The Colorado Avalanche don’t have a Tom Wilson-style player, though I’ve opined that they need one. Nonetheless, like the Washington Capitals this year, the Avs are going to have two important players up for new contracts as restricted free agents next season — Mikko Rantanen and Nikita Zadorov.
As I looked at the contract the Washington winger signed — six years with an average annual value of $5.16 million — I wondered if such a juicy contract might in some way affect negotiations between the Avs and one of their important players.