Will Avs make any last trades on deadline day?
The Avalanche’s leading scorer isn’t on Twitter, so if the Avs add another scorer to help him out, he won’t be the first to know. Or the second, or third, or 500th, probably.
“Sometimes (trades) pop into the news, probably a little bit later than on Twitter,” Mikko Rantanen said. “Or I hear from other guys on the team.”
Still, he admits, NHL trade deadline week can a fun time of year even for those who don’t sit around refreshing their phones.
“I’ve got to say,” Rantanen said, “it’s a little bit exciting.”
Wednesday was a quintessential example of the whirlwind. Rantanen and his teammates had just gotten off the ice from morning skate when they learned about the organization’s biggest trade so far.
But they didn’t meet their new third-line center until they were back on the ice, in uniform, about to play a game. Lars Eller arrived at Ball Arena around 6:15 from the airport and had a quick introductory conversation with coach Jared Bednar on his way in.
“I asked him, ‘Hey listen, you feeling good? Do you want to play? If you’re not, it’s not going to affect my opinion of you,” Bednar said later. “And he felt good and wanted to play.”
So Eller threw on a uniform and joined the already-warming-up Avalanche on the ice. He had no prior connections to any of his new teammates.
“It’s been a weird day,” he said.
Eller was about to board the Capitals’ team bus to morning skate in Anaheim when he received the call that he was traded. He talked with Avalanche president of hockey operations Joe Sakic and general manager Chris Macfarland, both of whom asked him the same thing as Bednar: Any interest in debuting right away? “Yeah, absolutely,” he told them.
His excitement level was still high, even after a mentally and physically exhausting 7-5 loss to New Jersey.
“I knew I was one of the guys (Washington) had available to move,” Eller said. “There were a bunch of teams interested. I was kind of hoping it was going to be here.”
His addition plugs a hole that Colorado needed to patch: depth in the middle of the ice and faceoff capabilities eclipsing 50%. (Eller is 54.5%.)
He’s not a scorer, however. So there remains a defensible case that he’s not enough and Colorado needs more — whether that’s a second-line center, a goal-producing wing to aid Rantanen, or another blueliner with finishing ability.
It’s important to note that Macfarland, asked by The Post this week if he’s comfortable with J.T. Compher as a playoff 2C, offered a vote of confidence. “We’ve got a lot of flexibility in the middle of the ice,” he said.
Do the Avs have any last tricks up their sleeve before the Friday 1 p.m. trade deadline? Macfarland’s five trades have been belowthe-line maneuvers. If he is to strike again, here are the biggest names remaining in the last 24 hours before the deadline.
James van Riemsdyk: Veteran wing whose scoring is down this season in Philadelphia. Rental at $7 million.
Nick Schmaltz: Pointper-game center. Price would be high — maybe even Alex Newhook high. Became tougher to justify after Schmaltz exited Wednesday’s game with an injury.
Kevin Hayes: Another Flyer. Their second-leading scorer. And like Schmaltz, a center with three more years on his contract.
Max Domi: If the Blackhawks feel fleeced over Patrick Kane, maybe they’ll trade one more rental for redemption.
John Klingberg: The best remaining defenseman, if Colorado feels so inclined. Another $7 million pending UFA.