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Colorado Re-Signs Tyson Jost

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Colorado has taken care of one of its restricted free agents as CapFriendly reports (Twitter link) that center Tyson Jost has accepted his qualifying offer.  That means he receives a one-year, one-way deal from the Avalanche worth $874,125.

The 22-year-old was a first-round pick of the Avs back in 2016 (10th overall) and while he made his NHL debut less than a year later, he has yet to become the impact forward they were hoping he’d be.  Instead, he has been a relatively consistent depth scorer, notching between 22 and 26 points in each of his first three full seasons.  Last year, Jost was in between those amounts, picking up eight goals and 15 assists in 67 games while his ice time dipped below 13 minutes for the first time in his career.  Things didn’t go much better in the playoffs either as he had just a single goal in a dozen contests.

Accordingly, it’s not surprising to see Jost settle for a one-year deal, even with it being at a pretty low price tag.  Without arbitration rights and the qualifier expiring today, there’s a chance that his contract could have checked in lower had Colorado tried to play hardball.  Instead, Jost will get another opportunity to try to play himself into a bigger role for his next trip through restricted free agency where he will have eligibility for salary arbitration.

With the signing, Colorado has nearly $6MM in cap space at their disposal, per CapFriendly.  However, a big chunk of that is likely heading for offseason acquisition Devon Toews.  The arbitration hearing for the defenseman is scheduled for October 31st.

Central Notes: Dumba, Honka, Colorado

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The Minnesota Wild have been quite aggressive in re-shaping their roster this season, which includes adding Marcus Johansson, Nick Bonino, Nick Bjugstadt and Cam Talbot, while also re-signing a number of key free agents and eliminating significant cap space. However, one move that hasn’t happened yet was the expected trade of defenseman Matt Dumba.

The Athletic’s Michael Russo (subscription required) writes that it might be a while before a trade for the blueliner is found. This is not the best time to find a trade partner with few teams ready to give Minnesota a significant return and a number of previously interested teams have already filled their need on defense. Russo suggests that one team that might still be interested is the Florida Panthers, who still need help on defense and have the prospects to make a deal happen.

Russo adds that he heard that Minnesota tried to pry Florida’s first-round pick from this year’s draft, who the Panthers used to select Anton Lundell, as part of a package for Dumba, which Florida rejected, but mainly because they wanted Lundell. Regardless, the Wild need to stay patient and hope it can find a match with Florida or any other team ready to get into the running.

  • The Athletic’s Sean Shapiro (subscription required) writes that Dallas Stars first-round pick Julius Honka, who didn’t sign as a restricted free-agent last summer and spent the season playing in Finland, is interested in returning to Dallas next season. The 24-year-old Honka’s rights are owned by the Stars until he turns 27, but despite demanding a trade last summer, he was forced to play in the Liiga and wasn’t necessarily a standout player there. Honka has played 87 career NHL games, but never was able to establish himself into the Stars’ defensive lineup. If he does opt to sign what would likely be a mininum-salaried deal, Honka would have to beat out a number of blueliners to get into the lineup, including Mark Pysyk, Taylor Fedun, Thomas Harley, Joel Hanley and Stephen Johns (assuming he returns to the team).
  • Colorado Hockey Now’s Adrian Dater (subscription required) writes that if the NHL is required to set up divisional bubbles next season as it is starting to look more and more likely that getting fans in the stands is looking less and less likely, then Colorado could be a likely candidate to host teams. In fact, Dater writes that he’s heard that the Pepsi Center, the Avalanche’s arena, is a leading candidate to be a host-city if the NHL opts to go that route, although it’s too soon to make a decision.

Avs Working On Bridge Deal For Tyson Jost

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  • Colorado is working on a two-year bridge deal for RFA center Tyson Jost, relays Adrian Dater of Colorado Hockey Now (via Twitter). The Avalanche drafted the 22-year-old tenth overall in 2016 but he has yet to become a productive player in the NHL.  Jost had eight goals and 15 assists in 67 games last season and has been between 22 and 26 points in each of his three full NHL campaigns.  Between that and Colorado’s pending stars needing new deals, a short-term pact to keep the AAV low makes a lot of sense.

