The Colorado Avalanche have re-signed Andrew Cogliano to a one-year contract worth $825,000. He suffered a fractured neck on April 28 and was supposed to miss six-to-eight weeks. He should be ready for training camp at the start of the 2023-24 season. He is a 36-year-old veteran that has been utilized as a depth forward for contending teams during the past few seasons, a role in which he plays quite well.
Cogliano played his junior career in the NCAA with the University of Michigan over two seasons, where he scored 36 goals and added 42 assists for 78 points through 77 games which comes out to a 1.01 points per game average. The Edmonton Oilers selected Cogliano in the first round of the 2005 NHL Entry Draft at 25th overall, and he got his first taste of NHL action with the Oilers in the 2007-08 season.
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Prior to joining the NCAA, Cogliano spent two seasons in the Ontario Junior Hockey League (OJHL, previously called the OPJHL during Cogliano’s stint) with the St. Michael’s Buzzers where he scored 62 goals and added 112 assists for 174 points through 86 games which comes out to a 2.02 points per game average.
Cogliano became known as a player that could battle through just about anything and played his first ten seasons without missing a single game until the 2017-18 season. The Avalanche are the fifth team Cogliano has played for, having previously played for the Oilers, Anaheim Ducks, Dallas Stars, and the San Jose Sharks.
In 1,219 games in the NHL, Cogliano has scored 184 goals and added 261 assists for 445 points which comes out to a 0.37 points per game average. His small size, but speedy stride made him a useful depth piece throughout the entirety of his career wherever he played. He never let his 5-foot-10, 180-pound stature hold him back from being a gritty offensive complementary piece in any lineup he stepped into.
The Avalanche will be looking to make it back to the playoffs and try to win their second Stanley Cup in the last three seasons, so bringing back a “glue guy” that everybody in the dressing room loves and can provide just as much on the ice as he does off the ice is a step in the right direction.
Cogliano’s Fit With The Avalanche
As mentioned, Cogliano is a glue guy that keeps everyone’s morality high. He won’t be expected to provide an insane amount of points throughout the year, but instead, step into an increased role when called upon, and lead by example on the penalty kill by blocking shots. He will be a big part of the Avs’ bottom-six this season, just as he was last season.
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