The Colorado Avalanche may be losing some of their key free agents but at least one more depth player is sticking around. Darren Dreger of TSN tweets that the team is close to re-signing Darren Helm, and expects the deal to be similar to Andrew Cogliano’s one-year $1.25MM contract extension.
Helm, 35, came to the Avalanche this season after more than 700 games with the Detroit Red Wings and ended up lifting the Stanley Cup for the second time. The veteran forward had won it with the Red Wings in 2008, meaning there was a 14-year gap before he was able to hoist it again. While he was never expected to provide much offense, Avalanche fans will never forget the game-winning goal that Helm scored in game six against the St. Louis Blues. With just five seconds left in the game, he slapped a puck past Ville Husso to send Colorado to the Western Conference Finals.
For that goal alone he deserved an extension but there is still some game left in Helm, who will remain in a bottom-six role for Colorado next season. He and Cogliano make up a defensive duo that can be relied on late in games against the opponent’s best, while also chipping in a goal now and again at brilliant times.
With so much talent likely taking bigger paydays elsewhere, bringing back these reliable veterans will allow Colorado to maintain some of the depth advantage that they had this season.
He’ll be on waivers within 25 games…
The volume of hits in limited ice time makes this worth it, not to mention his leadership
Hands of cement
Good for Helm! He has become a hitting machine, was like that in his early days with Detroit, then he got the big contract and slowed down.