Wood’s contract runway, Compher says goodbye, Sakic turns 54 and other Avalanche bullets

Colorado Avalanche news and notes on Friday, July 7

We have reached that awkward part in the year where the first wave of free agency and development camp are over. The Colorado Avalanche’s roster looks to be mostly finished, outside of a surprise move or two before the 2023–24 season.

• General Manager Chris MacFarland was on Altitude Sports Radio on Thursday and noted that the team is always looking to improve the roster. Still, the significant item left on the Avs’ to-do list is getting Ross Colton signed.
• Colton, a gritty forward acquired from Tampa Bay, filed for arbitration earlier this week, but MacFarland indicated that the two sides will continue to chip away until a deal is struck.
• Miles Wood’s contract, mostly his term, has come under scrutiny from fans outside of Denver, but MacFarland noted that the team had to go a little longer on the number of years to get the right AAV.

“(Miles) is obviously a bigger body, and he doesn’t sacrifice speed. I think obviously missing (Gabriel) Landeskog, we wanted to find a little bit of a net front-type presence, and we felt Miles fit the bill. Yes, six years is a longer term, but the way to get to the point is to have a workable AAV; that’s what it required. This isn’t a 30-year-old player that’s going to be 36. This is a 27-year-old guy that, in the last two years of that deal, hopefully, the cap is significantly higher. He takes care of himself. He’s a powerful man. And so, you know, we think he’s got the runway to outplay that contract.” – MacFarland via Altitude Sports Radio

• J.T. Compher signed a five-year, $25.5 million deal with the Detroit Red Wings in free agency. He had been with the Avs since the 2016–17 season and was integral to the 2022 Cup-winning team. He penned a heartfelt thank you to the fanbase and organization via his Instagram.