Avalanche Begin Extension Talks With Gabriel Landeskog

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The Colorado Avalanche made a pair of big trades, acquiring Brandon Saad for Nikita Zadorov and adding Devon Toews, but have yet to make a meaningful addition from the free agent market this off-season. With nearly $7MM in cap space and only Toews and Tyson Jost in need of an extension before next season, the Avs have the room to make a move on the open market.

However, the team may already be looking ahead to next season and saving up cap space for some key players in need of new deals. Specifically, Ryan Clark of The Athletic reports that the Avalanche have already had preliminary talks with captain Gabriel Landeskog about an extension. Landeskog, still only 27, is entering his tenth season with Avalanche and the two sides are both hoping it won’t be the last. While he has been a reliable scorer throughout his career, Landeskog has scored at the highest clip of his career over the past two seasons and does not look to be slowing down. Forming an elite line with Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen and as the respected leader of the entire locker room, Landeskog has an undeniable fit in Colorado moving forward.

The question now is what the value of an extension will be and what the opinions are on both side. GM Joe Sakic himself stated to Clark that “everyone is just figuring out where the landscape is going to be”, alluding to the uncertainty of the salary cap and the free agent market moving forward. Beyond that, there are also injury concerns to worry about with Landeskog, which certainly won’t go away as he reaches the wrong side of 30. All signs point to Landeskog and the Avalanche figuring out a deal, and a long-term pact is likely, but there is work to be done to figure out a fair value given some questions about the future.

Colorado Avalanche Acquire Devon Toews

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Just two days after trading away Nikita Zadorov, the Colorado Avalanche have replaced him with a new top-six defenseman. The New York Islanders announced that they have traded Devon Toews to Colorado in exchange for second-round picks in 2021 and 2022. Toews is an unsigned restricted free agent.

Toews, 26, only broke into the NHL in 2018-19, but has made a great first impression. As a rookie, Toews recorded 18 points in 48 games, claimed a role on the power play, and held his own defensively in a third pair role. This past season, he showed even more growth. In 68 games, he improved to 28 points, made an even bigger impact on the power play, improved defensively, and along the way ended up earning a top-four role with over 20 minutes of ice time per game. A slick puck-mover with great hockey IQ, Toews is a well-rounded defenseman whose relative inexperience has kept him underrated compared to his actual ability. Even at the cost of two high picks, this seems like a shrewd deal by GM Joe Sakic.

Unfortunately for the Islanders, someone had to go and Toews fit the bill. Working with just under $9MM in cap space, the Islanders needed to re-sign core contributors Mathew Barzal and Ryan Pulock, as well as Toews. Trading away Toews, who had filed for salary arbitration, is now one less contract that the team needs to squeeze in. With their depth on defense – Pulock, Johnny Boychuk, Nick Leddy, Adam Pelech, Scott Mayfield, Thomas Hickey and prospects Sebastian Aho and Noah Dobson – Toews was expendable, even if he played a major role this season. In fact, it would not be a surprise to see another defenseman move as the Isles make an effort to re-sign Barzal and Pulock without damaging the roster too much.

Ryan Graves Agrees To Three-Year Contract With Colorado

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The Colorado Avalanche have announced a new three-year contract for Ryan Graves, one of their remaining restricted free agents. The contract will carry an average annual value of $3.16MM and remove the need for salary arbitration that Graves elected last week. CapFriendly provides the full breakdown:

  • 2020-21: $2.5MM
  • 2021-22: $3.0MM
  • 2022-23: $4.0MM

Though he doesn’t generate the headlines of Cale Makar or bring the experience of Erik Johnson, Graves proved this season to be an incredibly valuable piece on the Avalanche blue line. The 25-year-old led the entire league in +/- during his first full season in the NHL, finishing at a +40 in 69 games. That number represented his strong contribution at both ends of the rink, registering 26 points while also logging 150 blocked shots and 112 hits.

Graves, a fourth-round pick of the New York Rangers in 2013, ended up in the Colorado system following a 2018 trade that saw former top pick Chris Bigras head the other way. Almost immediately he made an impact at the AHL level and was playing in the NHL before the calendar year was up.

