The Colorado Avalanche will attempt to fill out their 2026-27 roster this offseason, and one player’s name has been mentioned numerous times even before the trade deadline.
Ross Colton would be that name.
In June 2023, the Avalanche traded Colton to the Tampa Bay Lightning for the 37th overall choice in the NHL Entry Draft.
He has already demonstrated that he can play strong hockey. Unfortunately for Colton, the Avs traded Miles Wood (one of the three 20’s linemates), ending the Roaring 20s.
David Pagnotta recently stated that Colton might be a salary cut this offseason.
Colton appeared in 73 games this season, scoring nine goals and adding 15 assists as a bottom-six winger. That’s not great by any means. It’s fairly mid, as the kids put something similar.
I believe his position in the lineup is due to the Avalanche’s top-heavy squad, but do you recall his stint alongside MacKinnon on the first line a few years ago? I’ve said that before. It was so cool to watch him perform the way he did.
For this reason, I believe the Avalanche should retain Colton; however, Jared Bednar does not appear to be interested in pursuing the subject again, for whatever reason. I believe he favors someone like Gabriel Landeskog or Valeri Nichushkin joining the squad if Artturi Lehkonen or Martin Necas are injured. In fact, we saw both of those players on the top line.
Colton’s time on the ice dropped from the regular season (12:31 per game) to the postseason (9:40 per game). I’d be interested to know what Bednar thinks, but I believe it has to do with the club’s depth.
Colton, however, has been identified as a possible cap casualty for the Avalanche this summer. He is scheduled to have $4 million deducted from the salary cap, and with the salary cap rising, the Avalanche may decide to trade him for a less expensive alternative. Aside from hockey, where the salary cap is modest in comparison to three of the four major sports, excluding baseball, $4 million is not much in the world of sports. The MLB imposes a fee on teams that exceed a particular limit.
It’s difficult to envision Colton on the team in 2026-27 and have him generate as little as he did. Sure, hockey isn’t all about scoring goals, but I’d like to see a lot more from him for the Avalanche to consider keeping him on the squad.
His status is definitely something I’d keep an eye on, and every Avalanche supporter should do the same.
