Avalanche Offseason 2012: Jean-Sebastien Giguere Agrees To 1- Year Extension

• 10 months ago
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Jean-Sebastien Giguere Signs 1-Year Extension With Colorado Avalanche

The Colorado Avalanche have reached an agreement on Monday to extend the contract of Jean-Sebastien Giguere for one year, and the extension is reportedly worth $1.5 million for the 35-year-old goalie. According to CapGeek.com, Giguere has a no-move clause in the deal.

Though aging, Giguere went 15-11-3 last year in his first season with the Avalanche, and he recorded a save percentage of .919 in 30 starts. He also had a goals-against average of 2.27 and had two shutouts on the season.

The Montreal, Quebec, native split time at goalie with 24-year-old Semyon Varlamov for Colorado in 2011-12.

Giguere has a career record of 246-206-45 in his 14 NHL seasons, most of which were spent with the Anaheim Ducks. The experienced vet has played in 557 games in his career with 524 starts and 36 shutouts to his name. Drafted 13th by the Carolina Hurricanes in 1995, he's also played for the Calgary Flames and Toronto Maple Leafs.

For more on the Colorado Avalanche, head over to Mile High Hockey. More on NHL free agency and the rest of the hockey world can be found at SB Nation's NHL hub.

• 11 months ago
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2012 NHL Free Agency: Ryan O'Reilly Still Unsigned, Matt Duchene Contract Possibly To Blame

Ryan O'Reilly remains the only restricted free agent on the Colorado Avalanche that has not yet been signed to a new contract. He became the last man standing when Jamie McGinn got a two year, $3.5 million contract.

A deal for O'Reilly was expected to be made after Matt Duchene got re-signed, with the terms of that contract being a start point for the slightly less talented but similarly productive O'Reilly. Duchene ended up signing for two years and $7 million, which at the time was perceived to be a hometown discount sort of price for a guy with Duchene's high potential.

Adrian Dater of the Denver Post thinks that Duchene's contract might be holding up an O'Reilly deal because he signed for so much less than expected:

Here’s a question: Did Matt Duchene’s two-year, $7 million contract hurt O’Reilly’s leverage at all? After all, he and Duchene came into the league the same year, and Duchene put up a lot more points in those first two years than O’Reilly. O’Reilly had the better third year, for sure, but now that a marketplace has been set on the Avs for a player of O’Reilly’s "comparables", has it made things tougher for what he and his agent might have desired on a new deal?

It won't be a problem unless the re-signing saga continues to go until September or so, the two sides still have two months to work out a deal and there's very little chance that the Avalanche don't keep their talented young center. Right now, the news on a possible deal is slow but there's not much else for them to take care of this off season.

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• 11 months ago
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Avalanche Offseason 2012: Forward Jamie McGinn Agrees To Two-Year Contract

The Colorado Avalanche have officially come to terms with restricted free agent winger Jamie McGinn on a two year deal valued at $3.5million. McGinn was initially reported to be heading to salary arbitration.

Adrian Dater of the Denver Post confirms the specifics of the deal.

Jamie McGinn will make $1.65 million this year, $1.85 million the second year

— adater (@adater) July 13, 2012

McGinn, 23, enjoyed a breakout 2011-2012 season with the San Jose Sharks by scoring 12 goals in just 61 games. The Colorado Avalanche acquired him at the trade deadline in exchange for forwards Daniel Winnik and TJ Galiardi, and McGinn had a terrific finish to the season while wearing an Avalanche sweater.

With eight goals and 13 points during the final 17 games of the year, McGinn ensured himself of a solid payday with Colorado. The two year deal allows him some financial security, and gives the Avalanche a young, cost controlled winger that could score 15 or more goals in a season.

With the signing, center Ryan O'Reilly remains the final restricted free agent yet to be signed for 2012-2013.

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• 11 months ago
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NHL Free Agency 2012: Peter Mueller Agrees To Terms With Florida Panthers

Peter Mueller, who Colorado Avalanche, for parts of the last three seasons, has agreed to a one-year contract with the Florida Panthers worth $1,725,000.

• 11 months ago
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NHL Free Agency: Shane Doan Unlikely To Sign With Avalanche

Long time Phoenix Coyotes captain Shane Doan has been linked with several different NHL teams since the start of NHL Free Agency, and the Colorado Avalanche have been among them. It made sense, Doan is a veteran and solid player on the ice, who could provide a bit of backbone to the young core that the Avs have put together in the past few years.

