NHL Rumor Roundup: What's Next For The Avalanche? How Will Vegas Handle Cap Crunch?
The curse of the Presidents' Trophy continues as the Colorado Avalanche capped a dominant regular season by being swept from the Western Conference final by the Vegas Golden Knights.
That bitterly disappointing outcome quickly sparked conjecture about the Avalanche's off-season plans.
Whether Chris MacFarland will be carrying out those plans remains to be seen. The Avalanche GM is a finalist for the Jim Gregory NHL General Manager of the Year Award. However, Mark Lazerus of The Athletic indicated that multiple reports claimed that MacFarland could depart to become the head of hockey operations for the Nashville Predators.
Post-Mortem: Who Will Be The Colorado Avalanche's GM And Coach After Sweep?
Is firing coach Jared Bednar in the cards for the Colorado Avalanche after a humiliating sweep by the Vegas Golden Knights? Or are other changes in store for the Presidents' Trophy-winners?
Speaking of the Golden Knights, we recently mentioned how their off-season salary cap crunch could make scoring right winger Pavel Dorofeyev a tempting target for an offer sheet. They must also re-sign UFA-eligible defenseman Rasmus Andersson.
Harman Dayal of The Athletic included the Golden Knights on his list of teams whose limited salary-cap space for next season could cost them a player.
Dayal noted that the Golden Knights could have a projected $12.5 million in cap space if sidelined defenseman Alex Pietrangelo remains on long-term injury reserve. They can also exceed the cap by 10 percent during the off-season but must be cap-compliant at the start of the 2026-27 regular season.
That won't leave much for the Golden Knights to re-sign Dorofeyev and Andersson. Dayal suggested that Tomas Hertl could become a cost-cutting trade candidate. They're carrying $6.75 million of his $8,137,500 cap hit through 2029-30, with the San Jose Sharks carrying the rest.
Dayal believes the high demand for centers could make the 32-year-old Hertl an enticing trade target. However, he has a three-team approved trade list, which could significantly hamper efforts to move him unless he's willing to expand it.
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This story was originally published May 28, 2026 at 11:20 AM.