Mile High Pollster: Fans won’t be satisfied if Colorado is done dealing

A series of polls have been issued to Avs fans and the results are in!

We are just a couple of days from NHL Trade Deadline day, and this is the time of the year when things in the NHL really start to heat up. Everyone has their own opinion or vision of what their favorite team should or shouldn’t do, as more than 3⁄4 of the season has come and gone. I wanted to give a space for that opinion and see what my X followers were feeling and thinking about Colorado’s current state of affairs. Let’s look at how things went!

Buyers, sellers, or both?

I first wanted to discuss how fans wanted the Avalanche to address the deadline. It’s important to remember that when this poll was issued, the Avalanche were winless since the four nations break and hadn’t made the move that landed Vesey and Lindgren. Despite troubling times, 77% of fans still want to see the Avalanche lean into buying at the deadline.

A couple of participants pointed out that they don’t have to be one or the other in this scenario and that any good group should be combining selling overvalued assets and acquiring promising talent to help the here and now; like anything else, a balance should bring about the best results.

Is Cal Ritchie trade bait?

If the Avalanche want to do some improving, they don’t have many assets to deal with, but there is that kid who’s once again absolutely lighting it up in the OHL, and his name is Callum Ritchie. After a brief stint with the big boys, Colorado sent Cal back to the OHL, effectively safeguarding the first year of his ELC. As is, he’s Colorado’s best prospect, but his success likely won’t be realized soon. Still, fans, by a small margin, are leaning toward keeping Ritchie off the trade board.

I think the near 50/50 nature of this poll does say something about things right now. The Avalanche feel like contenders with the best forward in the world (Nathan MacKinnon) and the best defender (Cale Makar), but some fans aren’t sold on leveraging promising long-term assets. I attribute that to a very up-and-down/injury-riddled season and the changes this roster has undergone quickly. The whole goalie room was different in October, and the Avalanche are zeroing in on dressing 50 different players this season. Here’s Jackie’s take:

Will Gabe Landeskog play in the playoffs?

I hate this poll and its answer, but it’s still a question I must ask as we approach hockey in April. It feels like the Avalanche will again be without their captain for another entire season, and based on the overwhelming result, fans aren’t all that confident. 72% of fans think Gabe won’t play this postseason.

Did the Lindgren/Vessey trade move the needle?

Colorado has already made plenty of moves this season, and we got another one in the form of Juuso Parssinen and Calvin de Haan for Ryan Lindgren and Jimmy Vesey (with conditional second —and fourth-round picks in 2025). I wasn’t all that moved by the deal, although it feels like an attempt to bolster depth and find more grit and character in the bottom six and pairing.

It seems most fans agree that this either didn’t move the needle or, if it did, only kinda sorta. This deal could be a precursor to a much bigger move as we near the deadline. I think not much value was added or lost in this deal, but I would like to bring in more Grit x/60.

Are you satisfied if the Avalanche are done dealing?

This series of polls has led me to one final pondering. If the Avalanche look at their assets and roster and say, “I think we are good,” will you be satisfied? The proof is in the pudding, and if not making moves is the move that leads to Colorado hoisting soon, we’d all say we are satisfied. Without that crystal ball, we are left to sweat the small stuff. Are the Avalanche good enough as constructed or close enough to being genuine contenders to warrant an attack on the market? Or should they give it a go with what they’ve got and save some pennies for someday? Fans say to make your moves, and the time is now!

We will be live on the Mile High Hockey Lab in about 30 minutes, so head to our YouTube channel and tell us what you think of these polls in our live comments section! Thank you to those who contributed to the polls and followed up with comments. You’ll also get a shoutout on today’s show!