Unfortunately, Adrian Dater of the Denver Post made it clear in a Monday article that Doan will most likely not be an Av when it's all said and done. According to Dater, Doan is being linked most heavily at the moment with the San Jose Sharks:

Judging by Bross’s words tonight, Doan may have most interest in signing with the San Jose Sharks. In an email interview with San Jose Mercury News Sharks beat writer David Pollak, Bross said there is "strong mutual interest" between Doan and the Sharks, and that a decision to sign could come Tuesday.

Things may change, but at this point, it seems unlikely we’ll say "Doan Deal" on the Coyotes captain becoming an Av.

With Doan gone and Alexander Semin looking just as unlikely to sign for Colorado, it looks like the Avs are done with any bigger name signings in this season's free agency period unless they pull off a big trade.

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• 12 months ago
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NHL Free Agency 2012: Ryan Stoa Signs 1-Year Deal With Washington Capitals

Ryan Stoa, the 34th overall pick of the Colorado Avalanche in the 2005 NHL Draft, has agreed to a one-year, two-way deal with the Washington Capitals. Despite being a second-round pick, Stoa only played 37 games for the Avalanche in his career with the franchise. Twelve of those came during the 2009-2010 season, and the other 25 came in the 2010-2011 season, with Stoa tallying two goals and two assists. In his pro career, the winger has collected seven points.

Stoa spent all of last season in the AHL with the Lake Erie Monsters, where he tallied 16 goals and 20 assists in 75 games. At 6-foot-3 and 200 pounds, Stoa does have good size for a forward, and the Capitals are banking on there still being some potential left to be extracted.

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• 12 months ago
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Avalanche Free Agency: Colorado Forward Jamie McGinn Files For Salary Arbitration

Colorado Avalanche restricted free agent Jamie McGinn is one of 16 NHL players to file for salary arbitration. The 23-year-old winger came to Colorado from San Jose at the trade deadline and scored eight goals in 17 games with the Avalanche in 2012.

Related: Avalanche Free Agency 2012: RW Bill Thomas Signs With Colorado

Including his totals with San Jose, McGinn collected 37 points (20 G, 17 A) in 78 games during the 2011-12 season. He set career highs in games played, goals, assists and points.

Prior to coming over to the Avs, McGinn spent 3+ seasons with the Sharks. He has appeared in a total of 221 NHL games over the course of his career and scored 35 goals.

His NHL contract was worth $680,000 during 2011-12.

For updates, stay tuned to SB Nation Denver. For more on the Avalanche, visit Mile High Hockey. Head over to SB Nation NHL for more news and notes around the league.

• 12 months ago
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Avalanche Free Agency 2012: RW Bill Thomas Signs With Colorado

With most of the NHL still waiting for LW Zach Parise to decide on his next team, the free agent market for players has been an uncharacteristically ice cold. But that did not stop the Colorado Avalanche from adding some depth on Tuesday afternoon as they added RW Bill Thomas, according to Brennan Klak of NHL Update:

Avalanche sign Bill Thomas

— Brennan Klak (@nhlupdate) July 3, 2012

Thomas has played for the Phoenix Coyotes, Pittsburgh Penguins and the Florida Panthers throughout his six-season NHL career. In the 2011-12 season, he appeared in only 7 games for the Panthers, scoring 1 goal on 9 shots.

He also spent the 2010 season with HC Lugano of the Swiss pro hockey league National League A. And in 53 games with the Rochester Americans in the 2010-11 AHL season, Thomas scored 16 goals and 36 points.

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• 12 months ago
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Avalanche Free Agency 2012: Zach Parise Signing Delaying The Free Agent Market

The Minnesota Star Tribune is reporting that premier free agent LW Zach Parise has not yet made a decision, and he appears to be in no rush to do so:

Parise said he has no timetable for making a decision.

He said it is about "so much more than the money. That plays a very small part in it."

The Colorado Avalanche may not be in the hunt for the free agent winger, but the team appears unable to move without the first proverbial chip to falling. With so many teams interested in both Parise and D Ryan Suter, the Avalanche find few players willing to negotiate in the unsettled market.

Colorado is considered a candidate for pursuing LW Alexander Semin as well as free agent D Matt Carle, but Parise and Suter will presumably set the market by which the other players will measure their own contract demands. And with them yet-signed, the Avalanche will have to be content with waiting.

Of course, with so much room under the cap available to the Avalanche, they could be going for Parise themselves and keeping this whole mess going. Who knows?

