Colorado Avalanche fans know that Josh Manson is a good player. That’s like saying the sky is blue. It’s evident on the ice. The Avs are good without him. But they’re so much better when he’s in the lineup.
But now, there’s actual data to support just how much Manson is. In fact, Manson quietly ranks third in the league based on the points share (as compiled by Hockey Reference) and contract value. The numbers make Manson the third-most underpaid player in the NHL.
The data, as discussed by Anna Ryan of Casino Guru News, looked at the number of points a player produced during the 2025-26 season and compared it to their 2026-27 cap hit. The result is the cost per point share, ranking Manson at the top of the NHL.
According to the metric, the Avalanche blueliner notched a score of 18/100, placing behind Buffalo Sabres defenseman Mattias Samuelsson (16/100) and Edmonton Oilers veteran Mattias Ekholm (14/100).
Perhaps it’s just a coincidence that the two players ranked above Manson are Swedish blueliners named Mattias.
Regardless, there’s no question that Manson is a highly valuable player, especially when compared to his cap hit. The 34-year-old plays both sides of the ice and carries a $3.95 million cap hit. There are virtually no high-end shutdown defensemen in the NHL anywhere close to that cap hit.
Ekholm, for his part, purposely gave the Oilers a break in order to stay with a Stanley Cup contender. As for Samuelsson, he’s still coming up through the ranks. He’ll be in line for a raise soon enough as he continues to gain traction as Rasmus Dahlin’s partner.
Manson more critical than ever to Avalanche success
To say that Josh Manson is more valuable to the Avalanche than ever is an understatement. Colorado has built a defensive system in which one solid defensive defenseman plays with a puck-mover. If nothing really changed, we could see the traditional Cale Makar-Devon Toews pairing at the top. Then, Brett Kulak, another shutdown specialist, should suit up alongside Sam Malinski.
That situation would leave Manson to play with another offensively-gifted blueliner, Brent Burns. The veteran combo of Burns and Manson isn’t your typical third pairing. Even at 41, Burns would be a top four on any team. But because the Avalanche have an embarrassment of riches on defense, they can afford to drop Burns to a third pairing and manage his ice time.
Manson, for his part, could easily be a top-four guy on any team. Deploying him as a third-pairing option is by design. The plan intends to cut down on the wear and tear on his body, particularly in light of his playing style.
Colorado likely to employ load management on all blueliners
Given the increase from 82 to 84 games this season, the Avalanche will likely employ some kind of load management for all of its blueliners.
That situation could mean cutting down on ice time a bit. It might mean dressing seven D at some point. It may even entail preventive scratches to minimize the toll on players. All of that should factor into keeping everyone as fresh as possible heading into the postseason.
Since the 2026-27 won’t be nearly as compressed as the last two, things could bode well for the Avalanche in the 2027 playoffs.
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