Position: C First signed: 2004-2005 Initial salary: $2 million
The Avalanche made one of the bigger splashes in the summer of 2004, signing Damphousse away from the San Jose Sharks. Alas, he would never play for the burgundy and blue.
The following season would be wiped away by a lockout. Damphousse would then retire without ever playing for the Avalanche.
He was still effective in his last season with the Sharks (scoring 41 points in 82 regular season games and 14 in 17 playoff contests), leaving many to wonder what could have been? Perhaps he could have softened the blow of losing Peter Forsberg the very next summer (the people they signed sure didn’t).
We will never know.
