This summer has been a bittersweet one for the Stanley Cup Champion Colorado Avalanche. Sure, they're enjoying the Cup celebrations, but unfortunately they now have to find a replacement for Nazem Kadri, which won't make defending the title any easier. The good news for the Avs is that they may not need to look very hard to find Kadri's replacement.
Jeff Marek believes that J.T. Miller could be a fit for the Avs after losing Kadri. Both players play a similar style, plus with Miller being younger, he could prove to be more valuable than Kadri - especially since he has a better track record of production than his 32-year-old counterpart.
J.T. Miller, 29, is a strong power forward who plays a gritty style while putting up great numbers to compliment it. The problem is, if the Avs want to push to acquire him this summer, it could be costly. Fortunately for the Avs, Miller is a pending unrestricted free agent and the longer Vancouver hangs onto him, the more his price tag will decrease.
A deadline acquisition may be the best case scenario for the Avs, as they have the picks and prospects to give up for another solid rental to help with a deep playoff run. Having said that though, we shouldn't rule out the Avs paying the lofty asking price for a full year of Miller, rather than a quarter-season and a playoff run. Plus, having him in the fold for the full season could give the Avs a leg up on extending him.
