The Colorado Avalanche have re-signed defenseman Josh Manson to a four-year deal.
The Colorado Avalanche are getting the band back together.
After re-signing a few key pieces of their Stanley Cup roster in the days leading up to free agent frenzy, the Avalanche kicked off July 13th by keeping another player in-house, agreeing to terms with defenseman Josh Manson on a four-year deal worth an average annual value worth $4.5 million.
The deal, which now ties Manson to Colorado through the 2025-26 season, takes arguably the best available defender off the board and ensures that the Avalanche's blue line remains a force to be reckoned with for the foreseeable future.
Per the terms of the deal, Manson will have a full no-trade clause for the two years and then a modified no-trade clause for years three to four.
Manson seemed to fit in perfectly on the Avalanche since arriving at the trade deadline last season. The 30-year-old managed to stabilize the Avs' second pair down the final stretch, playing just as comfortably with Samuel Girard at first and then alongside Jack Johnson once Girard succumbed to injury in the playoffs.
After re-signing Valeri Nichushkin, Darren Helm, and Andrew Cogliano over the past 48 hours, newly promoted GM Chris McFarland is hitching his wagon to the same roster that bulldozed the rest of the NHL en route to one of the most dominant Stanley Cup runs in recent memory.
It's a good bet -- one that only becomes stronger with the signing of Manson and now definitively keeps the Avalanche among the league's elite teams despite the cap crunch.