A franchise with patient and tactful repute around the NHL, the Avalanche energetically participated in the fanfare of unrestricted free agency out of necessity this year. Then Colorado leaned back and got comfortable.
The market has dried since early July, but UFAs remain, as does salary cap space at altitude. By reaching a pre-arbitration contract agreement with restricted free agent Ross Colton last week — four years, $4 million average annual value — the Avs arrived one step closer to a finalized 2023-24 payroll.
They have $90.3 million to work with, exceeding the cap by up to Gabriel Landeskog’s $7 million thanks to the advance knowledge (as opposed to last time) that he’ll miss the entire season.