Colorado Avalanche Sign Brandon Kozun To PTO

The Colorado Avalanche have signed former Toronto Maple Leafs forward Brandon Kozun to a PTO, according to their training camp roster released yesterday. Kozun replaces Saku Maenalanen in camp, who Colorado released from his PTO yesterday after failing his physical.

Even diehard NHL fans might have a hard time remembering Kozun, a 2009 sixth-round pick of the Los Angeles Kings who eventually got his NHL shot with the Maple Leafs for 20 games in the 2014-15 season. A member of the now-forgotten pre-Auston Matthews era of Leafs hockey, the 5-foot-8 winger departed for Europe immediately after making his NHL debut, where he’s remained ever since.

Over the past eight seasons, Kozun has played exclusively in the KHL aside from the 2021-22 campaign, spent with the Swiss National League’s HC Ambrì-Piotta. He’s been rather productive in the process, recording 257 points in 347 games across stints with Jokerit Helsinki, Lokomotiv Yaroslavl, Metallurg Magnitogorsk, and Dinamo Minsk. Kozun was, at one point, one of the best North American skaters playing overseas – translating into an Olympic appearance for Team Canada at the 2018 Winter Olympics. There, he recorded two assists in five games.

Given that track record, although his production has begun to trail off slightly at age 33, there’s a decent shot of him earning a contract with AHL Colorado at a minimum. The team is a little short on veteran depth for their minor-league affiliate, especially with the news that offseason signing Chris Wagner will be out through the new year after sustaining an Achilles injury this summer.

It’s likely unreasonable to expect him to turn this PTO into adding to his career NHL games played total, but stranger things have happened, and the Avalanche are quickly garnering a reputation as an injury-prone squad. Kozun is coming off a 2022-23 campaign in which he captained Minsk and recorded 24 points in 41 games. Despite his size, he does play with an edge and is a skilled passer.