Though the Avalanche retained two young players Thursday, negotiations are not going well with Marek Svatos, one of its top goal scorers last season.
“We’re at a point where it’s tough to say where it goes from here,” Svatos’ agent Rich Evans said. “(Talks) could have gone better; otherwise, we’d have a deal by now.”
Svatos and center Brett McLean are the only unsigned Avs after goalie Peter Budaj and right wing Cody McCormick re-signed Thursday.
Budaj, 23, signed a three-year, $2.1 million contract. He’ll make $600,000 this coming season, $700,000 in 2007-08 and $800,000 the following season.McCormick, 23, signed a one-year, $495,000, two-way contract.
The signings bring the Avalanche’s payroll to a little more than $40 million – a number that is fluid because some players, such as McCormick, are signed to two-way contracts, meaning they will be paid far less if they don’t make the roster in training camp.
With the new NHL salary cap set at $44 million, that still leaves room to sign Svatos and McLean, but Evans indicated talks have broken off over a deal for Svatos, who tied for the team’s goal-scoring lead last season with 32 despite playing only 61 games because of a shoulder injury.
“We would hope to be speaking,” Evans said. “If the team has cap issues affecting signing a guy like Marek, we would hope they would resolve their cap issues.”
Svatos, 24, made the league minimum of $450,000 last season and was tendered a qualifying offer of $495,000 by the Avs to retain his rights.
Evans said Svatos could have elected to go to arbitration, like McLean did recently, but wanted to negotiate.
“He’s a very dynamic young player,” Evans said. “He’s the kind of player hopefully the Avalanche would want to build around.”
Avalanche general manager Francois Giguere declined comment, but team spokesman Jean Martineau downplayed the lack of a deal for Svatos.
“It’s only July 13,” Martineau said. “Training camp is a ways off.”
Evans said Svatos’ recovery from shoulder surgery, which knocked him out at the end of the season and playoffs, is on schedule and he will be ready for training camp. But Svatos will not report to camp unless he agrees to a contract.
Adrian Dater can be reached at 303-820-5454 or adater@denverpost.com.