A fine skater even at 6’5″, Graves possesses a booming shot and has proven irreplaceable on the Colorado penalty kill. He averaged nearly three minutes a night short-handed, more than any other Avalanche player other than Johnson. For a team loaded with puck-movers and talented offensive weapons on the back end, Graves place as a more reliable defensive complement is secure.

Latest On Taylor Hall

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3:46 PM — NBC Sports’ Joe Haggerty reports that Boston has offered a short-term contract to bring in Hall. However, that could be a problem financially with the team still needing to sign Debrusk, Grzelcyk as well as bringing back Zdeno Chara.

3:08 PM — There are plenty of unrestricted free agent forwards parked, waiting for Taylor Hall to make a decision on where he intends to play next season. Hall, the top free agent forward on the market is considering short-term offers with contending teams and is hoping to take that and bet on himself to cash in on a bigger contract after the pandemic settles down.

While many were expecting that the Colorado Avalanche would be high-stakes players in landing Hall, that isn’t expected to happen now, according to Adrian Dater of ColoradoHockeyNow, who writes that with the acquisition of Brandon Saad from Chicago Saturday, it’s extremely unlikely the team will spend even more money on another high-priced forward, even on a short-term deal.

Saad’s acquisition likely fills the team’s need for forwards and it’s likely that if the team does go after another free agent, it’s going to be on defense. The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline also adds that the Columbus Blue Jackets are not likely a candidate to sign Hall despite the available cap room that the team has.

Dater writes that the two leading candidates to sign Hall are the Nashville Predators and the Boston Bruins.

Nashville makes sense as the team has traded away or bought out several players, including Nick Bonino, Kyle Turris and Austin Watson, while also allowing Mikael Granlund and Craig Smith to depart via free agency. The moves opens up a potential fit for the Predators. On top of that, Hall is believed to be close to both Ryan Ellis. The two played junior hockey together for three years and won a Memorial Cup together. He also has spent time playing alongside center Matt Duchene, who he played in the Ivan Hlinka and in U-18’s with.

Boston already signed Smith to a three-year deal, but the addition of Taylor Hall would be a big boost to the Bruins’ second line and for a big run with the veteran players they already have on board. The team does still have $11MM in cap space to work with, although they do have a number of restricted free agents to sign, including Jake Debrusk and Matt Grzelcyk.

Islanders Swap Kyle Burroughs To Colorado For A.J. Greer

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The New York Islanders have made a minor swap of players, sending defenseman Kyle Burroughs to the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for winger A.J. Greer, according to Newsday’s Andrew Gross.

With the swap, the Islanders add the 23-year-old Greer, who looks to be on the cusp of earning his way onto a team’s fourth line. The 6-foot-3, 210-pound winger is a restricted free agent, but has the potential to step into the Islanders line-up if the team doesn’t sign unrestricted free agents Matt Martin and Derick Brassard. A second-round pick in the 2015 draft, Greer spent the entire 2019-20 season with the Colorado Eagles in the AHL where he posted 16 goals, 32 points and 87 penalty minutes in 47 games. He has appeared in 37 career NHL games and could fill in on their well-known fourth line, if needed.

The Avalanche add some depth to their defense in bringing in Burroughs, who has yet to make his NHL debut. The 25-year-old blueliner has spent the last five seasons with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers of the AHL. Never a particularly offensive-minded player, Burroughs scored two goals and eight points in 58 games with 69 penalty minutes. He is likely earmarked to join recently acquired Dennis Gilbert with the Eagles to replace Anton Lindholm and Mark Alt.

Colorado Avalanche Trade Nikita Zadorov

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Who needs the free agent market anyway? The Colorado Avalanche have added to their forward group through trade, acquiring Brandon Saad from the Chicago Blackhawks. Sadd will come alongside prospect defenseman Dennis Gilbert in exchange for Nikita Zadorov and Anton Lindholm. The Blackhawks will also be retaining $1MM of Saad’s $6MM cap hit. Zadorov subsequently accepted his $3.2MM qualifying offer for 2020-21.

This is now the second time that Saad has been traded by Stan Bowman, who originally sent him to the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2015 only to reacquire him in 2017 (sending Artemi Panarin the other way). This time he’ll exit just a year away from unrestricted free agency as his six-year $36MM contract winds down.

