Colorado Avalanche's Free Agency Grade High Even with a Quiet July 1
The Colorado Avalanche has had a relatively quiet start to the free agency period, even with some guys departing via trade or free agency. However, President of Hockey Operations Joe Sakic has been making moves to shore up the roster heading into the 2026-27 season.
In a recent article at The Athletic, the NHL staff gave each team a free-agency letter grade up to this point in the offseason, heading into the Fourth of July weekend. Regarding the Avalanche, they were graded decently high, all things considered.
Avalanche Making the Grade?
When it comes to the Avalanche and their free agency letter grade up to this point on July 4, staff writer Jesse Granger gave them a B-grade. According to Granger, even though they had a quiet July 1 to begin the free-agent period, he believed the Avalanche did a decent job overall.
He mentioned signing Jaden Schwartz could work out for the Avalanche. Granger said that even with Schwartz having only 11 goals in 50 games, "he’s a solid middle-six winger with offensive skills that should shine on this fast-paced team".
Schwartz will most likely play on the third line with Nicolas Roy and Gavin Brindley, and if he can get back to where he was in 2024-25, it'll be a sneaky good pickup for the Avalanche this upcoming season.
Granger finished up his blurb about the Avalanche discussing the extension to defenseman Brett Kulak. When referring to the five-year, $4.5 million annual average value (AAV) deal earlier this week, he said it "was a good bit of business."
Bigger Role for Brett Kulak in 2026-27
Regarding Kulak, it'll be interesting to see how he does with a bigger role this upcoming season with the Avalanche. After playing 27 games in the Mile High City, following a trade from the Pittsburgh Penguins, Kulak had three points and was a plus-1.
He averaged 19:08 of ice time in the regular season for head coach Jared Bednar, while having 20:38 in the playoffs. Kulak is believed to be slotting into the second defensive pairing on the left side in 2026-27. The hope is that the bigger role and more ice time will see Kulak reach 20 or more points again in a season, as he did with the Edmonton Oilers in 2024-25 (25).
Between 2022-23 and 2024-25, Kulak played all 82 games for the Oilers. After playing for the Oilers, Penguins, and Avalanche in 2025-26, hopefully he will get some stability. It's tough for players to learn one system, let alone three, in one season. Kulak played 31 games for the Oilers before playing 25 for the Penguins, then 27 for the Avalanche heading into the playoffs.
When it comes down to it, like Granger said, even with a quiet July 1 and where they are now, the Avalanche did pretty decent all things considered. While we are still a way off from opening night for the Avalanche, they are in a good spot following the re-tooling of the roster. Do the Avalanche have what it takes for another deep playoff run? With where they are now, they look to be contenders in the Western Conference.
Zach Martin is originally from Northeast Ohio, but has resided in South Carolina since 2016. He has been a credentialed hockey writer with The Hockey Writers since 2023 as the Carolina Hurricanes beat writer, where he has written player profiles, storylines, game recaps, general pieces and more. Zach had the opportunity to attend the 2026 Stanley Cup Final as credentialed media covering the Carolina Hurricanes. He's written about ESPN's Mike Monaco, along with player exclusives over the last couple of years. Zach has also covered games for the World Juniors, IIHF World Championships, and the 2026 Winter Olympics. He has also covered the Colorado Avalanche and some other NHL teams at large over his time with THW.