Avalanche GM Chris MacFarland says commitment from players led to trade frenzy
Mar 7, 2025, 3:56 PM
Colorado Avalanche GM Chris MacFarland met with the media on Friday afternoon after his active trade deadline.
MacFarland made three moves in the last 24 hours, adding Brock Nelson from the Islanders, Charlie Coyle from the Bruins and bringing Erik Johnson home from the Flyers.
The Avs had to part with key prospect Calum Ritchie, center Casey Mittelstadt and two premium picks to land Nelson and Coyle, but MacFarland is all-in on this season.
He knows guys like Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar are in championship windows right now, and Colorado has to maximize their opportunities to win multiple Stanley Cups.
“Yeah, I think there’s an expectation from the players, right? They’re committed, they’re dedicated on and off the ice. And I think sometimes it’s a more limited window, I think ours will hopefully be extended,” MacFarland said.
The window is now for the Avs, who last won a title in 2022. MacFarland ended up making nine trades throughout the season, continuing to tinker with his squad to make it the best it can be.
“We feel we have a good team. And their play, their on-ice play, merits those decisions year-to-year. Sometimes it’s limited, but hopefully our window is going to be pretty long here and doing what we did is a reflection of their commitment,” MacFarland said.
Basically, the GM is saying he owed it to Colorado’s superstars to give them the best chance to win it all this summer.
And bringing back the respected veteran Johnson, who was on the Cup team in 2022 and played 13 seasons in Colorado, was a no-brainer.
“You guys all know Erik. He’s still a big body, he still gets around okay out there,” MacFarland said. “A big body who’s played in big hockey games for us. We all know the bubbly personality and the energy that he brings in every single day.”
The price wasn’t steep for Johnson, parting with Givani Smith who had only skated in seven games this season.
“We thought bringing him in for the hockey reasons, and the familiarity and the off-ice reasons it just made too much sense,” MacFarland said of Johnson.
Overall, MacFarland has re-made this Avalanche team in a big way compared to what it looked like in September. And now, the hunt for the franchise’s fourth Stanley Cup can really begin.
