The Avalanche are betting on more than production with Jaden Schwartz. They’re betting on adaptability, on a veteran who can slide wherever the night demands and keep Colorado from getting boxed in when the lineup starts to shift.
That kind of utility is exactly why Schwartz stands out as one of the more intriguing additions in Colorado. He can fill a scoring role, work in the middle six or handle a different assignment if the Avalanche need him to.
He can help on special teams. He can give them another experienced forward who doesn’t need the situation to be perfect in order to contribute.
And yet the risk is right there, too.
Schwartz’s career has been interrupted far too often. Over his previous 14 full seasons, he has missed 294 games, which amounts to nearly three and a half NHL seasons.
In the last three seasons alone, he has sat out 53 games. Colorado signed him to a three-year deal with a $3.25 million annual cap hit, so the question isn’t whether he has value.
It’s whether he’ll be available enough to provide it.
When he is on the ice, there’s plenty to work with. Schwartz brings a Stanley Cup ring, 14 seasons of NHL experience and the kind of know-how that can help steady a team when things get messy. The Avalanche already have star power; what they needed was another player who can fit around it without forcing everything else out of place.
That matters over the grind of a season. A center gets tossed from the faceoff circle.
A winger has to move up. An injury knocks the lineup into a new shape.
A line that looked sharp in October doesn’t always survive into January. Schwartz gives Colorado another piece who can move around without causing a ripple effect everywhere else.
There’s also a built-in comfort level here. Schwartz spent two seasons at Colorado College and was one of the most productive players in college hockey, piling up 88 points in 60 games before the St.
Louis Blues took him 14th overall in the 2010 NHL Draft. More than a decade later, he’s back in Colorado, only now the expectations are much different.
His résumé stretches beyond that college connection. Schwartz spent his first 10 NHL seasons with the Blues and was part of their 2019 championship run before becoming one of the veteran voices in Seattle. That background could matter for an Avalanche team trying to get back to the Stanley Cup Final after winning the title in 2022.
There are also signs he’s approaching the move with urgency. As first reported by Hockey Mountain High, Schwartz was among the first players to show up for optional skates at Family Sports Center this offseason. For a player whose health is the biggest question attached to his name, that detail stands out.
He’ll also walk into a familiar coaching relationship. Schwartz played four seasons in Seattle under current Avalanche assistant coach Dave Hakstol, which should make the transition a little smoother.
One of the quieter reasons Schwartz is so interesting is what he can do in the faceoff circle. Last season, he won 59.3 percent of his draws.
That was actually better than Jack Drury’s regular-season mark of 58.1 percent, even though Drury later improved to 61.3 percent in the playoffs. Schwartz shouldn’t be mistaken for a full-time center, but that kind of faceoff ability adds another layer to his value.
So the fit makes sense. The upside is obvious. The uncertainty is just as real.
Colorado is taking a swing on a versatile veteran who can help in a lot of different ways - if he can stay on the ice long enough to do it.
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Avalanche Get Another Tough Reminder About Their Prospect Pipeline
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There is still plenty of league-wide business to sort out before training camps open, with several notable restricted free agents unsigned and the usual late-summer maneuvering beginning to take shape. The same survey also touched on the Maple Leafs roster and possible ways to unite brothers in the organization, but for Colorado the bigger takeaway is simpler: the next wave of help still looks like a project, not a certainty. [Read more 🡒]