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• 12 months ago
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Erik Johnson Signing: Avalanche Sign Defenseman To 4-Year, $15 Million Deal

The Colorado Avalanche announced on Tuesday they signed defenseman Erik Johnson to a four-year contract that runs through the 2015-16 season. The 24-year-old silver medal winner from the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver scored 26 points for Colorado in 2012 -- four goals and 22 assists -- and holds 127 total points over 298 career games in the NHL.

Avalanche General Manager/Executive Vice President Greg Sherman had this to say about the signing to the team website:

"Since Erik's arrival in Colorado, he has provided stability, size and an offensive presence to our blueline. At only 24 years of age, we believe that Erik will continue to grow his game and we are thrilled to have him under contract."

Terms of the deal have not been disclosed by the team, but The Denver Post has announced the contract is worth $15 million over four years:

ALERT: The #Avalanche have signed defenseman Erik Johnson to a four-year contract worth $15 million. dpo.st/N8tkON

— Denver Post Sports (@DenverSportNews) July 3, 2012

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• 12 months ago
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Avalanche Free Agency 2012: Colorado Adds D Thomas Pock, According To Report

The Colorado Avalanche must believe it's never a bad thing to have too many defenders. With Jan Hejda recovering from wrist surgery but expected to be ready for the season, the Avalanche added their second free agent defenseman since signings got under way on July 1. The team has signed Thomas Pock to a two-way, one-year contract, according to Brennan Klak:

Avalanche sign Thomas Pock to a one year deal

— Brennan Klak (@nhlupdate) July 2, 2012

Pock join Greg Zanon as the newest member of the Colorado Avalanche, but Pock is almost certainly going to play for the Lake Erie Monsters this coming season.

Pock has not played in the NHL since 2008-09, skating in 59 games for the New York Islanders. He spent the previous four seasons as a member of the New York Rangers organization, but only played one season of more than eight games. In 2006-07, Pock appeared in 44 games for the Blueshirts.

As Mile High Hockey points out, Pock most recently played for MODO in the Swedish Elite League. Former Avalanche star Peter Forsberg is a member of the front office there.

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• 12 months ago
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Avalanche Free Agency: GM Greg Sherman Talks About Restricted Free Agents Erik Johnson, Ryan O'Reilly

The Colorado Avalanche offseason has progressed at a rapid pace, with the team signing a slew contracts over the previous week. But one front that has seen little movement is that of the restricted free agents Ryan O'Reilly, Erik Johnson and Jamie McGinn. GM Greg Sherman spoke with the Denver Post recently about the trio of unsigned players, saying they are still in the discussion stage:

"From my perspective, we’ve been having ongoing discussions with the agents for both [O'Reilly and Johnson], for all of our restricted guys. As you know, we’ve been able to sign several of our restricted guys over the last month here, and our goals are the same ultimately for Erik, for Ryan and Jamie as we move here into July."

The Avalanche finished the 2011-12 season with a 41-35-6 record, but missed the playoffs with a total of 88 points.

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• 12 months ago
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Avalanche Free Agency: Colorado Signs Forward Bryan Lerg To 1-Year Deal

The Colorado Avalanche and forward Bryan Lerg have agreed to terms on a one-year, two-way contract, according to Renauld P. Lavoie of Canada's Réseau des sports.

Bryan Lerg sign a one year contract with Avalanche / $525 000 (2 way)

— Renaud P Lavoie (@RenLavoieRDS) July 2, 2012

Related: Avalanche Free Agency: Colorado Signs P.A. Parenteau To 4-Year, $16 Million Contract

Lerg spent the 2011-12 season with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the American Hockey League; he had 27 goals and 26 assists in 70 games. Lerg has spent the last five seasons in the minor leagues, most of them in the AHL.

Prior to his professional career, Lerg played at Michigan State, where he helped the Spartans win a national championship.

For updates on the Avs' offseason, stay tuned to SB Nation Denver. For more coverage, visit our Avalanche blog Mile High Hockey. For more news and notes around the league, head over to SB Nation NHL.

• 12 months ago
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Avalanche Free Agency: Colorado Signs D Greg Zanon To 2-Year Deal, According To Report

The Colorado Avalanche lost out on defenseman Matt Carkner on Day 1 of NHL free agency, but they quickly swooped in after that to pick up Greg Zanon, formerly of the Boston Bruins, according to TSN's Bob McKenzie:

COL's deal with Greg Zanon is two years, $4.5m total.

— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) July 1, 2012

Zanon split the 2011-12 season first with the Minnesota Wild before a trade to the Boston Bruins. He totaled three goals and eight points in 56 games between the two teams. He had just 18 penalty minutes and posted a plus/minus of plus-three.

