It's been said so many times to this point that, much like beating a dead horse, it's become something of a tired joke - the Colorado Avalanche could use a defensive upgrade or three. In the days and weeks leading up to last season's NHL trade deadline, the Avalanche and GM Joe Sakic and head coach Patrick Roy were said to be hell-bent on making as many significant additions as they could to their beleaguered blueline. Unfortunately, Sakic, Roy and Co. weren't able to get much of meaning done then and now, about a month into the 2015-16 NHL season, the franchise reportedly remains focused on beefing up their defense.
And according to TSN's Bob McKenzie, they're believed to have interest in Edmonton Oilers veteran blueliner, Nikita Nikitin.
"Now, there are teams that have expressed some interest to the Oilers about Nikitin," said McKenzie, while appearing on TSN's Insider Trading on Tuesday, according to Todays Slap Shot. "And the Oilers would love better than to rid themselves of the contract. They recognize they may have to take some money back. But some of the teams that are interested - Nikitin hasn't played a lot down there. He had a work visa problem. He's only played several games in the American Hockey League.
"Once he gets back up to game speed, it's believed there are teams, including maybe the Colorado Avalanche, who have some interest in him."
While that doesn't make it sound like Sakic will be selling off the family farm in order to acquire Nikitin anytime soon, it is intriguing to hear a specific name tied to Colorado. The Avalanche, beyond budding star Erik Johnson and free agent addition Francois Beauchemain, are struggling defensively again this season. The entire Avs team still looks out of sorts and a far cry from the team that put together a surprisingly successful campaign in 2013-14, and while some issues, like the viability of Roy's dump and chase system, can be pointed to as a reason for the team's struggles, there's no denying that the blueline takes much of the blame for the team's early-season issues.
The Avs are currently sitting at 4-7-1 and squarely in the Central Division basement, thanks in large part to the 36 goals against they've allowed this season, good enough to be tied for 25th in the NHL. They're also surrendering about 30.3 shots per game.
Nikitin, though he struggled mightily last season and at the outset of this year, has apparently drawn quite a bit of trade interest already. Why? Because teams believe that playing outside of Edmonton may see his game take a turn for the better.
"But the teams that are interested in him want him to play some more games," McKenzie said on Edmonton's TSN 1260 on Thursday. "If they do invest in him, they want a player who's played a lot of hockey, not somebody who's just played a handful of games after being off for two weeks because of visa issues.
"The Oilers would basically have to be giving him away, but they'd be obviously getting some financial benefit to doing that."
If that sounds a little like Colorado - or any team that acquires Nikitin - suddenly hoping for a very unlikely career resurgence out of a guy whose proven, at the best of times, to be a fairly good, nowhere near great player, you're likely not far off. Nikitin averaged just over 23 minutes of ice time and managed seven goals in 2011-12 with the Columbus Blue Jackets, his best statistical season of his NHL career. Since then, he's hovered around three goals per season, with his average time on ice dropping during 2013-14 to 17:07, rising last season to 19:38 in 42 games for the Oilers.
In short, he's a mediocre player at best who doesn't elevate the play of those around him, but who could perform well as part of a bottom pairing. He's currently with the Oilers' AHL affiliate, but, as McKenzie notes, has only played appeared in a couple of games thanks to visa issues.
New Edmonton GM Peter Chiarelli has clearly signaled his disinterest in keeping Nikitin, but the issue will be finding a team willing to take on his $4.5 million salary for 2015-16.
Despite Colorado's hard-fought victory over the Calgary Flames on Tuesday, the Avalanche defense simply has not been up to snuff thus far this season. Nikitin, though he may not be the most exciting addition, would be a body with some potential upside that has, in the past, played some decent NHL hockey.
He's certainly not the answer to Avs fans prayers and he's certainly not the salve to cure what ails the struggling Colorado defense, but Sakic and Roy must weigh team improvement with limiting the surrender of valuable assets. And Nikitin, for good reason, likely won't cost all that much in trade.
