Peters: Colorado Avalanche sign top college free agent Ben Meyers
The rich just got richer. University of Minnesota junior center Ben Meyers, the most sought-after undrafted free agent on the market, has signed a two-year entry-level contract with the Colorado Avalanche, the team announced Wednesday. He will not be eligible to play in the playoffs this season but can play during the regular season and burn the first year off his entry-level contract.
Daily Faceoff ranked Ben Meyers as the No. 1 undrafted free agent on the market this offseason and just about every team in the league was prepared to inquire about his services.
Meyers is a 23-year-old, two-way center that just finished an exemplary three-year career at the University of Minnesota, punctuated by 41 points in 34 games, a trip to the Men’s Frozen Four and selection as one of the final three players up for the Hobey Baker Memorial Award. He also earned second-team All-America honors.
No one can say that Meyers ran to the place where he’d have the easiest path to cracking the lineup full-time, though, as he goes to one of the league’s deepest teams. He can play the remainder of the regular season if need be, but will not be eligible to play in the playoffs since he was not signed before the NHL trade deadline. Should he play in a game, he’ll have one year remaining on his entry-level contract and will be eligible for restricted free agency ahead of the 2023-24 season.
The Avalanche will have some decisions to make this offseason about how to utilize the salary cap they have left. Colorado could lose center Nazem Kadri to free agency over the summer, which opens up a pretty significant hole in the team’s lineup. Having a player like Meyers, who would be on a more affordable entry-level contract, frees up space while giving Colorado a player who appears ready to play every day. He would leapfrog a few centers on the organizational depth chart that haven’t managed to make an NHL impact yet.
Speculation had tied Meyers to his hometown Minnesota Wild and reports also suggested the Detroit Red Wings were among teams in the mix. That Meyers chose the Avlanche came as a surprise to many, but it makes sense for both sides as the Avs have 10 pending unrestricted free agents on their roster with nearly $56 million in salary committed for 2022-23. Adding Meyers will allow the Avs to have a little more certainty as they determine which UFAs they can afford to keep and how much to commit to their two arbitration-eligible restricted free agents.
Meyers will have to earn his spot, but even on a team with Colorado’s overall depth, he should be able to find a role and be an everyday player immediately next season.
Among Meyers’ best attributes are his speed and ability to hunt pucks. He can be difficult to play against despite his average size, using quickness and an unrelenting motor to dispossess defenders of the puck. On top of his work ethic, Meyers has excellent skill with high-end hockey sense. His shot can beat goaltenders from distance, but a lot of his work gets done right near the net-front. With good vision, he can make those around him better and his defensive sense allows him to match up well against top opposing lines. His versatility would allow him to play just about anywhere you need him in the lineup, which is a big part of what made him so attractive to NHL teams. He may not be a star, but he’s almost certainly going to be a significant contributor at the NHL level.
In addition to playing a huge role for the Gophers this season, Meyers also was a member of the U.S. Olympic Team where he played top-six minutes and produced four points over four games. His line was one of USA’s most reliable in the early goings of the tournament. After returning from the Olympics, Meyers went on an absolute tear in the NCAA, posting 15 points over the last eight games of his junior campaign that ended in the national semifinals.
Meyers finishes his collegiate career with Minnesota with 95 points in 102 games. Prior to joining the Gophers, Meyers was a Minnesota high school hockey superstar at Delano, scoring 46 goals and 99 points in 25 games in his senior season. With Delano playing in Class A, there wasn’t a ton of interest in him in his first draft season. The following year, he played for the Fargo Force and helped them win the USHL Clark Cup championship, but still got no draft interest. He played one more year of junior, posting 33 goals and 65 points in 59 games and earned USHL second all-star team honors at the end of the season.
Over his three seasons at Minnesota, Meyers grew into a trusted two-way center who could play any matchup and still produce. He had a number of NHL teams attempting to sign him after his sophomore season in 2020-21 where he had 28 points in 31 games, but wanted to get one more year with the Gophers before turning pro.
“He’s just a rockstar of a human,” said Minnesota head coach Bob Motzko of his junior co-captain after the Gophers were eliminated at the Men’s Frozen Four. “He put the team on his back – he makes everyone better. He’s truly one of the class acts in all of college hockey. He wasn’t drafted, didn’t have a big name, but he has one now. We can’t wait to watch him.”
With Meyers ineligible to play in the postseason, there wasn’t much need to rush, either. The Gophers were ousted from the postseason just six days ago, but the expectation his decision was already made came and went pretty quickly. He took his time and spoke with a number of teams according to sources, weighing all options and ended up landing on one of the league’s very best teams.
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