Report: Joe Sakic slated to meet with representation of big Avs free agent

The Colorado Avalanche are still celebrating their first Stanley Cup since 2001.

But there’s business to handle as well. When you play hockey until June 26, the busy offseason is suddenly here faster than anyone anticipated.

The Avs have several key free agents, including Nazem Kadri, Valeri Nichushkin, Darcy Kuemper, Andre Burakovsky and Josh Manson. And while Joe Sakic will clearly be focused on those five guys, he also still has to build a complete roster. That process began on Tuesday when the team inked forward Andrew Cogliano to a new deal.

But out of the big five listed above, who’s the No. 1 priority for Sakic? It appears it may be his starting goalie for most of the playoffs in Kuemper. This report surfaced Wednesday morning about Sakic’s agenda for the day.

Agent Ben Hankinson slated to meet today with Avs GM Joe Sakic regarding pending UFA goalie Darcy Kuemper…

— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) July 6, 2022

Kuemper, of course, had his ups and downs in the postseason but was solid in the Final against Tampa Bay outside of a shaky Game 3. He recorded a shutout in Game 2, helped the Avs steal Game 4 in OT and outplayed arguably the best goalie in the world in Andrei Vasilevskiy in Game 6.

His backup, Pavel Francouz, went a perfect 6-0 in the postseason, but head coach Jared Bednar trusted Kuemper the most when it came to the Final versus the Lightning. Kuemper suffered a nasty eye injury in Round 1 against Nashville, and struggled to see the puck afterward, but his gritty performances were enough to help the Avs secure the Cup.

Now what kind of money will Kuemper want and what will the Avs be willing to pay? That’s the big question. If Kuemper, now 32-years-old, wants $7 million a year for the next five years, the Avalanche may say thanks but no thanks. If he’s willing to do a three-year contract at $5 million per year, Sakic would likely welcome him back with open arms.

The Avs have roughly $25.6 million in cap space according to Spotrac, and will need to spend it wisely. Not only will Sakic try to bring back as many free agents as possible, but Nathan MacKinnon is in line for a lucrative extension as well.

We’ll see how the next week shakes out before unrestricted free agency begins on July 13, but based on his meeting today, it looks like Sakic is interested in Kuemper never hitting the open market. Now the money and the years just have to work.
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