His best season came in 2009-10 when he had 13 assists and 15 points in 81 games.

Matt Duchene has already welcomed his newest teammate to the Mile High City by doing so on Twitter.

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• 12 months ago
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2012 NHL Free Agency: Matt Carkner Spurns Avalanche, Signs With Islanders, According To Report

The Colorado Avalanche appeared close to signing defenseman Matt Carkner on Sunday shortly after free agency began at 10:00 a.m. MT. The team even went on Twitter to announce that they had agreed to terms with him (the tweet no longer exists as of this writing). However, Carkner apparently had second thoughts about coming to the Mile High City and has decided to head to the New York Islanders for three years, according to Aaron Ward:

Matt Carkner 3 yrs to Isles. #TSN

— Aaron Ward (@aaronward_nhl) July 1, 2012

Carkner has amassed 361 penalty minutes over three-plus season in the NHL, but he has played in just one full season. Back in 2009-10, Carkner played in 81 games, tallied 11 points and had 190 penalty minutes.

All in all, this isn't a huge loss.

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• 12 months ago
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NHL Free Agency 2012: Avalanche C Sign John Mitchell, According To Report

The Colorado Avalanche have plenty of cap space to spend during free agency, which opened at 10:00 a.m. MT, and the team's first move was to sign John Mitchell, a center who played for the New York Rangers this past season, according to TSN's Darren Dreger:

John Mitchell gets $1.1 million per year. $2.2 total in Colorado.

— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) July 1, 2012

He scored five goals and totaled 16 points this past season. This was his fourth year in the league after playing the first three with the Toronto Maple Leafs. His best season was his rookie one back in 2008-09 when he scored 12 goals and tallied 29 points.

The Avalanche are also close to a deal with defenseman Matt Carkner, according to the Denver Post's Adrian Dater.

For more coverage, visit our Avalanche blog Mile High Hockey. For more news and notes around the league, head over to SB Nation NHL.

• 12 months ago
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Avalanche 2012 Free Agency: Mark Olver Signs 2-Year Deal With Colorado, According To Report

Renaud P Lavoie of RDS.ca is reporting the Colorado Avalanche have re-signed C Mark Olver to a two year deal:

Avalanche signs Mark Olver 2012-13 $550 000 (2 way) 2013-14 $650 000 (one way)

— Renaud P Lavoie (@RenLavoieRDS) July 1, 2012

The 24-year-old Olver has played 42 games in his NHL career, and he has a total of 6 goals and 16 points in his combined 525 minutes on ice. In the 2011-12 NHL season, Olver played in 24 games and had a team-leading 16.0% shooting percentage, scoring 4 goals on 25 shots.

The two-way contract for Olver means he will earn $550,000 while up with the NHL club, but will earn a different, lower salary when in the minors for the extent of the 2012-13 season.

For updates on the Avs offseason, stay tuned to SB Nation Denver. For more coverage,visit our Avalanche blog Mile High Hockey. For more news and notes from around the league, head over to SB Nation NHL.

• 12 months ago
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Avalanche Offseason 2012: Could Alexander Semin Be An Option?

With the Colorado Avalanche able to be big spenders when free agency begins on July 1, there are many different options the franchise could look at. While different names have been mentioned as potential targets, Adrian Dater of The Denver Post recently discussed Alexander Semin as an option for the Avs:

But what about Alexander Semin of the Capitals? He has contributed to the "Enigmatic Russian" image that continues to dog them throughout the NHL. He has often been criticized as lazy, with one former Caps teammate, Matt Bradley, out and out saying he "just doesn’t care."

Despite some of the negative labels that Semin has garnered throughout his career, Dater points out that his production has been outstanding and that he fits a direct need for the Avalanche:

I’ve seen the numbers: 408 points in 469 career NHL games. Very good in today’s day and age. The Avs need more scoring. They need help on the wing. Semin is listed as a right wing, but apparently he’s played some on the left side. It looks like it would make a lot of sense.

For updates on the Avs offseason, stay tuned to SB Nation Denver. For more coverage,visit our Avalanche blog Mile High Hockey. For more news and notes from around the league, head over to SB Nation NHL.

