Avalanche sign Devon Toews to 7-year extension

The Colorado Avalanche secured the services of a core piece Friday, inking defenseman Devon Toews to a seven-year contract extension, the club announced.

The deal carries an average annual value of $7.25 million, reports The Athletic’s Peter Baugh.

Toews was a pending unrestricted free agent who would’ve been one of the most sought-after players on the market next summer. He’s in the final season of a four-year pact he inked with the Avalanche at $4.1 million annually in October 2020.

The Canadian blue-liner signed his current contract 15 days after Colorado acquired him in a trade with the New York Islanders in exchange for two second-round picks. Those selections became current Arizona Coyotes rearguard J.J. Moser and now-19-year-old Swedish defenseman Calle Odelius, who’s playing overseas.

Toews has been one of the NHL’s most underrated players for years. The 29-year-old was defensively solid with offensive upside even before arriving in Colorado, and he’s excelled in both facets of the game ever since. Toews has benefited from playing with superstar Cale Makar, but his underlying numbers over the previous three seasons are nearly flawless nonetheless.

Evolving Hockey

Toews collected seven goals and 43 assists while averaging 25:06 in ice time over 80 games in 2022-23. He enjoyed a career year offensively one season prior, notching 13 tallies and 44 helpers while averaging 25:22 in ice time across only 66 contests in 2021-22.

The Quinnipiac product spent his first two campaigns with the Isles before they shipped him to the Avalanche. New York drafted Toews 108th overall in 2014.

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