With the four-year extension signed between the Colorado Avalanche and Sam Malinski earlier on Tuesday, does that make someone expendable? We have seen the case where Cale Makar came to the Avalanche and made Tyson Barrie expendable. Once Devon Toews returns, this will give Colorado three full pairings on defense. What defensive player can the Avs move, receiving assets, without leaving their blue line depleted?

Jack Ahcan

Jack Ahcan has become one of the true dark horses on the blue line for the Avalanche this season. My preseason article predicted this possibility. Ahcan has been a steady call-up, playing nine games and tallying two assists. He has become a favorite of head coach Jared Bednar, with the former St. Cloud State captain being the first to get the call.

“He is a great skater, highly competitive, a good puck mover,” Bednar told the media several days ago. “I like the way he defends. He’s an intelligent player.”

Ahcan makes $775k per year and will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season. Unfortunately, he may not bring much in return other than another top AHL-level player.

Samuel Girard

I don’t enjoy suggesting this move, but Samuel Girard could be expendable with the Malinski extension. Girard’s offensive prowess on defense remains unrecognized. He has tallied three goals and eight assists in 35 games this season. The French-Canadian makes more of a defensive impact for the Avalanche than anything.

Girard plays mostly on the second and third pairing, but easily could be the top defenseman on other teams. For a top defenseman, his $5 million cap hit comes in pretty cheap. Receiving draft picks (minimum third-round) plus prospect(s) is likely for the Avalanche.

The moves that the Avalanche make in the future depend on what they want to do with their third pair. If Colorado wants to have a ton of playoff experience on the blue line, they will move Ahcan. If the Avalanche want to stay small and think for the future, they will move Girard and have Ahcan play the rest of the year. Ahcan may bring a little less experience, in the long run the Avalanche would have assets for a bigger move or for the future.