As the Avs became healthier and stocked up at the NHL trade deadline, Brindley’s role was been greatly reduced and he has now been assigned to the AHL. His TOI was dipping below 10 minutes per game (below 5 minutes per game on some occasions) and his point generation suffered significantly as a result, so it’s probably best for Colorado and fantasy owners to let him rack up some minutes and points in the AHL for now. He will be the next man up if injuries hit again since his high-energy play can mesh anywhere in the lineup, but his output has proven to be very TOI-dependent.

After returning from his previous two-game injury, Brindley came back with his hottest streak yet: 5 points in 6 games. Unfortunately he subsequently suffered a lower-body injury which sidelined him for 10 more contests. He has two points in two games since then, but most importantly, his time on ice has hit a new level reaching over 15 minutes in both matches including a look in the top-six. If he manages to hold down a top-six role he has real scoring upside and would be able to produce fantasy-relevant SOG totals, if he can stay healthy.

Brindley has continued to be a solid depth NHL piece, and Colorado has extended him for two more years. He missed two games with an upper-body injury and his ice time is still low (roughly 10-11 minutes per night), but through 14 games he now has 5 points, 16 SOG and 12 hits making him borderline fantasy-worthy in very deep leagues. His regular usage is still purely on the 4th line, however he recently scored an OT goal on the ice with MacKinnon and Makar so we can hope that the coaching staff will be open to playing Brindley with some more talented linemates soon (especially now that h will be sticking around for two more years).

Brindley scored his first NHL goal in his third game with the Avs. He has passed the eye test so far with strong positioning in the offensive zone so the puck “follows him around”, but the fantasy output hasn’t kicked in yet with just two shots on goal in three contests and under nine minutes TOI so far. His strong start has likely secured his spot in the big leagues for a while even if he occasionally rotates out, but the real breakthrough will require him to see 3rd line minutes or better since he isn’t a peripheral stat producer.

The Columbus Blue Jackets traded Brindley to the Colorado Avalanche along with a third-round pick (77th overall) in the 2025 NHL Entry Draft and a conditional second-round pick in 2027 for veteran forwards Miles Wood and Charlie Coyle.