On Friday, the NHL free agent frenzy will officially begin. The Colorado Avalanche however, do not figure to make that big of a splash in the market, instead focusing on taking care of their own and giving their young players more ice time.
If this notion is disappointing to you, it really shouldn’t be. The Avalanche have always had that approach. When they have made a major move in free agency (i.e. Ryan Smyth, Paul Kariya, Teemu Selanne), it rarely pays the dividends that they hoped.
The Avalanche’s key contributors have always either been drafted (i.e. Joe Sakic, Milan Hejduk, Adam Foote and Matt Duchene) or acquired through trade (i.e. Patrick Roy, Peter Forsberg, Ray Bourque and Rob Blake).
That being said, there has been the occasional free agent signing that was able to make an impact for the Avalanche. Some were role players that played their role very well. Some were undervalued players that outperformed expectations.
With that in mind, with free agency on the horizon, here is a look at the top five free agent signings in Avalanche history:
5. Dave Reid
Position: LW First signed: 1999-2000 Initial salary: $475,000
Reid spent the final two seasons of his career with the Avalanche. Surprisingly enough, no free agent signing made more of an impact on the 2000-2001 Stanley Cup Champions. A fourth line wing, he stabilized the bottom-six and was counted upon to be a consummate professional in the locker room.
On a team full of stars, the Avalanche needed players to do the dirty work, which Reid did proudly. He brought with him a Stanley Cup ring from his time with the Dallas Stars. He also had spent 10 seasons as a teammate of Ray Bourques’ in Boston, helping his transition.
Reid only scored 28 points in two seasons with the Avalanche, but, with him, the offense was a bonus.
In the end, he was able to go out a champion.
