The Colorado Avalanche reportedly agreed to terms on a four-year contract with Ross Colton, who was acquired through a trade with the Tampa Bay Lightning on June 28 for a second-round pick. Colton would have had an arbitration hearing on July 27 and now avoided the mediation.
The #GoAvsGo signed RFA F Colton to 4 year $4M Cap Hit
Year 1 $4M Salary
Year 2 $3.5M Salary & $500K Signing Bonus
Year 3 $4M Salary
Year 4 $4M SalaryNo Trade Clause Year 2
Modified No Trade Years 3 & 4Covers 1 RFA & 3 UFA years
Rep'd by @SPMsports https://t.co/Yq7YxaBgo9
— PuckPedia (@PuckPedia) July 17, 2023
The deal is worth $4 million per year, an enormous increase compared to Colton’s previous salary with Tampa Bay, which was $1.125 million.
Colton is a pesky two-way forward who will bring some physicality to the third or fourth lines for the Avalanche. Fans are all too familiar with how much he can be in your face during a play. During Game Three of the 2022 Stanley Cup Finals, Colton and Logan O’Connor got into a brawl in the third period to end the game.
Logan O'Connor and Ross Colton are now teammates #GoAvsGo pic.twitter.com/QsllmVFI8F
— x – Barstool Denver (@BarstoolDenver) June 28, 2023
Colton is one of the most efficient per-minute goal scorers in the game right now. He gets little time on ice, but knows how to take advantage of it. Colton crashes the net for rebounds and lines players up for hits. In 190 career games in the NHL, Colton has 83 points (47 goals, 36 assists). In a brief career so far, he already has 52 playoffs games under his belt, including a Stanley Cup championship in 2021. If you want to compare him to any player already on the Avalanche squad, O’Connor would be your man. They both have very similar styles of play, except Colton can score more goals.
Ross Colton will always be a Tampa legend for this goal pic.twitter.com/roTyTtGpkY
— Andrew Weiss (@WeissHockeyTalk) June 28, 2023
Another thing that Colton will bring with him to Colorado is face-off wins. Last season, he won 56.08% of face-offs and now has a career win percentage of 52.1. The Avalanche have always struggled at the dot, so getting some much-needed help is always nice. Overall, Colton is a wonderful addition to the Avs. Despite being overpaid by a million, he will still be a valuable addition.