Drafting in the NHL is a brutal, unforgiving science. Especially when you’re the Colorado Avalanche and your championship window is cracked wide open. Most fans see Colorado Avalanche draft picks as secondary—basically just currency to be shipped off for the next veteran rental at the trade deadline. Honestly? They aren’t totally wrong.
But if you look closer at the 2024 and 2025 classes, there is a weird, fascinating shift happening. GM Chris MacFarland and his scouting staff aren't just throwing darts at a board; they’re hunting for very specific archetypes that fit a "Makar-speed" system. They need guys who can skate. If you can’t fly, you’re probably not wearing the "A" on your chest.
The Ilya Nabokov Gamble and the Goalie Pipeline
Let's talk about the 2024 draft for a second. The Avs didn't have a first-round pick because they traded it to Montreal in the Alex Newhook deal. So, they waited until the second round (38th overall) and grabbed Ilya Nabokov.
No, not that Nabokov. This kid is 22, which is ancient for a draft pick. Most teams want 18-year-olds they can mold. But Nabokov was already a playoff MVP in the KHL. He won the Gagarin Cup. He posted a .930 save percentage in Russia's top league. The Avalanche didn't want a "project"; they wanted a guy who could potentially challenge for a backup spot by 2026.
It was a bold move. They actually took three goalies in that 2024 draft: Nabokov, Louka Cloutier, and Ivan Yunin. It’s like they looked at the injury bug that keeps biting their crease and decided to just buy all the insurance policies at once.
What Happened to Calum Ritchie?
If you've been following the news, you know the Calum Ritchie situation still stings for some people. He was the crown jewel. Drafted 27th overall in 2023, he was supposed to be the future 2C. He even made the opening night roster in late 2024.
Then the trade deadline happened.
In March 2025, the Avs went "all-in" and sent Ritchie, Oliver Kylington, and a 2026 first-rounder to the New York Islanders for Brock Nelson and William Dufour. It was a massive shock.
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"You have to give to get," MacFarland said basically every time he was asked about it.
The reality is that championship teams trade their top prospects. It’s a bitter pill. Ritchie is currently lighting it up in the Islanders' system, and honestly, he looks like a future star. But for the Avs, the window is now. If Brock Nelson helps them get one more ring, nobody in Denver is going to care about a prospect they traded away.
The 2025 Class: Speed Over Everything
The 2025 NHL Draft in Los Angeles was a bit quieter for Colorado. They only walked away with three players:
- Francesco Dell’Elce (Defenseman, 3rd round)
- Linus Funck (Defenseman, 4th round)
- Nolan Roed (Forward, 7th round)
Dell’Elce is a name you should actually remember. He’s a puck-moving defenseman out of UMass who plays a style that is—dare I say it—a little bit like a budget Cale Makar. He led all UMass freshmen defensemen in scoring with 24 points. He’s 20 years old, so he’s another "older" pick meant to accelerate the timeline.
Then there’s Linus Funck. Beyond having the best name in the system, he’s a 6’3” right-shot defenseman from Sweden. Scouting director Nick Pryor was basically gushing about his mobility. Finding a guy that big who can actually transition the puck is a unicorn move.
Mikhail Gulyayev: The Last True Blue-Chipper?
With Ritchie gone, Mikhail Gulyayev is the undisputed #1 prospect in the system. Drafted 31st overall in 2023, he’s currently over in the KHL with Avangard Omsk.
People keep comparing him to Makar because he’s a bit undersized (5’10”) and skates like he’s on a motor. His coach in Russia, Guy Boucher, has been trying to temper the expectations. He’s been playing Gulyayev at forward sometimes just to use his speed.
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Gulyayev is signed in Russia through the end of the 2025-26 season. The plan? Bring him over to North America in late 2026. If his development keeps up, he could be the cheap, elite talent the Avs need to offset their massive salary cap hits for MacKinnon and Makar.
Colorado’s Deep-Cut Prospects (AHL/NCAA)
| Player | Position | Current Team | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gavin Brindley | Forward | Colorado Eagles (AHL) | Acquired from Columbus; High motor. |
| Sean Behrens | Defenseman | Colorado Eagles (AHL) | Coming off a massive knee injury. |
| Nikita Prishchepov | Forward | Colorado Eagles (AHL) | Gritty, 7th rounder who actually played NHL games. |
| Max Curran | Forward | Edmonton Oil Kings (WHL) | Only Avs prospect at the 2026 World Juniors. |
The "Fuck Them Picks" Mentality
There’s a meme in the Avalanche community about "Funck them picks"—a play on the name of their 2025 draft choice and the team's tendency to trade away every first-rounder they touch.
Since 2022, the Avs have been one of the most aggressive teams in the league. They traded a first-round pick for Casey Mittelstadt. They traded a first-round pick and Calum Ritchie for Brock Nelson. They even traded Charlie Coyle and Miles Wood in 2025 to land Gavin Brindley.
This creates a weird dynamic. The "prospect pool" is always ranked near the bottom of the league by experts like Scott Wheeler or Corey Pronman. But the team is always at the top of the standings.
Why the Strategy Works
Basically, the Avs use their draft picks as a way to "refresh" the roster with older, more NHL-ready talent rather than waiting five years for a teenager to grow up.
By drafting players like Nabokov (21 at the time) or Dell'Elce (20), they are cutting the development time in half. They don't have time for a kid to find himself in the minors. They need players who have already played against men in the KHL or the NCAA.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Avs' Pipeline
The biggest misconception is that the Avalanche have no talent coming up. That's just wrong. What they don't have is volume.
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They have high-quality, high-risk players like Gulyayev and Nabokov. They also have a knack for finding "heavy" players late in the draft. Take Nikita Prishchepov. He was a 217th overall pick (literally the end of the draft). Yet, he suited up for 10 NHL games in late 2024 and didn't look out of place.
They value "tenacity" and "motor." If you look at the 2025 seventh-round pick Nolan Roed, he was a captain in high school and a leader in the USHL. He’s not the most talented guy on the ice, but he’s the guy who wins the puck battle in the corner. That’s how you build a bottom-six.
The Next Steps for Colorado's Front Office
Looking ahead to the 2026 off-season, the Avalanche are in a strange spot. They have more cap clarity now that the Gabriel Landeskog LTIR situation is settled, but they are still low on draft capital.
If you're a fan, don't expect them to suddenly start hoarding picks. MacFarland has shown he will "look at every avenue." If a top-pairing defenseman becomes available, that 2027 first-rounder is as good as gone.
Keep an eye on Max Curran in the WHL. He’s a big, two-way center who has been thriving with the Edmonton Oil Kings. He might be the next "currency" used in a trade, or he might be the rare mid-round pick that actually makes the jump to Denver.
The goal in Colorado isn't to have the best farm system. It’s to keep the window open for as long as Nathan MacKinnon is in his prime. If that means trading away the future for the present, the Avs have proven they’ll pull the trigger every single time.
Key Actionable Insights:
- Watch the KHL: Mikhail Gulyayev and Ilya Nabokov are the two most important names in the system. Their arrival in North America in late 2026 will be the biggest storyline for the team's depth.
- Don't Get Attached: If a prospect isn't in the NHL by age 21, the Avalanche are highly likely to trade them for a veteran who can help right now.
- Focus on the NCAA: The Avs are increasingly using college picks (Dell'Elce, Roed, Fisher) to find mature players who can jump into the AHL faster than CHL prospects.
The strategy is clear: speed, maturity, and a total lack of sentimentality toward draft picks. It’s a high-stakes game, but with a Stanley Cup banner in the rafters from 2022, it’s hard to argue with the results.