Colorado Avalanche Sign Devon Toews to Long-Term Extension

Colorado Avalanche Sign Devon Toews Seven Years

Keeping Devon Toews in Colorado for the foreseeable future was likely a top priority for the Avalanche. The 29 year old, 6′ 1″, 191 lb left-shot defenceman came to Colorado in a trade with the New York Islanders in 2020 for two second-round picks. Since that time, he has been a solid top defenceman for the Avalanche. Toews provides a stable presence on the back end to compliment the star offensive ability of fellow defenceman Cale Makar.

Last season, Toews played in 80 games for the Avalanche and scored seven goals and 43 assists with a +39. Even though it is somewhat of a skewed stat, Toews led the Avalanche and finished sixth in the NHL in +/-. Meanwhile, he was second for team defence in scoring with fifty points. In the playoffs last season, Toews led the team in assists with eight and was second in points with nine in seven games played. Over his career, he has 40 goals and 145 assists.

What This Means

With Toews needing a new contract after this season, locking him up was a big move for Colorado. While the move to sign Devon Toews to a seven-year deal may be a little long for a 29-year-old and may prove troublesome at the end, Colorado is in a win-now mode. Fresh off a Stanley Cup Championship two seasons ago, Colorado has the pieces to continue to be a contender for the foreseeable future. With big stars in Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen, and Makar, the team is in no place to slow down. Toews has really established himself as an upper-tier defenceman in the league and Colorado knows how valuable he is to the team. Meanwhile, Toews gets to cash in with this long-term deal. The seven-year term takes the pressure away from having to re-negotiate anytime soon for both parties. Now let’s see if Colorado can make some noise for the next few seasons.