Reason for optimism:Their rebuild went into full effect in the past four days. Their total haul in the three trades involving Duchene, Dzingel and Stone includes prospects
Erik Brannstrom
,
Vitaly Abramov
and
Jonathan Davidsson
, NHL forwards Anthony Duclair and Oscar Lindberg, a first-round pick in the 2019 or 2020 draft, a conditional first-round pick in 2020 (if Duchene re-signs with Columbus), two second-round picks in 2020 and a second-round pick in the 2021 draft.
Reason for concern: They couldn't convince Duchene, Stone or Dzingel to re-sign with them. Worse yet, they have to give the Avalanche their first-round pick in the 2019 draft, which could be the No. 1 selection, as part of the trade that saw them acquire Duchene last season.