Colorado Avalanche Free Agency Profile: Chris Wagner
The Colorado Avalanche won’t make any big acquisitions in free agency. However, they may choose a player in Chris Wagner’s ilk.
The Colorado Avalanche have got their top line set, and the heirs apparent for second-line duties — namely Tyson Jost and whatever forwards complement him, such as J.T. Compher, Alexander Kerfoot, or Sven Andrighetto.
That means the team can use some help on forward depth. It seems the Avs like to keep the fourth line a rotation of whichever forwards are playing “the right way” at that time. For the rotation to work, there has to be a good cast of player to choose from.
Chris Wagner, who once played for the Avalanche, could be an option. Colorado picked Wagner up on waivers from the Anaheim Ducks during the 2015-16 season. When they put him back on waivers to send him to the minors, Anaheim snapped him back up. Last season, the Ducks traded him to the New York Islanders for Jason Chimera at the trade deadline.
In 26 games with Colorado, Wagner recorded four goals.
Chris Wagner
Age: 27
Height: 6’0″
Weight: 198 lbs.
Position: Forward
Shoots: Right
Previous Contract: 2 year, AAV $637,500
Previous Team: New York Islanders, Anaheim Ducks
Chris Wagner can line up at center or at wing, making him a versatile forward. His scoring stats aren’t going to wow you — in 79 NHL games, he’s recorded seven goals and nine assists. (That means he scored more than half his NHL goals with the Avalanche, which is interesting.)
What made Wagner a relative success in Anaheim, causing them to pick him back up off waivers, is his puck possession. He’s got a strong foundation, so he keeps control of the puck.
While with Colorado, Wagner didn’t see a ton of ice time. He was pretty much a fourth-liner who didn’t play on the specialty teams. During his time with the Avalanche, though, Wagner did very well in taking faceoffs, winning 54.59%.
Wagner scores for the Avs:
Chris Wagner and the Colorado Avalanche
At one time, the Colorado Avalanche loved to re-sign players who’ve already played for the team. Under the current administration, they’ve preferred to sign players who haven’t worked out with other teams.
Chris Wagner isn’t going to be a difference-maker for the Avalanche. Indeed, they should only sign him under one condition — if he’d accept a two-way contract.
At the AHL level, he can be more of a dominant player. In 239 games, he’s recorded 55 goals and 51 assists. He could be an ideal candidate for a Colorado Eagles roster spot for when the Avalanche call up one of the youngsters. And if the Avs needed some grit and determination, he’d be at their disposal.
Other Free Agency Profiles:
The Colorado Avalanche have been pretty clear they’re going to continue to build through the draft and developing their players. They have no intention of making a big splash in free agency.
However, they rarely if ever stand pat during Free Agency Frenzy. So, even if they don’t pick up Chris Wagner specifically, I’d expect him to be the caliber of player they’re looking for.