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Window Shopping: Should the Avalanche Trade Daniel Briere?

Aging winger Danny Briere's contract ends this season. Should the Avalanche move him at the deadline?

By A.J. Haefele
Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

Daniel Briere

#48 / Nacho-Eater / Colorado Avalanche

5'9"

174

Right

Age: 37

2014-2015 Cap Hit: $4,000,000
Contract Status: UFA end of this season


 GP G A P +/- PIM PPG SHG GWG GTG SOG PCT

2014-2015

47

8

3

11

-5

18

3

61

13.1

Who is Daniel Briere?

Danny Briere is a guy nearing the end of a storied career, one that might even be under-appreciated (thanks, Sandie!) by the masses. His career has been highlighted by so many great moments, especially in the postseason that I'll let the YouTube archive do all the talking here.

Why Daniel Briere?

Even at this age and in a limited role, Briere has been productive for the Avalanche. At this point he's completely one-dimensional and his age has stripped him of many of the gifts that propelled him to such a successful career despite being just 5'9" but in his short time in Colorado, you can see his hands still have the ability to change and/or decide games.

...and my personal favorite Briere-in-Colorado moment...

Briere was traded to Montreal largely because the Avalanche were desperate to unload the last two years of PA Parenteau's contract and they agree to take Briere's final year at $4M remaining. At this point in the season, over $2M of that salary has been paid out and the financial commitment that remains is minor at the most. Additionally, the Avs are unlikely to seek anything ridiculous like a 1st or 2nd round pick from Briere as he should be able to be had for anything in the middle rounds.

Why Not:

To be honest, I can't think of a single good reason for the Avalanche to hang on to Briere past the deadline. They're already sitting him in favor of guys like Marc-Andre Cliche, Paul Carey, and anybody else the team feels compelled to bring up from Lake Erie. The playoff experience that was so heavily touted upon his arrival has been rendered basically irrelevant as the Avalanche have fallen far enough out of the playoff race that they current have less than a 10% chance to make the postseason. Why not try to recover an asset for a player you're not interested in playing anymore?

I guess maybe if the Avs win their next 6 games before the deadline and end up 4 points out of a playoff spot they could probably talk themselves into it but outside of that...seriously trade him for basically anything you can get.

Final Verdict:

It's been real, Danny B but it's time you go somewhere that you can be utilized and appreciated in one last playoff run.