The Colorado Avalanche has found a way to keep Jonathan Drouin.
One of the great comeback stories in the NHL last season, Drouin is returning to the Avalanche on a one-year contract worth $2.5 million, a league source confirmed Monday morning. Drouin had 19 goals and a career-high 56 points with the Avs last season after signing a one-year, $825,000 contract on July 1, 2023.
Drouin not only became a key offensive contributor for the Avs but earned praise for his improved two-way play and the trust of coach Jared Bednar to play big minutes as the season progressed.
Keeping Drouin was a top priority for the Avalanche this offseason. Given some of the other contracts handed out Monday and deals signed in recent years by players who had similar production, it certainly appears that Drouin took less money than would have been available to remain with Colorado.
The Avs now have Mikko Rantanen, Artturi Lehkonen and Drouin to slot into the top two forward lines, with captain Gabe Landeskog and, eventually, Valeri Nichushkin, as options as well. Drouin gives the club some certainty at the start of the season, which could be important in what looks to be a much-improved Central Division.
Landeskog has missed the past two seasons because of a knee injury and his actual return date remains to be determined. Lehkonen could miss the start of training camp after offseason shoulder surgery. Nichushkin is suspended through at least mid-November while he’s in Stage 3 of the NHL-NHLPA Player Assistance Program.
There was a flurry of activity around the NHL as free agency began. A pair of players the Avalanche added before the 2024 trade deadline, Yakov Trenin and Brandon Duhaime, found new homes.
Trenin signed a four-year contract with the Minnesota Wild worth $3.5 million per season. Duhaime joined the Washington Capitals on a two-year deal worth $1.85 million per season.
This is a developing story.
Want more Avalanche news? Sign up for the Avalanche Insider to get all our NHL analysis.