sure. Be fun. Got to assume that otters get in the start for Dallas. Sure.

30:16I think whoever starts in net for the abs, this is one of those moments too to kind of solidify just how good the goal tend to has been for Colorado this season because otters know slouch and this is a good team. If you go out in net and you put together a performance like you have been through most of the season for either one of these guys. The other thing that does is that's going to give so much confidence to the entire team in front of you. Like, so I think this is huge from every player. I'm really interested in the goal tending matchup for sure. I, I, you got to think that it's going to be blackwood. I would assume. Yeah, based on what Bednar has said recently of, you know, we're going to get him kind of lean on him a little bit more for the rest of the year, kind of get him ready for playoff action. Well, this is your playoff game, what better way to see where he's standing then put him in for this game. So I'd have to believe it's going to be him. So that would be my assumption, but yeah, I also really don't know because you just

31:16got two guys that are so good back there. Yeah, it's like, oh, hey, Wedge, we've got to start. Okay. Yep. I'd still feel feel good about it prior to pop self. So we are going to record after that game too big, too big of a game to not talk about it for two days afterwards. So we are going to record once that game is over. So make sure you are tuned into that. And if anything else, I mean, it is trade deadline day two. So maybe we'll have the game talk about and maybe another move that the avalanche have made. We shall see. So make sure you are tuned in tomorrow's episode and we're going to discuss all of that. But that's going to be it. So we're going to wrap this thing up and thank you for tuning in to this episode to make any of your first listen of the day. I always appreciate it. He's Mr. Zach Pearson. I am a Chris Mocelli. This is the lockdown avalanche podcast. New York 24 hours closer to Sydney Crosby being Colorado avalanche, but probably not by three o'clock.

32:21Go, abs, go.