The Colorado Avalanche may have found one of the sharpest bargains of the 2026 NHL free agent season.
Reports say the Avs are bringing in Jaden Schwartz on a three-year deal worth $3.25 AAV, a move that comes with the kind of discount teams dream about when the market opens. Schwartz had been linked to Colorado as his preferred landing spot, and the connection makes sense: he played at Colorado College during the 2010-11 season, a tie that clearly kept the Avalanche on his radar.
For Colorado, the price is the headline. Schwartz is coming off a five-year, $27.5 million contract he signed in 2021, with a $5.5 million cap hit that still made him a useful top-six option. Instead, he’s now set to join a deeper roster for far less money than he was making in Seattle.
The production has been steady enough to explain why Colorado wanted him. Schwartz scored 20 goals twice during his time with the Kraken, and his best offensive season came back in 2014-15 with the St.
Louis Blues, when he put up 28 goals and 63 points. After leaving St.
Louis for Seattle in free agency, he’s now headed to another contender.
The fit in Colorado is where things get interesting. The straightforward path would put Schwartz on the third line, possibly alongside Nazem Kadri and maybe Nic Roy. But there’s also a more intriguing wrinkle: Schwartz could take over as the 3C, with Kadri shifting up to the wing in the top six.
Either way, Jared Bednar suddenly has more flexibility in his top nine. That matters over the course of a season, especially with injuries bound to hit at some point. Schwartz gives the Avalanche another dependable forward and opens up options all over the lineup.
It’s the kind of move that can look even better once the season gets rolling. And if this deal goes through as reported, Joe Sakic may have just landed the best value signing of the summer.
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