With the Florida Panthers successfully defending their 2024 Stanley Cup win with a 5-1 beat down in Game 6 of the 2025 Stanley Cup Final, all eyes turn to the off-ice portion of the 2024-25 season. The 2025 NHL Entry Draft is set to take place on June 27 and 28 after which the annual free agent period begins on July 1.
Like 30 other NHL teams, the Colorado Avalanche enter the offseason on the heels of disappointment. Despite owning the league’s third-best points percentage (PTS%) after Dec. 1 (when they rebuilt their goalie tandem), the team blew a 2-0 lead in the third period of Game 7 against the Dallas Stars and bowed out in Round 1 for the second time in three seasons. For a franchise with the fourth-best PTS% since the start of the 2017-18 season to have only advanced past the second round once in those eight seasons is underwhelming, even if they did win the Stanley Cup in 2022.
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While Colorado’s core group of forwards is set with Nathan MacKinnon, Artturi Lehkonen, Valeri Nichushkin, Martin Necas, Brock Nelson, and Gabriel Landeskog making up most, if not all of the top six, the bottom six remains in flux. While Jack Drury, Parker Kelly, and Logan O’Connor (once healthy) should keep their places, the trio of Charlie Coyle, Ross Colton, and Miles Wood are prime trade candidates because of their contracts. Assuming they are not immediately replaced as part of any potential deals, there will be gaps that need to be filled.
Let’s dive into three free agent forwards who could find a place in the Avalanche lineup in the 2025-26 season. All contract projections are courtesy of AFP Analytics.
Anthony Mantha, Calgary Flames
2024-25 Statistics: 13 Games Played (GP) – 4 Goals (G) – 3 Assists (A) – 7 Points (PTS)
The Avalanche’s first target is a familiar name looking to rejuvenate a stalled career. Veteran forward Anthony Mantha (he turns 31 in October) has three 20-goal seasons to his name, but has struggled with injuries and consistency for much of his career.
Mantha signed a one-year contract with the Calgary Flames last summer but only appeared in 13 games before suffering a season-ending knee injury early in the season. He’s only played in 70 or more games in a single season twice in his entire career, and will likely have to accept a one-year deal at league-minimum ($775,000) or a professional tryout (PTO) as a lifeline.
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