On Friday, the NHL free agent frenzy will officially begin. The Colorado Avalanche however, do not figure to make that big of a splash in the market, instead focusing on taking care of their own and giving their young players more ice time.
If this notion is disappointing to you, it really shouldn’t be. The Avalanche have always had that approach. When they have made a major move in free agency (i.e. Ryan Smyth, Paul Kariya, Teemu Selanne), it rarely pays the dividends that they hoped.
The Avalanche’s key contributors have always either been drafted (i.e. Joe Sakic, Milan Hejduk, Adam Foote and Matt Duchene) or acquired through trade (i.e. Patrick Roy, Peter Forsberg, Ray Bourque and Rob Blake).
That being said, there has been the occasional free agent signing that was able to make an impact for the Avalanche. Some were role players that played their role very well. Some were undervalued players that outperformed expectations.
With that in mind, with free agency on the horizon, here is a look at the top five free agent signings in Avalanche history:
5. Dave Reid
Reid spent the final two seasons of his career with the Avalanche. Surprisingly enough, no free agent signing made more of an impact on the 2000-2001 Stanley Cup Champions. A fourth line wing, he stabilized the bottom-six and was counted upon to be a consummate professional in the locker room.
On a team full of stars, the Avalanche needed players to do the dirty work, which Reid did proudly. He brought with him a Stanley Cup ring from his time with the Dallas Stars. He also had spent 10 seasons as a teammate of Ray Bourques’ in Boston, helping his transition.
Reid only scored 28 points in two seasons with the Avalanche, but, with him, the offense was a bonus.
In the end, he was able to go out a champion.
Since joining the Avalanche, Mitchell has been a Swiss Army knife. He has played center. He has played wing. He has played on the penalty kill. He has played on the power play. He has played on all four lines.
Still making under $2 million per season, few people in the NHL offer more versatility for less. He is good for between 20-30 points, and he is someone you can trust in the defensive end.
Mitchell is entering his fifth season with the Avalanche, likely pegged to be the team’s fourth line center and play on the penalty kill. That should be just fine with Mitchell, as he looks poised to again more than give Colorado their money’s worth.
A career backup before joining the Avalanche, Anderson didn’t sign with the team for the money. Instead, he opted for a chance to start.
His tenure in Colorado was short, not even lasting two full seasons, but the way in which he played in 2009-2010 alone is enough to get him on this list.
That season, his first in Colorado, Anderson put the Avalanche on his back and singlehandedly carried them to the playoffs. Sure, the team fell to the San Jose Sharks in seven games during the opening round, but Anderson almost single-handedly won that series, posting a .933 save percentage.
In Colorado, he established himself as a bonafide NHL starter. Sure, his second season wasn’t great, but I challenge you to find anybody who had more of an impact on the Avalanche in a single season than Anderson did in 2009-2010.
2. Cody McLeod
Of the players on their current roster, nobody has played for the Avalanche longer than McLeod. Undrafted, McLeod spent a year on an AHL/ECHL contract before being signed to a two-way AHL/NHL deal with the Avalanche.
It didn’t look like he would ever see the NHL ice. A decade later, he is an alternate captain for the club and its all-time leader in penalty minutes.
Sure, McLeod will probably never have a 20-goal season. If your team is counting on him to man your powerplay, you’re in big trouble. But he’s a key penalty killer and is always a physical presence.
McLeod is well respected on the ice, in the locker room and beloved throughout Colorado.
Yet another undrafted gem, Klemm joined the Quebec Nordiques in the early 90’s. In Canada, he toiled around in the minors, earning the occasional call-up, but never stuck with the Nordiques. Still, the organization stayed patient with him.
His first full season in the NHL was the franchise’s first in Colorado. For six full seasons, he patrolled the Avalanche blueline. Klemm was an effective shutdown defenseman, helping lead the Avalanche to two Stanley Cups. He never had the name recognition of his counterparts like Foote, Bourque, Blake and Ozolinsh, but he remained a calm, steadying presence out there.
He was so well-respected by the organization that he was an alternate captain during the 2000-2001 season, which culminated with him winning his second Stanley Cup with the Avalanche.