• 12 months ago
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Shane O'Brien Re-Signs With Colorado For 3 Years, $6 Million

The latest news from the Denver Post's Adrian Dater is that the Colorado Avalanche has secured a return of D Shane O'Brien:

Avs sign Shane O'Brien to three-year, $6 million deal, per Denver Post

— adater (@adater) June 26, 2012

O'Brien played 76 games with the Avs in the 2011-12 NHL season, averaging almost 20 minutes per game. According to Dater, the contract will be for increasing amounts of money per season -- $1.8 million, $2.0 million and $2.2 million in years 1, 2 and 3.

Here is a look at O'Brien's stats from the 2011-12 season:

For updates on the Avs offseason, stay tuned to SB Nation Denver. For more coverage, visit our Avalanche blog Mile High Hockey. For more news and notes from around the league, head over to SB Nation NHL.

• 12 months ago
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Ryan Wilson Contract: Defenseman Signs 3-Year Deal With Avalanche

The Colorado Avalanche announced Monday that they have signed defenseman Ryan Wilson to a three-year contract. Terms of the deal were not disclosed by the organization.

"Ryan brings an element that compliments our defense," said Avalanche General Manager/ Executive Vice President Greg Sherman. "We are pleased to sign him to a multi-year deal and look forward to seeing him at camp."

Related: Matt Duchene Signs 2-Year Contract With Colorado Avalanche

Wilson played in 59 games for Colorado during the 2011-12 season and racked up a career-high 20 assists. He finished the season +11. Wilson was acquired from Calgary in 2009.

The Avalanche also signed Patrick Bordeleau and David Van Der Gulik on Monday -- both received one-year deals.

For updates on the Avs offseason, stay tuned to SB Nation Denver. For more coverage, visit our Avalanche blog Mile High Hockey. For more news and notes from around the league, head over to SB Nation NHL.

• about 1 year ago
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Avalanche Offseason 2012: Odds For 2013 Stanley Cup Released

With the LA Kings winning the Stanley Cup on Monday night, the focus now turns to the 2012-13 season.

Bovada.lv has released its odds on the 2013 Stanley Cup winner, and the Avalanche come in an expected position at 40/1 odds to win it all.

The Pittsburgh Penguins are the favorite, coming in at 7/1. Behind the Pens are the defending champion Kings at 11/1. At 40/1, the Avalanche are tied for 19th, along with Dallas Stars, Ottawa Senators, Phoenix Coyotes and Winnipeg Jets.

This past season, Colorado finished 12th in the Western Conference with a 41-35-6 record. They were two points behind the Calgary Flames for second place in the Northwest Division. The Avs are actually second in the division in terms of 2013 Cup odds, only behind the Vancouver Canucks, who are 12/1 odds to win it.

• about 1 year ago
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Avalanche Offseason 2012: Matt Hunwick Signs Two Year Deal With Colorado

The Colorado Avalanche must be happy with the construction of last season's team that just missed the postseason, because they are working hard to keep the entire group together.

On the same day that winger David Jones signed a four year contract valued at $16 million, the Avalanche have re-signed impending unrestricted free agent defenseman Matt Hunwick to a two year contract valued at $3.2 million, according to Adrian Dater of the Denver Post..

Hunwick, 27, was acquired in December 2010 via trade with the Boston Bruins in exchange for defensive prospect Colby Cohen. After a miserable 2010-2011 season, Hunwick was a healthy scratch for much of the first half of the 2011-2012 season. But when injuries tested the defensive depth, Hunwick was given consistent starts and was a key player in the stretch run that fell just short of the postseason. He finished the season with six points and a -3 rating while averaging 18 minutes of ice time per game for the much-improved Avalanche defensive unit.

With this signing, center Jay McClement and defenseman Shane O`Brien remain the only unrestricted free agents from last year's roster.

For more coverage, visit our Avalanche blog Mile High Hockey.

• about 1 year ago
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Avalanche Offseason 2012: Colorado Signs David Jones To 4 Year, $16 Million Contract

The Colorado Avalanche continued to extend long-term contracts in an effort to retain talent before the start of free agency. Winger David Jones is the latest recipient of a long term deal, receiving a four year contract valued at $16 million, according to Adrian Dater of the Denver Post.

Jones, 27, was on the brink of entering unrestricted free agency for the first time in his career. Both sides had expressed interest in retaining Jones, and a deal has been reached. Plagued by injuries (including a torn ACL) early in his career, the winger has rebounded to score 47 goals in the past two seasons.

With Cody McLeod and now David Jones earning multi-year contracts, expect to see substantial contract offers to the big name restricted free agents on the roster, including Matt Duchene, Erik Johnson, Steve Downie, and Ryan O'Reilly.

For more coverage, visit our Avalanche blog Mile High Hockey.