It’s a tradition to offer grades for trades and free-agent signings every offseason. With the initial wave of free-agent signings in the rearview, the Colorado Avalanche managed a decent grade for these moves this offseason.
A piece in The Athletic assessed every team’s free-agent signings following the initial wave of moves. In particular, the Avalanche got a solid B for their moves to bring back defenseman Brett Kulak and ink Jaden Schwartz.
While the Kulak deal caught a little bit of flak, the Schwartz deal is considered an overall hit.
Most importantly, the Avalanche’s grade gets a boost as a result of Schwartz’s $3.25 million cap hit. The 34-year-old might have been able to get more money elsewhere. But Colorado was his preferred choice, leading to the positive marks.
As for Kulak, inking him to a $4.5 million cap hit isn’t exactly great. But the Avs would have been hard-pressed to find a comparable shutdown blueliner for under that number. So, it’s all good in the end.
As much as Kulak and Schwartz got positive grades, other signings promise to deliver considerable value.
Avalanche banking on value contracts
So, let’s look at one evident deal that could pay off well. The Avalanche signed Brent Burns to an incentive-laden deal with an $850K base salary. That’s fantastic, especially considering the $2.15 million in performance bonuses. That’s a step down from the $5 million from last year.
Another solid depth addition was Vinnie Hinostroza. The veteran winger will be the sort of piece Colorado needs in the bottom six. Hinostroza could essentially replace Ross Colton’s versatility, but at a fraction of the cost. His $875K cap hit will look especially good if he can replicate his six goals and 18 points from last season.
Lastly, one deal that I must admit I’m not crazy about is Noah Juulsen. The 29-year-old is a good, physical blueliner with some punch. He won’t light up the scoresheet, but could be a fantastic seventh defenseman.
And that’s the thing. Paying $1.1 million against the cap for a 7D seems like a bit of an overpay. But like Kulak, the Avalanche will be hard-pressed to find a guy who can play a solid defensive role for less than that.
Considering the Avalanche have Cale Makar, Sam Malinski, and Brent Burns as offensively inclined blueliners, it makes sense that Juulsen would fit the mold as a more defensive blueliner.
We will be able to assess the Avalanche’s free agent signings much better once the season gets underway. In the meantime, we can only hope the signings will pay off.
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