The Colorado Avalanche acquired forward Matt Calvert in free agency last summer, and it was seen as something of a minor pickup. Indeed, for the most part he spent his days on the third line. He averaged 14:12 of ice time.
What’s more, you can’t say Calvert had much of a career year. Actually, it was a career year for him — 26 points (11 goals, 15 assists). Those are grinder stats if ever I saw them.
Naturally, Calvert’s physicality was more his type of contribution. He had 58 penalty minutes and six fights — both of those were career highs.