The downfall of Cooper Gay

· Yahoo Sports

Cooper Gay takes a shot against the Henderson Silver Knights on January 18, 2026. | Courtesy of Colorado Eagles

One player this season has fallen from grace in the Colorado Avalanche organization. Over the summer, we had ranked Cooper Gay at 15th on the Top 25 Under 25 and thoughts of him making his NHL debut. Now, the Avalanche may think otherwise. He was a prized free-agent signing, and now is unlikely to crack the lineup at the highest level.

Last Season

At the end of the 2024-25 season, Gay came into the organization with a splash. After being signed by the Avalanche on March 26, 2025, he reported to the Colorado Eagles on an amateur tryout. The Colorado Eagles slotted the former St. Thomas forward into the lineup for two games. Gay would score his first professional goal on his first shot in the AHL. He also brought a heavy presence to the lineup that had not really been there for the Eagles.

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This Season

It was thought that Gay was going to play a bottom-six role in the Eagles lineup this season, especially with Matt Stienburg out of the lineup. Unfortunately, he had a lower-body injury at the start of the season that kept him out until mid-December. At that point, the Eagles found it difficult to include him in the lineup, and they sent Gay down to the Utah Grizzlies. The Minnesota native played four games there on a conditioning stint, tallying two assists. The Avalanche recalled Gay to the Eagles on December 21st.

Since then, the Eagles have played 30 games (as of March 11th), putting him in only six of those games. He has managed one goal, but cannot gain any momentum without being in the lineup consistently. The Eagles currently have nine players out with injuries, so Gay could roll into the lineup a bit more. But the organization has made it clear what its intentions are with the 23-year-old. Indications are the Avs are going to burn the contract and not even use him in the AHL. He has one more year left on his entry-level deal, and for a kid that could even stay in the ECHL, or sit in the press box again, it might be a long year for him.

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