{"id":5299,"date":"2026-06-26T23:36:04","date_gmt":"2026-06-26T23:36:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=5299"},"modified":"2026-06-26T23:36:04","modified_gmt":"2026-06-26T23:36:04","slug":"joe-sakic-already-making-big-deals-bringing-back-veterans-in-his-return-to-role-as-avalanche-gm","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=5299","title":{"rendered":"Joe Sakic already making big deals, bringing back veterans in his return to role as Avalanche GM"},"content":{"rendered":"
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FILE – Colorado Avalanche general manager and member of the team\u2019s 2001 Stanley Cup Championship squad, Joe Sakic, is introduced during a ceremony to honor the Cup winners before the first period of an NHL hockey game Jan. 23, 2026, in Denver. (AP Photo\/David Zalubowski, File)<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n

DENVER \u2014 Joe Sakic wasn\u2019t content to simply run it back. Far from it, even if the Colorado Avalanche<\/a> did have the best record in the regular season.<\/p>

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\u201cSuper Joe,\u201d his nickname as a Hall of Fame player<\/a> , has certainly lived up to his reputation of \u201cTrader Joe\u201d since stepping back into his role of GM for the Avalanche. He already has orchestrated several<\/a> deals in this young offseason.<\/p>\n

Because if there\u2019s one thing Sakic knows all about, it\u2019s championship windows. His squad, back in the day, won a pair of Stanley Cup trophies in 1996 and 2001.<\/p>\n

The Avalanche are in the midst of another window with Nathan MacKinnon, captain Gabriel Landeskog and Cale Makar leading the way (they won in 2022). Sakic is giving the team a mini-reboot after the Avalanche were swept by the Vegas Golden Knights<\/a> in the Western Conference Final.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re trying to move on to next year, but if we\u2019ve got to look back, that\u2019s what it was \u2014 we just didn\u2019t play well,\u201d Sakic said Friday night before the start of the NHL draft. \u201cWe\u2019re always looking to find a way to just, even if it\u2019s a little bit better, to try and get better.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sakic inherited the GM job again \u2014 on top of his responsibilities as president of hockey operations \u2014 when Chris MacFarland<\/a> recently left for the front office of the Nashville Predators.<\/p>\n

The good friends already have executed several trades, with Sakic sending Ross Colton<\/a> to MacFarland\u2019s Predators and later Jack Drury<\/a> .<\/p>\n

\u201cWe weren\u2019t friends,\u201d Sakic cracked. \u201cNo, it was good. (MacFarland) did what he thought was best for his group. I thought we did what was best for our group. Obviously, those decisions for us really were cap decisions, freed up some space. We couldn\u2019t have brought everybody back.\u201d<\/p>\n

Not done tinkering with the roster, Sakic made a splashy deal with Columbus that sent Valeri Nichushkin to the Blue Jackets<\/a> for draft picks. It\u2019s a way to free up space given Nichushkin had four more seasons left on his contract at a salary cap hit of $6.125 million. That savings could be used to negotiate a long-term extension with Makar, a two-time Norris Trophy winner as the league\u2019s top defenseman.<\/p>

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\u201cThey\u2019re tough decisions,\u201d Sakic said. \u201cBut when you have a cap you\u2019re dealing with and you\u2019re trying to make the best decisions for your team to try and get under \u2014 it was a tough phone call to make to Val for the great things he\u2019s done for our organization.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sakic used some of the resources to re-sign blueliners Brent Burns<\/a> and Brett Kulak on Friday. The 41-year-old Burns will return for a 23rd season and another crack at a Stanley Cup title that\u2019s eluded him. He is a powerful leader in the locker room and a reliable player on the ice. Burns enters the 2026-27 season needing 57 games to tie Phil Kessel for the longest regular-season ironman streak in NHL history.<\/p>\n

Burns is set to earn the veteran minimum of $850,000 and can make up to $3 million in incentives, according to a person familiar with the deal. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because financial terms were not disclosed.<\/p>\n

Sakic certainly knows the value of a grizzled defenseman: He had Hall of Famer Ray Bourque on board when the Avalanche won the Stanley Cup in 2001.<\/p>\n

Also back is Kulak, who agreed to a five-year contract from the Avalanche worth a reported $22.5 million. The 32-year-old Kulak was acquired by the Avalanche on Feb. 24 as part of a deal with Pittsburgh. He averaged just over 19 minutes of ice time in 27 regular-season games.<\/p>\n

Sakic doesn\u2019t figure to be done revamping this roster, either. The Avalanche could always use another forward or two.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s going to be the players that we feel are a good fit for us, for what we\u2019re trying to do,\u201d Sakic said. \u201cHopefully it works out. If it doesn\u2019t work out, we\u2019re going to have a good amount of cap space and draft capital for things to happen during the year.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s no panic on our end. We\u2019re not rushed. If we\u2019ve got to start out with some kids this year to see what they got, what they can do, we\u2019re perfectly happy with that as well.\u201d<\/p>

Read more Pete Buttigieg says he was the victim of bogus report to child protective services<\/a><\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

AP Hockey Writer Stephen Whyno in New York contributed to this report.<\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

AP NHL: https:\/\/apnews.com\/NHL<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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