from Fluto Shinzawa of the Boston Globe,

For most of Sunday’s 18-minute second intermission, the Bruins general manager spoke to Colorado counterpart Joe Sakic in Section N24 of TD Garden’s press box. It’s unlikely they were comparing powder conditions between Boston and Denver.

Colorado’s season is over. On Sunday, while Sakic was in Boston, his team was in Brooklyn, losing to the Islanders by a 5-1 score. The Avalanche have mastered losing, just like ex-coach Patrick Roy had foreseen when he stepped away and said no thanks to flogging himself behind the Colorado bench in 2016-17.

Sakic, credentialed to be at the Garden alongside assistant GM Chris MacFarland and amateur scout Neil Shea, is the steward of the worst team in the league. The Avalanche have 32 points, putting them 28 out of a playoff spot in the Western Conference....

If the Bruins want to play big-name ball, it will cost them the standard package of young player, prospect, and pick. Players such as Ryan Spooner, Frank Vatrano, Peter Cehlarik, and Colin Miller are not likely to raise Sakic’s eyebrows when it comes to a significant deal.

Brandon Carlo, however, is a different story.

The Avalanche have some blue-line pieces in Tyson Barrie, Erik Johnson, Francois Beauchemin, and Nikita Zadorov. But part of the reason they’ve allowed a league-high 3.4 goals per game is because the defense remains under construction. Of all the areas they’d like to rebuild, the blue line is the Avalanche’s priority. Carlo would be squarely in their crosshairs.

Carlo is from Colorado Springs. But making a push for a hometown player is not the primary motivation behind Colorado’s interest.

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