Avalanche signs toews to four-year contract
Newly-acquired defenseman’s deal worth $16.4 million
The Avalanche and newly acquired defenseman Devon Toews avoided salary arbitration Tuesday when he agreed on a fouryear contract, the team announced.
The back-loaded deal is worth $16.4 million, with an annual cap hit of $4.1 million, per Capfriendly. It will pay him $2.35 million next season, $3.55 million in 2021-22, $4.6 million in 2022-23, and $5.9 million in 2023-24 — the season Erik Johnson’s $6 million deal comes of f the books.
Toews, a 26-year-old restricted free agent, was scheduled for an arbitration hearing Saturday.
His rights were traded to Colorado on oct .12 for secon d-round draft picks in 2021 and 2022. Two days later, he was married.
“It was the crazy news of being traded and trying to have to deal with the emotional side of things,” Toews said in a Zoom call Tuesday. “You know how exciting it is to go to a great team in Colorado, but there’s definitely an emotional side of it with all the relationships and friends and stuff that we’ve made here. We’re so grateful for everything the Islanders have done for us. We’re also so grateful for everything we’re going to have in Colorado and them putting their faith in me in trading for me and giving me a chance there.”
Colorado is now less than $2 million under the $81.5 million salar y cap for 20202021.
“We’re excited to have Devon under contract for the next four years,” Avalanche general manager Joe Sakic said in a release. “As I said when we acquired him, Devon is a smart, two-way, puck-moving defenseman who is a durable defender and is excellent in transition.”
Toews ran the Islanders’ power play last season — his fifth professional season since leaving Quinnipiac University as a junior in 2016 after the Bobcats lost to North Dakota in the NCAA championship game. He played in all 68 games for New York last season, producing 28 points (six goals) and averaging more than 20 minutes of ice time.
Toews, a lefty, might play with right-shot Cale Makar on the first pairing to begin next season.
As it stands, the Avalanche will be hugging the salary cap to begin 2020-21. With 12 forwards, six defensemen and two goalies under contract, the Avs are just $1.8 million under the cap, per Capfriendly, and an extra forward and extra defenseman needs to be added to the roster — at least for road trips.
The obvious candidates are forward Logan O’connor ($725,000 salary) and defense man Dennis Gilbert ($925,000), the latter of whom was acquired from Chicago in the Brandon Saaddeal on oct.10.
Colorado could also add big-league depth in free agency, with many quality veterans still unsigned and probably facing pay cuts in the COVID-19 world.