Welcome to Evan’s mailbag, where each week Avalanche reporter Evan Rawal answers all your Avalanche- and hockey-related questions. Mailbag questions can be sent to.

Mittelstadt notched an assist in Saturday's 3-1 loss to the Bruins. Mittelstadt remains the second-line center for now, but things could change. The Avalanche are thin down the middle, but their trade that sent Mikko Rantanen to Carolina freed up cap space that could allow them to add a top-six forward.

Rantanen notched an assist, two blocked shots and two PIM in Thursday's 4-3 loss to the Oilers.

Colorado Avalanche forward Mikko Rantanen has started to play center a bit. Have started hearing that Casey Mittelstadt could become available ahead of the trade deadline.

Mikko Rantanen, the good solider and Nathan MacKinnon’s ... The Avs’ hottest line right now is its second one, with the trio of Jonathan Drouin, Casey Mittelstadt and Artturi Lehkonen accounting for four goals and 10 points against the Stars.

Jared Bednar has been known to rely heavily on his top forwards, often overplaying the top line to the point where some nights you wouldn't know the Avalanche were even dressing 12 forwards. That was not the case in Sunday's 5-4 win over the New York Rangers.

On the surface, the Colorado Avalanche made a pretty baffling decision last week (Jan. 24). Trading an in-his-prime franchise legend like Mikko Rantanen doesn’t usually go over well in the eyes of public opinion.

Elias Pettersson could be the odd man out in Vancouver. What does he bring, where could he land and what does Vancouver need?

Despite their climb back to the fringes of playoff contention, these Rangers remain fragile. That was certainly the case after another mistake – one that gives Panarin’s miscues against the Hurricanes a run for their money – resulted in the devastating defeat to Colorado.

The trade also features Martin Necas, a 2025 second-round pick and a 2026 fourth-round pick heading to Colorado, while Mikko Rantanen and Taylor Hall move to Carolina and Chicago retains 50 percent of Rantanen's salary and receives a 2025 third-round pick.

As NHLRumors.com has documented, Avalanche General Manager Chris MacFarland has been busy reshaping this roster. It started with the goaltending, bringing in Scott Wedgewood and Mackenzie Blackwood. Even with the upgrades in the goaltending position, the Avalanche felt they did a couple of seasons ago before they got Nazem Kadri.