The Colorado Avalanche will look to form their 2026-27 roster this offseason and one name in particular has been brought up several times since before the trade deadline.
That name would be Ross Colton.
In June of 2023, the Avalanche acquired Colton from the Tampa Bay Lightning for the 37th overall pick in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft.
He has previously shown that he can play a solid style of hockey. Unfortunately for Colton, however, the Avs traded Miles Wood (one of the three 20’s linemates), so the whole idea of the Roaring 20’s went out the window.
Recently, David Pagnotta mentioned how Colton could be a cap casualty this offseason.
This season, Colton played in 73 games and recorded nine goals and 15 assists while as a bottom-six winger. That’s not superb by any means. It’s pretty mid, as the kids call something like that.
I suppose you can chalk up his placement in the lineup to the Avalanche being a top-heavy team, but do you remember his time alongside MacKinnon on the top line a few years ago? I’ve mentioned that recently. It was so cool to see him produce the way he did while playing on the top line.
I would say that the Avalanche should keep Colton for that exact reason, but it doesn’t really even seem like Jared Bednar is interested in exploring that again, for whatever reason. I guess he prefers someone such as Gabriel Landeskog or Valeri Nichushkin going up there if Artturi Lehkonen or Martin Necas get hurt. In fact, we even saw both of those players on the top line.
Colton’s time on ice decreased from the regular season (12:31 per game) to the postseason (9:40 per game). I’d be very curious to see what Bednar has to say about that, but I do believe it probably has to do with the team’s depth.
That being said, Colton has been named as potential cap casualty for the Avalanche this offseason. He is set to be $4 million against the salary cap and although the salary cap is going up, maybe the Avalanche look to move him for a cheaper option. $4 million isn’t a whole lot in the world of sports, except for hockey, where the salary cap is low compared to three of the other major sports, excluding baseball. The MLB has a tax for teams who go over a certain threshold.
It’s very hard to see Colton on the team in 2026-27 and have him produce the little amount that he did. Sure, hockey isn’t all about goals, but I would hope to see a lot more from him in order for the Avalanche to justify keeping him on the roster.
His status is certainly something that I would keep an eye on and every Avalanche fan should do the same.
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