Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff reports the Colorado Avalanche have signed forward Jonathan Drouin to a one-year contract. A few moments later, Pierre LeBrun confirmed it would be a one-year deal for Drouin and Colorado with a salary of $2.5MM.
Although Drouin’s departure looked inevitable due to a dismal cap situation in Colorado, the two sides worked out an agreement even after Drouin was allowed to negotiate with other clubs. Drouin’s salary for the 2024-25 season is more than a 300% raise on his previous contract — and it still looks like a bargain for the Avalanche.
After falling out of the picture in Montreal, Drouin signed in Colorado on a one-year, $825K deal last summer to reunite with former Halifax teammate, Nathan MacKinnon. Turning out to be on one of the most valuable contracts in the league, Drouin rewarded the Avalanche’s confidence with 19 goals and 56 points during the 2023-24 regular season. Drouin missed a considerable amount of time in Colorado’s run through the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs but still managed to tally three assists in three games.
Drouin will have even more responsibility for the Avalanche this season as the team waits on the status of Valeri Nichushkin and Gabriel Landeskog. Nevertheless, he should find a home in the team’s top six and may even log the most minutes next to MacKinnon. If the team is content with Drouin next to their top talent, it could allow them to move Mikko Rantanen around the lineup to boost the other lines.
LOL How?
That is a great deal for the Avs and a smart deal for Drouin.
That’s a steal!
Great job by both sides to get a deal done.