Avalanche sign veteran wing to one-year deal

The Colorado Avalanche have re-united franchise face Nathan MacKinnon with his QMJHL partner in crime. According to TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie, the Avalanche have signed 2013 third overall pick Jonathan Drouin. Peter Baugh of The Athletic is reporting that the contract will be a one-year, $825K deal.

This signing is a major opportunity for Drouin, who could potentially end up once again on a line with MacKinnon. Wrist surgeries have done significant damage to Drouin’s ability to be a goal-scoring threat, as reflected by his mark of two goals in 58 games this past season.

But Drouin clearly has some gas left in the tank as a playmaker, as he finished the season with a 41-point scoring pace despite that extremely low goal total.

He’s still a capable playmaker, and in the right situation, one wonders how much more he could produce. He’s always had tantalizing offensive potential, and is in the thick of his prime at 28 years old. At a $825K cap hit, this could be Drouin’s perfect station for a career renaissance.

If he doesn’t manage that, though, and ends up in-and-out of the lineup due to injuries as he’s done over the past several seasons, it’ll be a disappointing outcome but not a catastrophe given the affordable cap hit he’ll occupy.