Colorado Avalanche News

Colorado's list of training camp injuries continued to grow on Wednesday after they announced Sam Girard is expected to miss part of training camp and is a possibility to return for opening night with a lower-body injury. The 27-year-old is entering his ninth NHL season after putting up three goals, 24 points, and 95 SOG in 73 games played last season. If he is unable to go by the start of the season, Keaton Middleton is expected to fill his role for the time being.

Colorado announced Wednesday that starting goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood will be out week-to-week as he nurses a lower-body injury. The Avalanche are expecting their starter to be ready around the start of the regular season and will lean on Scott Wedgewood in the meantime. If Blackwood is forced to miss any time, it will be a massive loss for the Avalanche after he posted a 22-12-3 record, alongside a 2.33 GAA and .913 SV% last season after being acquired from San Jose.

Colorado added some much-needed offensive depth on Wednesday with the signing of Victor Olofsson on a one-year, $1.575 million contract. The 30-year-old right-winger had 15 goals and 29 points in 56 games with Vegas in 2024-25 after spending the previous six campaigns in with the Buffalo Sabres. He is expected to play a top-nine role in Colorado and should see some power-play time on the second unit, despite that unit rarely seeing the ice.

Gagne was a former 6th-round pick (2021) with Tampa Bay but failed to sign an entry-level contract with the Lightning and has now signed a two-year entry-level contract with Colorado. The 23-year-old defenseman will join the Colorado Eagles (AHL) after a successful senior season where he captained the University of New Hampshire (NCAA) in 2024-25 with four goals and 17 points in 35 games played.

Kiviranta had a solid 2024-25 season with the Avalanche, posting 16 goals with seven assists (23 points) in 79 games while posting a plus-15 rating and 114 hits. Kiviranta returns to Colorado, where he will likely continue to serve in the bottom-6 role that saw him average 12:31 TOI/gm last season.

Gushchin was acquired from the San Jose Sharks via trade on Friday and immediately signed a new deal with the Avalanche. Gushchin will be a fringe roster player with a chance to make the NHL out of training camp this fall.

Gushchin, 23, was a third-round pick (No.76 overall) in 2020 and has appeared in 18 NHL games since, scoring two goals with three assists (five points). He spent most of the 2024-25 season in the AHL, where he was second on the San Jose Barracuda in goals (28) and third in points (51) in 56 games. He'll likely make a push for an NHL roster spot in training camp.

Manson still had one year left on his current contract, but will extend his time with the Avalanche for two more years after he signed a two-year contract extension worth $3.95 million AAV ($7.9M total). The 33-year-old bruising defenseman only appeared in 48 games in 2024-25 due to injury, but still had a goal, 15 points and 28 PIMs. He is entering his fifth season with Colorado and is expected to return to his regular defensive role.

The NHL's current iron man (925 consecutive games) has found a new home on Wednesday as Colorado signed Brent Burns to a one-year contract. The 40-year-old veteran is entering his 22nd NHL season with his fourth team. Despite his age, he has managed to stay effective, putting up six goals and 29 points last season alongside a +7 plus/minus across 82 games played.

Colorado added to its defensive depth on Day 1 of free agency by bringing in Ronald Attard on a one-year, two-way contract. The 26-year-old appeared in 29 NHL games with Philadelphia across the last three seasons, picking up two goals and six points with a -1 plus/minus. He is expected to battle for one of Colorado's final defensive openings when training camp roles around.

Colorado continued to add to its minor league depth on Tuesday after signing Jack Ahcan to a one-year contract extension. The 28-year-old undrafted defenseman was called up for two games with the Avalanche last season but failed to make much of an impact. In 69 games with the Colorado Eagles (AHL) last season, he had an impressive five goals and 41 points.

After appearing in nine games for Colorado in 2024-25, T.J. Tynan has signed a one-year contract extension to remain with the Avalanche and provide some depth at forward. The 33-year-old picked up just one assist during his short stint with the Avalanche last season but impressed with the Colorado Eagles (AHL), picking up eight goals and 49 points in 52 games played.

Colorado has secured some goaltending depth at the beginning of free agency by signing Trent Miner to a two-year contract extension. The 24-year-old goaltender made his NHL debut in 2024-25 with Colorado, appearing in two games and posting a .879 SV% and 2.62 GAA. He is expected to return to the Colorado Eagles (AHL) for the start of the 2025-26 season, where he posted a .918 SV%, 2.12 GAA and 22-10-9 record in 2024-25.

Colorado solidified its depth for the next four seasons after signing forward Parker Kelly to a four-year, $6.8 million contract extension ($1,700,000 AAV) on Tuesday. The 26-year-old spent the first four years of his career in Ottawa before signing with Colorado last season and posting career highs in both goals (8) and points (19) in his first season as an Avalanche player in 2024-25.

Malinski is an undrafted defenseman who became an NHL regular last season. The 26-year-old played 76 games with the Avalanche in the 2024-25 season, averaging 15:57 time-on-ice and scoring 15 points (5G / 10A) in 76 games.

Brindley was a second-round pick (No.34 overall) in 2023 but had an underwhelming first pro season, scoring just six goals and 11 assists (17 points) in 52 games with Cleveland (AHL). Colorado's pipeline was pretty empty, so adding a player like Brindley while shedding $7.75M AAV was a tidy piece of business.

After a brief eight-game debut (which included a two-game suspension) in 2024-25 with the Colorado Avalanche, Matthew Steinburg has re-signed a one-year, two-way contract extension. The 24-year-old's 2024-25 season was cut short due to injury, resulting in his appearance in only 13 games between the Eagles (AHL) and Avalanche.

After appearing in just two games with the Colorado Avalanche in 2024-25, Jason Polin has earned himself a one-year, two-way contract extension on Friday. The 26-year-old right winger spent the majority of last season with the Colorado Eagles (AHL) where he had 11 goals and 19 points in 39 games played.

Colorado announced Friday that forward Logan O'Connor had successfully undergone hip surgery and is expected to miss the next five to six months as he recovers. The 28-year-old produced an impressive two goals and six points in seven playoff games in Colorado's opening series loss to Dallas this past season.