Nelson's contract extension is a sign that these pending free agents won't return with the Avalanche
Photo credit: X.com / Colorado Avalanche
The Colorado Avalanche secured center Brock Nelson with a three-year deal on Wednesday, making him their second-highest-paid forward.
Although the team didn't disclose the average annual value, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported it to be $7.5 million per year.
Nelson's contract extension indicates that these pending free agents played their last game with the Avalanche.
Jonathan Tovell from Yahoo Sports writes that Nelson was one of seven pending unrestricted free agents the Avalanche needed to address after the season concluded. Now, according to PuckPedia, the team has about $1.2 million in cap space remaining.
"Unless they clear cap space elsewhere or put someone on long-term injured reserve next season, they can only sign one of their remaining pending free agents, which include Jonathan Drouin, Ryan Lindgren and RFA Sam Malinski. The Avalanche, can, however, exceed the cap by 10 percent in the off-season, as long as they are cap compliant when they begin the season." -Tovell
Colorado acquired Nelson to solidify the second-line center position for the future. He logged an average of 17:30 in ice time this season and skated alongside 32-year-old Gabriel Landeskog during the playoffs. Looking ahead, the team expects Nelson to maintain his offensive output through the 2027-28 season, possibly continuing as Landeskog's linemate.
"A healthy Landeskog and a newly extended Nelson give the team a strong second line, even if it does leave limited cap space to re-sign left winger Drouin, a frequent linemate of Nathan MacKinnon over the past two seasons." -Tovell
Drouin, 30, battled through several injuries this season and was primarily slotted on the second and third lines during the playoffs. He tallied three assists over seven games, while his average ice time dipped to 14:37.
Colorado will likely need to shed some salary in order to bring him back and stay under the cap.
| POLL | ||
JUIN 5 | 48 ANSWERS Nelson's contract extension is a sign that these pending free agents won't return with the Avalanche Which pending free agent do you think the Avalanche should sign next? | ||
| Jonathan Drouin | 11 | 22.9 % |
| Ryan Lindgren | 15 | 31.3 % |
| Sam Malinski | 22 | 45.8 % |
| List of polls | ||
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