Avalanche defenseman Devon Toews told reporters including Bennett Durando of The Denver Post that the two sides had some discussions about a possible contract extension.
The 29-year-old has dominated over the past two seasons, reaching the 50-point mark both times while logging over 25 minutes a night. That’s the type of stat line for a number one defenseman but Toews is being paid nowhere near there with the AAV on his expiring deal checking in at $4.1M; it wouldn’t be surprising to see him double that on a long-term contract.
Toews also made it known that his desire is to remain with Colorado but with the big-ticket deals they have on the books and Mikko Rantanen being UFA-eligible in 2025, it remains to be seen if they’ll be able to accommodate Toews’ preference.
More from Colorado:
- Forward Andrew Cogliano will take part in training camp but is unlikely to suit up in the preseason, relays NHL.com’s Ryan Boulding (X thread). He suffered a fractured vertebra in the playoffs against Seattle and it stands to reason that the Avs will opt to be careful with the 36-year-old who signed a one-year, $825K deal with them earlier this offseason.
- Over the weekend, head coach Jared Bednar indicated that the expectation for defenseman Josh Manson would be that he’d be ready for the start of camp. While he’ll be able to meet that timeline, Bednar told Boulding that Manson is dealing with a lower-body injury and won’t be 100% recovered. The 31-year-old battled injuries last season and was limited to just 27 games where he had 10 points but was limited to just 17:41 per game, a career low.
- Offseason signing Chris Wagner won’t be able to push for a roster spot after all as Bednar told Boulding that the forward ruptured his Achilles tendon and will be out until sometime in 2024. The 32-year-old has 360 career NHL games under his belt and could have fit in on a new-look fourth line but instead, he’ll miss at least the first half of the season.
- Saku Maenalanen was supposed to push for a roster spot while playing on a PTO but Peter Baugh of The Athletic relays (X link) that the winger failed his physical and has been released from his deal. The 29-year-old had 10 points in 64 games with Winnipeg last season and will now look to catch on elsewhere. Peter Holland and Joel Kiviranta are the remaining PTO forwards that will be aiming to secure a contract with the Avalanche.
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