Gabriel Landeskog and Duncan Siemens put signatures to their first NHL contracts Thursday. Whether each starts the season as an NHL player with the Avalanche won’t be known until September at the earliest.
Landeskog, drafted second overall, and Siemens, taken 11th, both signed three-year, entry-level contracts with Colorado. Both players’ base salaries — if they make the Avs this coming season — will be $925,000.
But their salary cap number would be considerably higher. In Landeskog’s case, he’ll have a $3.575 million cap hit if he makes the team — with his base salary, an $850,000 signing bonus and $1.8 million in other potential bonuses built into the contract.
“We are pleased to have both Gabriel and Duncan under contract,” Avs general manager Greg Sherman said.
Of the two, Landeskog probably has the better chance of making the team out of training camp.
The Avs are thin at his position of left wing, while there is more of a numbers crunch at defense for Siemens, who would go back to his junior team, the Saskatoon Blades, if he fails to make the Avalanche. If he goes back to junior, his NHL base salary will not count against the cap. Both players could play a maximum of nine games with Colorado and still be sent back to junior, per NHL regulations. If they play 10 games, they must be paid their NHL base salaries.
Adrian Dater: 303-954-1360 or adater@denverpost.com
