After the Avalanche faced Anaheim on Tuesday night, Colorado had 26 games left in the 2006-07 regular season. As the front office considers possible moves before the Feb. 27 NHL trading deadline and also ponders the future, 12 players on the Avalanche’s active roster, including longtime captain Joe Sakic, have contracts that expire after this season.
A 13th player, Ian Laperriere, has a contract option for 2007-08.
Goalie Jose Theodore is under contract through next season, when he is due to make $6 million, and his salary cap number – under the NHL’s cap system, that’s the average compensation over the term of a contract – is $5.3 million. Colorado would have the offseason option of buying out his final year at two-thirds of his 2007-08 salary, but that $4 million would count against the cap – either for one season or, if the Avs choose, $2 million in each of the next two seasons.
Here’s how the situation shakes down for the 23 members of the Avalanche active roster, with the dollar figure representing their 2006-07 compensation, followed by their cap number, only if different:
Expiring after this season: Sakic $5.75 million, Pierre Turgeon, $1.5 million, Jordan Leopold, $1.25 million ($1.15 million), Laperriere, $1.06 million ($988,000), Marek Svatos, $1.05 million, Ossi Vaananen, $997,500, Tyler Arnason, $950,000, Brett McLean, $750,000, Ken Klee, $700,000, Kurt Sauer, $685,000, Brad May, $675,000, Mark Rycroft, $550,000 and Ben Guite, $450,000.
Leopold, Sauer and Svatos would be restricted free agents July 1. The others would be unrestricted.
The only player on injured reserve, defenseman Patrice Brisebois, is expected to be out the rest of the season after back surgery. His two-year, $4.5 million contract expires after this season.
