MacFarland on the Upcoming Trade Deadline

Prior to Monday night's game against Vegas at Ball Arena, Colorado Avalanche General Manager Chris MacFarland addressed the media ahead of the 2023 Trade Deadline (March 3 at 1 p.m. MT).
See below for the questions and responses from MacFarland's media availability:

There's been some big movement around the league among other teams, how does that change your approach if at all?
It doesn't change anything for us really. There's been some big trades. There's some series that are shaping out to be pretty exciting series, but it doesn't change our approach. We'll continue to monitor it throughout the next few days.
As you approach the next few days, what do you see as your biggest area of focus?
I don't think that we're focused in on any one positional silo for lack of a better term. If there's something that makes sense, whether it's forward a [defenseman] we'll look at it from multiple lenses as we always do. First and foremost, from the player's perspective, does it make us better? The cap, and that sort of thing.
If you don't add anything on the forward front, how comfortable are you with J.T. Compher at the second-line center position?
We're very comfortable, with not just J.T. [there], we've had Alex Newhook there, Evan Rodrigues has played there, Mikko Rantanen has slid in there. We have a lot of flexibility for [Avalanche Head Coach Jared Bednar] to utilize as he sees fit.
How much do you look at the Trade Deadline here having Erik Johnson [lower body] and Gabriel Landeskog [lower body] as your trade acquisitons, so to speak, for when they come back from injury?
I understand that thought. Gabe is our captain. He's a really important player for us in so many areas. He's missed the whole season so getting him back at any point in time is going to be a massive upgrade for us and really important in so many ways.
Erik, he played all year, we obviously miss him on the back end. Hopefully, we'll be able to get him back at some point.
Last year, your four Trade Deadline acquisitions were all on expiring deals and one of them had team control [Artturi Lehkonen, who was an RFA]. Is there any thought given the cap situation, to look at potential pieces this year that have term [in their contracts]?
You could look at it two ways. If they don't have term, depending on if the cap goes up, there could be advantages to that for us. If they do have term, then we have to look at how the puzzle pieces fit together and the impact on other things that we may look to do or not do. We've got to be careful based on the initial thought that the cap is going to go up a million dollars. That's not a real big chunk, so we have to be mindful of what we do in that regard if they do have term.
If it makes sense and it makes us better through all those lenses, then it's not something that we'll shy away from.
With Landeskog's injury and his return timeline, how optimistic are you that he'll be back back in the lineup before the end of the regular season?
That's a good question that our medical staff, the doctors and Gabe himself will control. He's a really important piece and we've missed him all year, but there's more info to glean as we move along here in the next few days and weeks.
With Landeskog and Johnson, do you feel like you need to come to a conclusion on their status for the regular season because of how it can affect what you can and cannot do in the next few days here before the deadline?
Yes, we'll have those discussions and we'll be able to gauge whether one of both of them are in that situation.
You're in a win-now window here, how do you balance bringing guys with making sure you aren't leveraging the future too much and have enough chips and pieces to replenish your own stock?
That's part of what our jobs are with [President of Hockey Operations Joe Sakic], [Assistant General Manager Kevin MacDonald] and our scouts. We have to have one eye on the now. This group has battled hard all year so I know their expectations are too continue to push the envelope and win again and do some damage. Hopefully, we'll find a way to do that.
But we've spent a lot of draft capital and prospects over the last few years. Fortunately, last year that paid off due to the job that our coaches and players did. But there's a lot of teams that are good hockey teams this year and are pushing chips to the middle. Only one team is going to be successful. I think we've got to be mindful of that with the capital that we've spent in the last few years, but if it makes sense, then we will strike.
Mikko Rantanen has talked about how important the front office values off-ice character, how has that aspect influenced this deadline?
That's not something that is just towards this deadline. That's something we try to live with everyday and every player that we sign as a free agent or look to acquire by a trade or waivers. Our leadership group does a great job. That's something that from draft to outside acquisitions is a part of our puzzle. Not only do we want to bring in good hockey players, but good people. That's been a key part of the last few years. On-ice character and off-ice character is certainly a part of that. Whether that incorporates conditioning, being a good teammate, taking care of yourself, everything that ties into that. I think our leadership group does a great job leading. The expectation is to win. I think that drives it.
How confident are you moving forward that this group is capable of repeating or challenging to repeat?
I have the utmost faith in our guys. This group - doing what they did last year - they've shown that they are a battle-tested group. They're going to work hard and they're going to give everything that they have to try and [win] again. It's not easy to do. If it was, everybody would figure out a way to do it. There's a lot of good hockey teams on both sides that have similar goals. Only one team does it. We really feel good about our group. They've battled a lot of adversity this year - like a lot of other teams - injuries are part of it. We think they've got the wherewithal to do some damage. We've just got to get one of those eight tickets.
Since being elevated to GM this year, how has your experience changed?
I'm on the phone with the other GMs whereas in the past, Joe certainly had those relationships so that's one thing that changed. I don't think in terms of being the GM, I'm still talking with Joe, Kevin and our scouts to see what makes sense and what doesn't. I think we all work together really well. It's certainly a team effort. That hasn't changed at all.
What was the purpose in doubling down on the goalie depth and acquiring Keith Kinkaid earlier this week?
For depth. Pavel Francouz is hurt here, that's another one that we have to monitor. In the playoffs, you carry three goalies. You bring a goalie with you on the road. We want to make sure that the [team's AHL affiliate the Colorado Eagles] are covered as well. You don't have an opportunity after Friday to really add a goaltender. We thought that made sense to give us some added depth and to protect us in that position. It's a finite number, right? We thought that it made sense to add a veteran guy that has experience at both levels and can chip in for both.
When you look at a potential to add a piece, how are you approaching the first round draft pick that you have since you don't have many draft picks after that?
First round picks are obviously high-octane assets so you want to be careful with them. But if it makes sense, it makes sense. I think that's the best way to look at it. You've seen some of the deals here recently that have happened and the players that we acquired using that time of an asset. They are big assets this time of year. We've used some draft capital in the past as you all know and pushed our chips into the middle last year in terms of picks and prospects so it's something that we talk about. But again, if it makes sense then we will look to improve the team.