On August 29, the Colorado Avalanche signed Jared Cowen to a PTO (professional tryout). Many have shared their opinions on this in recent days, and almost all of them have been negative. Call me optimistic. While Cowen should not be looked at as a panacea for Colorado’s defensive woes, I like the idea of another d-man with NHL experience at camp.
The first thing to understand about Jared Cowen is that he does not have a contract with Colorado. He has been invited to training camp on a tryout. If the Avs feel he can no longer play at the NHL level, the team has no obligation to him, financial, or otherwise, for this upcoming season.