gazette
Joe Sakic, the Colorado Avalanche's general manager, prefers to keep his NHL roster at 21 players. However, forward T.J. Hughes is giving him reason to reconsider that plan. The salary cap implications of adding a 22nd player are what complicate the choice.
In Friday's preseason matchup against the Winnipeg Jets, Hughes recorded a hat trick and an assist, propelling the Avalanche to a 5-2 victory. The 24-year-old forward will have one final opportunity to impress the coaching staff in Saturday's preseason finale in Utah, but he already made a strong case on Friday for Sakic to rethink his opening night roster strategy.
"He's got an elite brain, and he made some nice plays tonight and got rewarded for it," head coach Jared Bednar said of Hughes.
Unfortunately for a player like Hughes, even a standout performance might not be enough to secure a spot, as the decision could be out of his hands. Sakic's desire to carry only 21 players stems from a clear objective: maximizing cap space for the trade deadline. With a 21-man roster and Hughes in the AHL (where he is exempt from waivers), the numbers work out to give the Avalanche over $6 million in deadline cap space. By March, that amount could allow Sakic to acquire one elite player or several solid contributors. Sakic wants that flexibility.
If Hughes were added as the 22nd player, the deadline cap space would plummet to just over $1.5 million. That's a substantial drop, affecting both the number and quality of players Sakic could target. These figures will fluctuate during the season due to injuries and call-ups, making it unlikely the Avalanche will actually accrue the full $6 million. Still, carrying 21 players for as long as possible gives Sakic the best shot at maximum deadline space.
Hughes will play NHL games eventually. When that opportunity arises remains uncertain. "It's probably a better question for (Sakic)," Bednar said when asked about the roster size. "It doesn't make it any less important for me for these young guys – you're not going very long without getting an injury where guys miss (time)."
Whoever performs best in training camp and the preseason is likely to get the first call-up. "If someone kicks down the door and basically earns a roster spot, even if they don't start here, that doesn't mean there aren't moves to be made later to get them up here," Bednar added.
Currently, the Avalanche have 12 NHL forwards under contract. The two recent additions from Nashville, Fedor Svechkov and Zachary L'Heureux, have priority because they would need to clear waivers to be sent to the AHL, unlike Hughes. Colorado wouldn't want to risk losing either for nothing, and Svechkov also impressed on Friday. "I really liked (Svechkov's) game on both sides of the puck," Bednar said.
The Avalanche have one final preseason game on Saturday, but Bednar said he would like the roster finalized when the team practices on Sunday. That's when it will become clear if Hughes did enough to make Sakic reconsider the roster size.
Key Analysis
The Avalanche's 5-2 win over the Jets improved their preseason home record to 2-0. Beyond the young players, Jaden Schwartz had a strong night, tipping in a goal to generate momentum. Schwartz is expected to see time on every line in the top nine this season. Nothing went wrong in the game – it's preseason, and no one got hurt, which is all that matters. Avalanche goal scorers: Hughes (1, 2, 3), Schwartz (1), C. Makar (1). Jets goal scorers: Niederreiter (1), Namestnikov (1). In net, Mackenzie Blackwood played the full 60 minutes, stopping 24 of 26 shots. Next up: Saturday's preseason finale in Utah at 3 p.m.
Originally reported by gazette.