The Colorado Avalanche have re-signed forward Chris Wagner to a one-year contract through the 2024-25 NHL season. Wagner is in the final season of his one-year, $775,000 contract, which he signed this past offseason with the team.
Through 10 games played with the Avalanche, Wagner has one goal and one assist for two points while being a +3.
Avalanche Hold on to Future Depth
At 32 years old and with a cap hit that cheap, signing Wagner was an intelligent decision that won’t hurt the Avalanche with their long-term plans in the offseason regarding other players that they want to re-sign/sign to a contract. He has been bouncing between the Avalanche and the AHL (American Hockey League) Eagles team, as the NHL club has made recent trade deadline forward additions, and players are getting healthy, so room has been limited for him. With the Eagles, Wagner has four goals and four assists for eight points in 17 games. He has mainly played on the fourth line and occasionally bumped to the third during games when head coach Jared Bednar shakes up the lines a bit.
Being able to play both right-wing and center is a luxury for a dual-position player, and it helps with flexibility in the lines if players get hurt or sick and are out of the lineup. With this signing, the Avalanche now have 10 UFAs (unrestricted free agents) and one RFA (restricted free agent) on the current roster heading into this offseason.
Excluding any players who will be in LTIR (long-term injured reserve) heading into the offseason, and with the projected cap hit supposed to increase this offseason now that players have finished paying off their scores from the COVID-19 bubble days, the Avalanche have a lot of moves to make. With the money coming off the books in the summer, having Wagner signed as a depth guy is a safe move to make.
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