Report card grades for all 31 NHL teams at the trade deadline

Colorado Avalanche: B-

Joe Sakic made almost no moves during the month of February. After the Matt Duchene trade, Colorado felt like it was set. Since the trade, the Avalanche have been playing good hockey. They are just outside of the wild card position, only two points back. Samuel Girard has been a fantastic addition, and Nathan McKinnon was performing at an MVP caliber level. The Avalanche did not need to make a lot of moves at the deadline this year. They are ahead of their rebuilding schedule, so this season is a bonus. Next season, the Avalanche will take another step forward toward that true playoff competitor’s status. Then they likely will be more active at the trade deadline and add rentals.

Colorado did make one trade, acquiring defenseman Ryan Graves from the New York Rangers in exchange for Chris Bigras. Graves is an interesting prospect. He has a great shot from the point and produces well offensively. He needs to continue to work on using his size as an advantage and gaining confidence in his defensive responsibility.

If the Colorado Avalanche make it to the playoffs this year, they will be a fast-paced team that will cause issues. Sakic has built a youthful team that can score a lot of goals. If their goaltending holds up, the Avalanche could upset teams in the playoffs. Coach Jared Bednar has had a great impact on this team and should get more recognition for the work he has done.