BurakAVSky

Winning the Central Division next season might literally be a Pyrrhic victory. After the Predators created cap space by moving PK Subban to the Devils and after the Blackhawks added Calvin de Haan from the Hurricanes and having already moved Carl Soderberg to the Coyotes, the Avalanche went out and made a deal for Washington Capitals winger Andre Burakovsky. While he had a down year for points based on points-per-game, Burakovsky is still just 24 and will fit nicely among the youthful Avalanche forwards and could see an uptick in scoring if given a top-six role in Denver. Based on what GM Joe Sakic is doing in Colorado, I'd say that's almost a given.

Burakovsky received a qualifying offer from the Capitals prior to being traded, so the Avalanche will need to get ink on a contract before anything can move further. The Avalanche have a ton of cap space to work with this off-season, so this won't be a problem. Once that's done, Burakovsky will be expected to exceed his career-highs of 17 goals and 38 points playing alongside players such as Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen, Gabriel Landeskog, and Colin Wilson.

Heading back to Washington are winger Scott Kosmachuk, a 2020 second-round pick, and a 2020 third-round pick. Kosmachuk was a third-round pick by the Winnipeg Jets after a 49-goal, 102-point season with the Guelph Storm, but he was never able to turn that junior scoring into anything at the professional level. His best season came with the Hartford Wolf Pack in 2017-18 where he scored 42 points, but the Hershey Bears seem to be a good place for players to really find their professional games. Kosmachuk will likely report there once the season starts.

If there's one thing that Burakovsky likely could use, it's a change of scenery. For a player once thought to be another bonafide scoring threat for the Capitals, he slid down the roster with the emergence of Tom Wilson and Evgeni Kuznetsov. Being able to play with some elite, young forwards that the Avalanche boast should help Burakovsky find his offensive game once again, and the Avalanche will like his defensive awareness learned from his years in Washington.

If the Avalanche are planning on using Tyson Jost in Soderberg's spot, expect Burakovsky to flank Jost as they look to recover some of the offence traded in when they moved Soderberg. That being said, the youth movement in Colorado is exciting to see, and they still have a ton of cap space to keep their young core together for a long time or, possibly, add another solid young player to their roster.

If the sky's the limit in Colorado, it could be the Avalanche climbing the to the summit of the NHL's playoff mountain. Wouldn't that be a Rocky Mountain high? With all the youth on the Avalanche roster, it's very possible the youth movement will show serious payoff this season.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!