The Colorado Avalanche have locked up one of their 2021-22 Stanley Cup additions to an extension, as Josh Manson will continue his career, and likely end it, though that remains to be seen. Manson is now scheduled to play through the 2027-28 season in Colorado.
The deal also includes a 12–team no trade clause in the first year, and a 10-team no trade clause in year two.
Manson is 33 years old, which is old in terms of an NHL player, as they have a lot of wear and tear on their bodies throughout the years. Unfortunately, he has been limited to just 173 games of a possible 328 during the regular season since being acquired in a trade with the Anaheim Ducks.
Though his cap hit goes from $4.5 million to $3.95 million once the extension kicks in, it’s still a little bit of a surprise that the Avalanche chose to extend the often-injured defender. I think his tenure and continuity with the team is one reason why general manager Chris MacFarland chose to extend him. He’s not a player who was just acquired during last season and had played horribly, like a couple of players in recent years.
I do hope that he stays healthy for the rest of his career. It’s the biggest concern with Manson. Adding onto his total games played, the most games he has played in an Avalanche season is 76, and then the next-closest is 48 games.
Manson had one goal and 14 assists last season. His average ice time of 18:02 was the most he’s had in the Avalanche sweater, though you do have to consider the games played number. It’s a real shame.
It will be interesting to see what the Avalanche choose to do with Manson throughout his remaining years with the club. Will they hold onto him for the duration of the extension? Or will they find that a trade will be a beneficial move at some point down the road? You can’t rule anything out.
Earlier in the offseason, I posed the question of what the team would do with Manson. They made their decision Thursday.
The move to sign Manson to an extension also eliminates a need for a depth defenseman, too. The team did add Brent Burns into the mix not too long ago, and it has now become quite obvious that adding defensive depth was one of their biggest intentions of the offseason. Some people won’t like the Manson extension, but it’s good to see Chris MacFarland being proactive when it comes to making moves.