As it is with every July 1st, the NHL is undergoing a free-agent frenzy today. There have been a slew of deals thus far, from trades to signings, to even re-signing. The hockey world is frantically refreshing their X feed, just to see if their favorite team gained a new star, or lost an old favorite. The Colorado Avalanche re-signed one of their own, with Jonathan Drouin.
The Avalanche have yet to make a big signing thus far. They nibbled on some bait but didn't pull the trigger on some of these big-named free agents. Instead, they are intelligently sitting back and letting the fireworks unfold. Instead of focusing on what they might have for a hefty price, they decided to bring back a fan favorite on a seriously cheap deal.
With the uncertainity of Captain Gabriel Landeskog and the unknown suspension status of Valeri Nichushkin, they made a move to put some ease on the top-six forward crunch. Jonathan Drouin, who set career-highs last season in his first campaign with the Avs, has been re-signed to a one-year, $2.5 million deal.
Jonathan Drouin is reportedly heading back to Colorado! @Avalanche | #GoAvsGo | #NHLFreeAgency pic.twitter.com/05SDcWiNmx
— NHL Network (@NHLNetwork) July 1, 2024
This deal is high-way robbery for the Avs, as they get their first-line left-winger for pennies on the dollar. In 79 games last season, he scored 19 goals, the most he has had since the 2016-17 season with Tampa Bay. He also added a career-high in assists and points with 37 and 56, respectively.
The Hart and Ted Lindsay Award winner, Nathan MacKinnon, gets back his best bud back. The two spent time together in Juniors as a part of the Halifax Mooseheads. Drouin and MacKinnon were great together last season on the first line, and bettering their chemistry with another year will help the rest of the team immensely.
The best part about this deal is that Drouin decided to believe in what the Avs had going, and wanted to be a part of it. He took the hometown discount after just one season with the franchise when he could have grabbed a bag from somewhere else.
Jonathan Drouin had at least one offer on the table for more money and more term than the 1-year, $2.5 million deal he signed with #Avs. But he chose loyalty and happiness playing in Denver instead
— Adrian Dater (@adater) July 1, 2024
The day is still young for the Avalanche, as there is still a lot of talent out there. Will they focus on outside talent, or do they have a good enough squad from a year ago to just run it back?