​Recently in a series of press conferences, Colorado Avalanche GM Joe Sakic set up his offseason message to the fanbase and managed expectations about heading into the 2026-27 season with a worse roster on paper. The salary cap was blamed, naturally, but this year’s buzz words given in an attempt to soothe any worries were centered around an incoming youth movement to fill the gaps. “If we’ve got to start out with some kids this year to see what they got, what they can do, we’re perfectly happy with that as well.”— Joe SakicThe youth movement concept is great in theory. A rapidly aging roster is in need of an infusion of new faces, competitive energy and cheap contracts which will outperform their cost. Colorado would benefit from some younger players under their control in the short term even if they are starting with a group of kids that are closer to unrestricted free agency than drafted prospects would be. The Avalanche have also been missing the spark young players can provide plus the possible benefit of untapped upside. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementWho are the possibilities?It is interesting the youths Sakic mentions as having a chance to fill their roster holes at forward are all new to the organization which contain three players (Fedor Svechkov, Zach L’Heureux and Gavin Brindley) they acquired via trade within the last year (four if we include recently signed Fabian Lysell who is also in the mix), two recent college free agent signings (TJ Hughes and Matt DiMarsico) and one with obvious familial connections (Taylor Makar). The Avalanche have an uncanny ability to cycle through their options every two years, which is why last year’s crop of budding NHL forwards need not apply to the current opportunity at hand. Those who previously saw NHL action with the Avalanche include Ivan Ivan, Zakhar Bardakov, Chase Bradley, Jason Polin and Matt Stienburg, who all were not retained and signed elsewhere this summer. Those departures make sense as a player gets two years at most to hold the organization’s attention before their window of opportunity shuts, which is why a bunch of new options were needed for the next season’s experiment. Taylor Makar could be an exception if he makes the jump to the NHL permanently because he was drafted in 2021, though has only played one year of pro hockey so far. Since the Joe Sakic management era began in 2013 there hasn’t been an acquired player who was property of the organization longer than two years that developed internally and then went on to complete a full NHL season in Colorado. It is understood that the NHL is unforgiving and moves at a rapid pace but that timeline is a tough ask for development, especially in draft picks. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementWhat does giving opportunity really mean? This decade Logan O’Connor is the only developed forward who broke through to the Avalanche roster and the last of such graduation up front from the system since Mikko R