DALLAS — Avalanche defenseman Jan Hejda could be approaching his final days with the organization. Hejda, a 36-year-old pending unrestricted free agent, is expected to play Friday at Dallas and might again be in the lineup against the visiting Minnesota Wild on Saturday.

But if Colorado doesn’t win both games and falls further out of the playoff picture, expect Hejda to be moved to a playoff-bound team by Monday’s trade deadline.

The New York Rangers, looking for defensive depth for the playoffs, would likely have the most interest in Hejda as a playoff “rental.” The return for such a player typically is a prospect and/or draft pick.

“I’ve had a conversation with Jan, and explained it to him — that we like him a lot and that I just want him to focus on his game and don’t worry about the trades,” Avs coach Patrick Roy said Thursday.

Roy, who also serves as vice president of hockey operations, is working closely with general manager Joe Sakic and assistant GMs Greg Sherman and Craig Billington on the Avs’ two-game trip that began with Tuesday’s 5-2 loss at Nashville. Entering Thursday’s games, Colorado was seven points outside a Western Conference wild-card spot with 21 games remaining.

“I’d be lying if I said I’m not thinking about it,” Hejda said of a being traded by Monday’s deadline. “This is the hockey world. I’ve heard there are some teams interested in me, but it’s simple right now: I’m a Colorado Avalanche and want to win the Stanley Cup with the Colorado Avalanche. All I’m trying to think about is the next game here in Dallas, and the game after that against Minnesota. These are really big games for us.”

Trading Hejda and forward Daniel Briere, also a pending unrestricted free agent, would add future depth, free up cap space and allow prospects to get a feel for the NHL the rest of the season. Briere, who has been a healthy scratch the past six games, is scheduled to play against the Stars, temporarily replacing Paul Carey. Carey, 25, is pegged to replace Briere against the Wild in Denver.

“We’re always going to sit down — Joe and I — and see what’s available for us, see what we can do to make this team better,” Roy said. “Right now I’m focusing more on our games and how we want to play the next two games. Those two games are very important to us, and they could certainly give us an opportunity to get back in the (playoff) picture by playing well. If we can stay very close you never know what could happen.”

Hejda is in the final year of a $3.25 million annual salary and Briere has a $4 million cap hit. Injured defenseman Ryan Wilson ($2.37 million) is the Avs’ third big-money pending free agent who is not expected to be re-signed by Colorado.

Those three expiring contracts will give the Avs nearly $10 million in cap space to improve their blue-line corps when free agency opens July 1. Hejda turns 37 in June.

Mike Chambers: mchambers@denverpost.com or twitter.com/mikechambers

COLORADO AT DALLAS

6:30 p.m. Friday, ALT2; 104.3 FM

Spotlight on Jamie Benn: The Stars captain is riding an eight-game points streak (seven goals, six assists), currently the NHL’s longest. Since last month’s all-star break, Benn has a league-most 20 points (10 goals) in 15 games. Benn has heated up despite losing his regular center, high-scoring Tyler Seguin, to a leg injury Feb. 13. Benn has a team-high four points (four assists) against Colorado this season and has points in the teams’ last six meetings.

NOTEBOOK

• Avalanche: The Avs practiced Thursday at a suburban Dallas rink. … Semyon Varlamov will start in goal Friday. … Veteran forward Daniel Briere, 37, will return to the lineup for the first time since Feb. 12 and play on the fourth line. Paul Carey will be the lone healthy scratch against the Stars, but he is scheduled to replace Briere on Saturday in Denver against the Minnesota Wild. … Colorado is 4-0 against Dallas this season, winning 5-2, 4-3, 3-2 (shootout in Dallas) and 4-1. This is the teams’ second meeting in Dallas.

• Stars: They have lost their last four games and five of six, beginning with a 4-1 setback at Colorado on Feb. 14. Dallas is 1-4-1 since losing first-line center Tyler Seguin to a knee injury. … Goalie Kari Lehtonen will start Friday. … Dallas’ top two lines are Jason Spezza between wingers Erik Cole and Ales Hemsky and center Cody Eakin with Jamie Benn and Brett Ritchie. Rookie defenseman John Klingberg continues to play on the top pairing with Alex Goligoski. … Forward Patrick Eaves (concussion) won’t play Friday.

— Mike Chambers, The Denver Post