Colorado Avalanche: Appreciating the Sheldon Dries Contract
The Colorado Avalanche signed forward Sheldon Dries to a one-year contract. The team is quickly completing both its NHL and AHL rosters.
The Colorado Avalanche keep taking care of business even as the dog days of summer are in full swing. Here we are in late July, and we have news about the team.
The Avalanche have re-signed pending restricted free agent Sheldon Dries to a one-year contract. The contract is worth $735,000 at the NHL level and $395,000 at the AHL level.
The Avalanche signed the undrafted Dries during free agency last summer. At the time, I wrote that I expected him to be strictly an AHL-level signing.
However, Dries showed well in camp and played well in the preseason, so he started the 2018-19 season with the Avs. He spent time playing and riding the pine and eventually made his way back to the AHL. However, he remained a popular call-up for Colorado.
In all, Dries played 40 games with the Colorado Avalanche. In that time, he earned six points — three goals and three assists.
Read about Sheldon Dries first NHL goal:
Related Story. Dries 1st NHL Goal. light
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Dries had filed for salary arbitration with the team, as had fellow AHL bouncer Ryan Graves. I opine now as I did then — I believe the arbitration was for that AHL-level salary. Indeed, Dries is ostensibly taking a pay cut with the $735,000 NHL salary. Last year he made $925,000 at the NHL level but only $70,000 at the AHL. The new contract with its $395,000 AHL salary is a significant raise, and one that’s sure to more directly impact his actual bank account.
What’s more, he has a guaranteed salary of $450,000. I’m not sure how that’s supposed to work out, and even Avs insider Adrian Dater stated he didn’t think he’d heard of such a contract structure before. I don’t know if that means he’s guaranteed games at the NHL level, or what.
The 25-year-old center is a depth signing to be sure. When he made the Avalanche roster, he did so on the fourth line. He averaged just over nine minutes of ice time last season.
Nonetheless, I like keeping Dries around for fourth line depth. He’s a hard worker, and he fits in well with the youth of the team. He’s never going to wow you with his stick or skating skills, but he’s not a liability either.
Next. Roster Housekeeping & Tango with the Enemy. dark
The Colorado Avalanche have a couple other housekeeping contracts to get signed — namely Vladislav Kamenev and A.J. Greer. I’m not sure what the hold up is on those two contracts, but they’re not particularly impactful. Naturally, there’s a very impactful contract still up in the air. As promised, I’m getting ready to muse on it in a future post.