Avalanche sign defenseman Devon Toews to 7-year extension
The Colorado Avalanche have locked up a workhorse defenseman until the end of the 2030-31 season.
The Colorado Avalanche extended top-pair defenseman Devon Toews on Friday, giving the 29-year-old a seven-year contract worth $50.75 million.
While understandably overshadowed by defense partner Cale Makar, Toews has been outstanding in recent seasons for the Avalanche. The veteran has earned a top-15 finish in Norris Trophy voting in each of the last three years, producing two 50-point seasons in that time.
Since being acquired from the New York Islanders prior to the 2020-21 season, he ranks eighth among all NHL players in ice time per game (25:06) and fourth in short-handed ice time per contest (3:01).
Not only does Toews lead the NHL in plus-minus since joining the Avalanche (plus-122), the next best mark is 30 points lower than his total (Matthew Tkachuk at plus-92). He's coming off a season where he managed 50 points in 80 games with stellar possession metrics (xGF% of 55.82 at 5v5).
The cap hit on the defenseman's new contract, which will kick in next season, is relatively modest in the context of his recent production. There are currently 25 defensemen who have a higher AAV than the $7.25 Toews will make on this extension.
His age plays a significant role in that as Toews will turn 30 during the 2023-24 season, and this contract will cover a few seasons when he's likely to be in the decline phase of his career. While this deal could become less team-friendly down the line, Colorado will be happy to live with Toews' cap hit during its current competitive window.
After inking this extension, the Avalanche project to have just $2.62 million in cap space for the 2024-25 season. While that lack of flexibility could hamper the club's team-building efforts, it will have the benefit of bringing back all of its most important contributors from this season — Toews included.