It also comes after three somewhat disappointing seasons in Chicago, even if there’s not really a lot to complain about with the 27-year-old. Saad is an excellent player who racked up 62 goals and 115 points over those three years, but even more was expected of him after he reached the 30-goal and 50-point marks in Columbus.

Still, the other things that Saad brings to the table shouldn’t be overlooked. He is an excellent puck-retrieval option on the forecheck and protects it well once it is under his control. While he may not have the high-end playmaking ability that is required to be a real star in the NHL, he’ll be another weapon for the Avalanche to deploy in what is now one of the deepest attacks in the entire league.

Avalanche GM Joe Sakic touches on another important factor in the deal, telling Ryan S. Clark of The Athletic:

In Brandon we are acquiring a two-time Stanley Cup champion who brings veteran leadership and experience to our team. He is a proven goal scorer and at age 27, is in the prime of his career.

Saad had two Cups under his let by the time he was 23, averaging more than 20 minutes a game in the Blackhawks 2015 championship. That proven playoff experience is important to a team like Colorado that is attempting to get over the hump.

Not to be forgotten for Colorado is Gilbert, who is heading into the final year of his entry-level contract and played 21 games for the Blackhawks this season. The 2015 third-round pick spent three seasons at Notre Dame and though he doesn’t possess much offensive upside, will serve as some important depth for the Avalanche behind their star-studded blue line.

That blue line of course is losing Zadorov, who has been (rightly or wrongly) one of the faces of the Avalanche franchise since his acquisition in 2015. One of the main pieces in the trade that saw Ryan O’Reilly head to Buffalo, his explosive open-ice hits were immediately met with fanfare in Colorado.

Unfortunately, those hits weren’t surrounded by enough other skills to warrant the kind of ice time that he received early on. Zadorov never did put together much of an offensive game, scoring a career-high of 20 points in 2017-18 and was quickly passed by other more dynamic defensemen in the system. While he has remained a viable option, he was made a healthy scratch several times this season and was obviously headed towards a breakup with the organization

After accepting his $3.2MM qualifying off Zadorov will be well paid, and perhaps he can find a new level to his game. He is still only 25 and will certainly receive enough opportunity on a Blackhawks team that suddenly appears to be in something near rebuild-mode.

After letting Corey Crawford walk, Chicago is expected to go with a young tandem of Collin Delia and Malcolm Subban in net, and haven’t made any substantial additions to the roster through free agency. With just a few years left on the hefty contracts for Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane and Duncan Keith, a new reality is coming in Chicago.

Dan Milstein of Gold Star Hockey, Zadorov’s agent, actually broke the news on Twitter

Valeri Nichushkin Re-Signs With Colorado Avalanche

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The Colorado Avalanche have reached a new deal with restricted free agent Valeri Nichushkin, re-signing the big forward to a two-year contract. The deal will carry an average annual value of $2.5MM and PuckPedia reports that he’ll receive $2.2MM next season and $2.8MM in 2021-22.

Talk about getting your career back on track. The big Russian winger appeared to be on his way out of the NHL when the 2018-19 season ended without him scoring a single goal. Ten points, zero goals in 57 games was an incredible stat line for the tenth overall pick from 2013, and it actually earned Nichushkin a buyout of the final year of his contract with the Dallas Stars.

Off the scrap heap and into the lineup said Colorado GM Joe Sakic, who brought Nichuskin in on a one-year, $850K deal in late August. Not only did the 25-year-old find the back of the net (13 times), but he was also one of the best defensive wingers in the entire league in 2019-20, earning multiple Selke Trophy votes and finishing eighth (second among wingers, behind Mark Stone).

Nichushkin isn’t going to hit the ice beside Nathan MacKinnon and become a first-line player for the Avalanche, but he has become an integral piece of the machine. The fact that he won’t turn 26 until March and could potentially have his best hockey in front of him should be an exciting prospect for Colorado fans (and his agent).

He’ll be an unrestricted free agent when this contract expires and one of the youngest players on the market. Of course, the Avalanche could still extend him at some point if he continues to give them excellent results at both ends of the rink.

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