Arguably the top college free agent from this year’s crop was Minnesota captain Ben Meyers, and he has decided on where he’ll start his professional career. The Hobey Baker finalist has signed a two-year entry-level contract with the Colorado Avalanche which begins immediately, meaning he is eligible to play down the stretch but not in this year’s playoffs. The deal has a cap hit of $912,500, and the breakdown, per CapFriendly, is as follows:
2021-22: $807,500 base, $92,500 SB, $25,000 GP bonus
2022-23: $832,5000 base, $92,5000 SB, $212,500 Schedule ’A’ bonus
Burning the first year of the contract is an obvious selling point for the 23-year-old Meyers, who will become a restricted free agent following the 2022-23 season. Undrafted, he spent three years with the Golden Gophers, becoming one of the most reliable offensive players in the country. In 34 games this season he racked up 17 goals and 41 points, while also being selected to participate in the Olympics for Team USA. On the international stage he was a clear standout, scoring two goals and four points in four games.
Along with Wyatt Aamodt, who signed with the Avalanche earlier this week, Colorado has now brought in two of the captains from this year’s Frozen Four. While Aamodt is more of a depth play, Meyers is a legitimate NHL option right away and was being courted by nearly the entire league. In fact, he could actually see action in the next few weeks despite not being eligible for the playoffs. Colorado has ten games left in the regular season and could slot Meyers into the lineup to help them chase down the Presidents’ Trophy, which brings guaranteed home ice throughout the postseason.
While he wouldn’t be considered a power forward exactly, standing 5’11” and weighing 194-lbs, Meyers is certainly not a perimeter player. Willing to fight through traffic, play in front of the net, and battle in the corners, he’s exactly the kind of player that quickly becomes a fan favorite. That’s exactly what happened in Minnesota, where the Delano native became an alternate captain as a sophomore and one of the most beloved players at the top program by his junior year.
A top-three finish for the Hobey Baker this season capped off an incredible year, though the Gophers would eventually fall to Aamodt and the Minnesota State Mavericks before reaching the NCAA Championship game. With NHL interest likely at an all-time high, it makes sense for him to capitalize on the market and sign with a top NHL team. The Avalanche, of course, have a whole litany of pending unrestricted free agents upfront and could have a number of spots open next season. Nazem Kadri, Andre Burakovsky, Valeri Nichushkin, Darren Helm, Nico Sturm, and Andrew Cogliano are all set to hit the open market this summer, leaving an opportunity for a player like Meyers to grab a full-time spot.
I was really hoping and expecting him to land with the Wild.
I wasn’t expecting the Stars to be involved but I would have loved for us to land him. I may be way off-base here, but it seems like the Stars rarely dip into the college free agent class. So much so that when we signed Scheel (I was stoked) most Facebook comments were asking why and acting like depth and non 1st rounders don’t matter.
This guy looks he he could have been a potential Pavelski replacement.
Rads will be gone, Pavelski looks like he’ll go year to year with us but I don’t think anyone can realistically expect him to do what he’s done this year again, Raffl and Glendening could be replaced, Kivi should be an extra not really even a 4th liner… it just seems like there are quite a few college guys the last few years that could have helped us get younger and cheaper without getting worse.
The rich get richer!