The end-of-season press conference opened up some eyes into the insight of the Avalanche.

The Colorado Avalanche’s end-of-season press conference brought plenty of news and information but left much to be desired. First and foremost, let’s get it out of the way right away: Gabriel Landeskog is not retiring. The Avs PR spokesperson said this right from the get-go and joked about it as well.

Landeskog followed up the not-retiring statement by saying it has felt like slow torture not being able to play while his teammates do. He fully understood, though, the consequences he would face if he rushed back and had been taking things slowly. He stated he felt “pretty good” about a return next season, whether it was for training camp in September or by the end of the next season in April, and giving his family a hug after playing his first game back.
Questions then turned to Chris MacFarland, who shed at least a little more light on the Valeri Nichushkin situation. He mentioned battling addiction, and focusing first and foremost on his health off the ice and getting the help he needs. He also stated it was “very disappointing” when he received the news, and it created a major “pit in the stomach.” At this time, there are no grounds for contract termination, and it’s “very plausible he is back with the Avalanche” after his six-month suspension.

Holes must be filled in the roster, and MacFarland touched on it a bit. They’re working on trying to bring back guys like Andrew Cogliano, Jack Johnson, and Jonathan Drouin. At least for the latter of the three, MacFarland said it wouldn’t be a challenge to bring him back at this time thanks to the extra cap relief from Nichushkin and Landeskog’s deals.

The Avalanche General Manager also referenced looking at guys with lower AAVs to fill in those holes at this time. They’d look at free agents, waiver wires, and any trades to make it happen. At the same time, he mentioned getting guys like Nikolai Kovalenko, Jean-Luc Foudy, and Sam Malinski “kicking down doors” this summer and preparing to try and earn a roster spot come training camp in September. He also mentioned signing Cal Ritchie to his entry-level contract “soon” and hoping to get him involved in training camp as well.

Finally, more injury news, including the bruises and bumps from the Avs playoff run, came to light. Casey Mittelstadt’s hip injury he received in Game Six of the second round against the Dallas Stars doesn’t look to be too pertinent, and Artturi Lehkonen will have offseason shoulder surgery next week, which could hamper his start of training camp. Otherwise, everyone else is looking good to go.