Colorado Avalanche, Ross Colton avoid arbitration
The Colorado Avalanche and center iceman Ross Colton have ended up being able to avoid arbitration after all. The two sides have come to an agreement on a four-year, $4 million AAV deal prior to their arbitration date which was scheduled for July 27th.
Colton was a restricted free agent upon arriving in Colorado.
Last week, Brennan Vogt pointed out a good observation: Colton’s choosing of a jersey number was a positive sign in terms of the two sides being able to come to an agreement on a new contract.
Ross Colton said last week on a radio show that he has taken number 20 for the #Avs. I would think that this means negotiations are heading in the right direction. #GoAvsGo @TheRinkColorado
— Brennan Vogt (@brennan_vogt) July 17, 2023
As far as arbitration goes, as you may have heard, these negotiations typically don’t even get to the point of the set date. It is just kind of a guideline of when the two sides involved want to get a deal done. At the end of the day, there usually isn’t anything to worry about.
The terms of the deal are fair and very good for the Colorado Avalanche. Colton wasn’t going to break the bank, but to find out that the average per year is so low is a good thing. It’s also significant that Colton is signed for the next four years. If he ends up turning out to be a good player, the team now has a steal. If he ends up being not so good, at least it’s on the cheap side.
The Avalanche want to have the most firepower up front as they possibly can given that Gabriel Landeskog will be out for the entire 2023-24 season. Also, not to get ahead of myself but it also gives the Avalanche some depth just in case Landeskog is out even longer than the current expected timeline.
In 190 career games, Colton has scored 47 goals and 36 assists while posting a +/1 of -1. The 26-year-old Colton has spent the first couple of years of his career with the Tampa Bay Lightning.