The Avalanche on Monday announced it has signed center Ross Colton to a four-year deal and avoided going to arbitration with a player the franchise traded for this offseason.
Colton, who played with the Lightning last season, entered the offseason as a restricted free agent after three seasons in Tampa. Colorado acquired his rights on June 28 in exchange for the No. 37 pick in the 2023 NHL entry draft. The Lightning selected Canadian forward Ethan Gauthier with the pick.
The deal is worth an average of $4 million annually with a no-trade clause in year two and modified no-trade clauses in years three and four, according to a league source.
“Ross is a hard-working, two-way center with a championship pedigree,” Avalanche general manager Chris MacFarland said at the time of the trade. “He has physicality to his game, is ultra competitive and his versatility will make him a valuable addition to our lineup in a lot of ways.”
Colton, 26, was drafted by Tampa in the fourth round (118th pick overall) of the 2016 NHL draft. He tallied 83 points (47 goals and 36 assists) in 190 games with the Lightning. The New Jersey native scored the Stanley Cup-winning goal in Game 5 of the 2021 finals to clinch Tampa the trophy.
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