Why Joe Sakic's Patience Was Right Move on Free Agency Day 1

The Avalanche GM did not make many flashy moves as other teams made huge ones.

Colorado Avalanche general manager Joe Sakic / USA TODAY Sports

Every time July 1 rolls around on the calendar, hockey fans circle the date and know that it is one of the most exciting times of the year and the offseason. July 1 is known as NHL Free Agent Frenzy Day and a lot of contracts are handed out to unrestricted free agents.

There were a lot of deals handed out this year that Avalanche general manager Joe Sakic was right to stay away from. Knowing that the Avalanche have a loaded roster already as it is and that Sakic already made a trade with the Nashville Predators earlier in the week, he did not need to be too active.

He made a few moves by bringing in former Seattle Kraken forward Jaden Schwartz, former Florida Panthers forward Vinnie Hinostroza, and a few other players. But every year on day one, there are bad deals handed out that teams regret later down the line.

Sakic definitely needed help in his bottom six forward group as the top six is stacked. He got Schwartz on a three-year deal for not too much of an average annual value. But other guys in a bottom-six offensive role, like Ilya Mikheyev from the Chicago Blackhawks, signed a four-year contract valued at $3.85 million AAV.

That is a contract that Sakic needed to stay away from and did. He was never going to hand a deal like that to a bottom-sixer where his role is not what Schwartz came to Colorado to do. Sakic needed to be patient with plenty of offseason left, and he was.

Colorado’s Roster Did Not Require Huge Moves On Day One of Free Agency

Knowing that the Avalanche have guys like Nathan MacKinnon, Martin Necas, Brock Nelson, and Cale Makar, among others, the Avs did not necessarily need to upgrade their roster much. Especially not on the first day that players became free agents and could talk to other teams.

Colorado's problem for years has been that they are not getting enough production out of their bottom six forwards and need more from those guys. And Sakic being able to add Schwartz to the club should fix some of that problem.

For years, the Avalanche have been a top-heavy team and needed help from other guys in the lineup on the scoresheet. Hopefully, now that Sakic has used trades and free agency to address those, the Avs no longer have issues there and can get contributions up and down the lineup.