ELC Season is upon us

Will the Colorado Avalanche sign any prospects?

One of the most important, yet least talked about, days in the prospect and development cycle is here. That is the day of March first, which is the first day Entry Level Contracts can be signed for the 2025-26 season. There will be a flurry of activity around the league as NHL general managers want to get a jump on signing their prospects and especially as NCAA seasons conclude. The Colorado Avalanche are no different as they have several decision to make in the near future.

Last season of those possibilities mentioned several ELCs were indeed executed in March including Ivan Ivan’s signing right after the window opened on the second day of the month. Sean Behrens trailed behind in April after the Denver Pioneers won the National Championship once again. Surprisingly, though, it took until after development camp in July for Calum Ritchie to get under contract.

Usually the first group to watch out for with respect to signings is the CHL cohort playing in major junior and thus signing a NHL contract doesn’t impact their eligibility to remain participating there. The Avalanche currently only have unsigned Max Curran in the WHL and it is unexpected he signs now with one more year of rights remaining, therefore there aren’t any CHL contracts on the radar.

The Students

For the Avalanche, the bulk of interest on this season’s NCAA class will center around Taylor Makar. The 23-year old power forward will finish up his senior season at Maine soon and could turn pro shortly after. He’s enjoyed a much more productive season since changing schools with 13 goals and 24 points in 30 games and should strike while the iron is hot with respect to a NHL contract offer.

All other NCAA track prospects are either too young or too early in their collegiate careers to really have a potential signing on the radar. There’s always a slight chance someone like 2024 seventh round pick Christian Humphreys, who left Michigan at midseason to finish the year with the OHL’s Kitchener Rangers, wants to leave the college path and gets a surprise offer but it is unexpected.

The Eagles

It is possible Maros Jedlica is on the same path as Ivan Ivan from AHL contract to ELC but considering his limited impact of five points in 16 games with the Colorado Eagles thus far it is unlikely. Still, the 2023 seventh round pick will have rights expire on June 1st according to PuckPedia and a decision needs to be made if he’s going to continue with the organization.

There are other options within the Eagles including forward Jake Wise who has been a standout with the team scoring 28 points including 13 goals in 43 games. He never signed a NHL contract despite being a 2018 third round selection by the Chicago Blackhawks, although due to just recently turning 25-years of age he’s aged out of ELC consideration and would have to sign a standard NHL contract. Still, Wise is a name to watch for in respect to a potential contract upgrade.

The Russians

This group is of the greatest interest due to talent level and potential NHL impact but is also the toughest to handicap because politics and financials are always at play. It is doubtful any Russians will get under NHL contract in the spring to finish out the current season especially with now the KHL extending contracts to May 31st. So, while March 1st and really the entire spring is not the time to watch for any Russian signing, this summer could bring several Russians over to begin their North American careers.

Goaltender Ilya Nabokov will be of primary interest here and indicators are he is still planning on joining the Avalanche organization. There may be a negotiation with respect to playing time and opportunity but if the netminder is agreeable to starting in the AHL, there could be a path forward for Nabokov as soon as next fall. His intentions should be known early in the summer.

Another name to watch is center Zakhar Bardakov, acquired in last year’s Kurtis MacDermid trade. He’s had a breakout season scoring 35 points including 17 goals in 49 games in his fourth year with SKA St. Petersburg and is believed to have an expiring KHL contract. Bardakov is a big body center with the net-front attributes the Avalanche could use. He could be the first and the most likely to play with the Avalanche of anyone in this entire group.

Rounding out the Russians, defenseman Mikhail Gulyayev is always of interest but with years left on his contract he isn’t expected to jump to North America quickly especially just to play in the AHL. Still, there’s always the possibility the 19-year old gets enticed to make the move especially with now how thin the Avalanche backend is. But he’s a name to watch more into the future.

Who would you like to see sign? Let us know in the comments.