The Colorado Avalanche will have a few gaps to fill this summer, with some players set to become free agents. Certainly, a team’s aim remains securing talent. With Zakhar Bardakov likely returning to Russia, it leaves important players for the Avalanche and Colorado Eagles still needing contracts. Here are a few of the unrestricted free agents and restricted free agents that the Avs should do everything they can to keep.

Jack Drury

Jack Drury will be a restricted free agent this summer and have arbitration rights. This means if the Avs and Drury do not come to a deal on his contract, he can force mediation. Drury played every single game for the Avs this year. Brent Burns and Parker Kelly are the only other players can claim that for the Avs. Drury finished the season second on the team, behind Gabriel Landeskog, with a 58.1 winning percentage at the faceoff dot. It was even higher in the playoffs at 61.3 percent. He exploded on the scoresheet for a career year with 10 goals and 17 assists. Colorado needs to make it their number one priority to get Drury re-signed for depth and to avoid arbitration.

Brett Kulak

Brett Kulak became one of the most important pieces on the back end for the Avalanche after the deadline. Playing for his third team of the season, Kulak was highly sought after during the trade deadline. He will be an UFA this summer and looking for a big payout. Kulak can play with any pairing on the Avalanche defense, proving that during Cale Makar’s injury. In 27 games during the regular season, Kulak managed only three points. It was his five points in the playoffs that really mattered. He brought plenty of playoff experience to the club, as he played in his third straight Western Conference Final. Colorado will need his grit, size, and experience to make another deep run next season.

Jack Ahcan

Jack Ahcan has become an important part of the defense both in Denver and in Loveland this season and will be a UFA this summer. Ahcan played a career-high 11 games in the NHL and even made his Stanley Cup Playoffs debut for the Avs. He would only tally two assists in 14 games, but that is not where he shined. He filled in a reliable defender with skating skills and played bigger than his size. With the Eagles, he led all defenders with 11 goals and 39 assists in 61 games. Ahcan is often called upon to play in every situation on the ice and can be a dark-horse seventh defender for the Avs.

Alex Barré-Boulet

Alex Barré-Boulet will be a key UFA re-signing if they can convince him to stay in Colorado. Barré-Boulet brings a ton of skill on the power play and in 5-on-5 play. He led the Eagles this season with 26 goals and 44 assists in 70 games, even though he got off to a slow start. Barré-Boulet added an additional five goals and seven assists in 17 playoff games. Besides his skill, multiple players have called him out for locker room presence, saying that he lightens the mood. His veteran experience was invaluable to the young players in the locker room, helping them see things they normally wouldn’t have. He played only one game for the Avalanche, but managed an assist in his second shift on the ice.

Taylor Makar

Taylor Makar will be an RFA with arbitration rights this summer. He exceeded expectations this season and beyond. Makar has become a true power forward who can score too. The little brother of Cale is not so little, standing four inches taller and thirty pounds heavier than the defenseman. Taylor has learned to use that size to his advantage, coming to the net and players along the wall like a freight train. In 52 games with the Eagles, Taylor scored 14 goals and 10 assists. He added another two goals and four assists during the playoffs. He saw 12 games with the Avalanche, improving with every game, but never saw the scoresheet.

Chase Bradley

Chase Bradley will be an RFA with arbitration rights this summer. He is one of the players that you fear when you come on the ice. He can not only be sneaky at finding the scoresheet, he can lay you out on open ice too. Bradley has no fear of dropping the gloves either. He is your classic power forward who will annoy at the front of the net. Bradley was relatively quiet during the regular season with only 12 points in 42 games. As part of the “Chaos Line” during the playoffs, he racked up five goals and five assists in 17 games. He has become a valuable part of the middle of the lineup for the Eagles and is always working on improving himself.

If the Avalanche can keep all these players, it will not only keep the bottom of their lineup strong but also the Eagles’. Colorado needs to keep the bottom-six and bottom pairings stocked with quality players to make another run for the Stanley Cup and Calder Cup. These players will help the organization do that.