The Avalanche added to their depth Thursday, signing Darren Helm to a one-year, $1 million contract, the team announced.
Helm, 34, has spent the entirety of his career with the Detroit Red Wings, winning the Stanley Cup in his rookie season in 2007-08. In 2021, Helm appeared in 47 games for Detroit, recording three goals and eight points.
Helm has been a penalty-killing specialist for the Red Wings for over a decade.
“Darren is a high-energy, competitive player who brings veteran leadership to our team,” Avs general manager Joe Sakic said. “He helps our depth up front, is good on faceoffs and is an effective penalty killer. Darren is a Stanley Cup champion who will be a great addition to our dressing room.”
Listen to “Darcy Kuemper Is the Man” on Spreaker.
Helm was not the only addition the Avs have made to bolster their bottom-six and potentially American Hockey League depth. The team also signed forwards Stefan Matteau and Dylan Sikura to one-year deals. These two signings were confirmed by the Avalanche.
Matteau, a 2012 first-round pick of the New Jersey Devils, dressed in 18 games with Columbus last season, recorded one goal. Sikura played six games for the Vegas Golden Knights, scoring two goals.
__
Aarif Deen is our Colorado Avalanche beat reporter. He covers Avs games live from Ball Arena and attends practices, media availabilities and other events pertaining to the Avs on the daily beat. He is also a co-host of Hockey Mountain High: Your go-to Avalanche podcast. Deen joined Mile High Sports upon completion of his bachelor’s degree in journalism and master’s in business administration from the University of Michigan – Dearborn. Before Mile High Sports, Deen worked for the Michigan Wolverines Athletics Department as the assistant sports information director.
Follow him on Twitter @runwriteAarif
