Tyson Jost signs new deal with Avalanche; Is that it for spending?

Tyson Jost, whose mercurial play has often been the subject of scorn among Avs but who rebounded with a pretty nice season in 2021, re-signed with the club today at two years, $4 million. Jost will make $1.75 million this coming season, and $2.25 million in 2022-23.

According to our partners at PuckPedia, the Avalanche have a full boat when it comes to allowable “active-roster” contracts.

With #GoAvsGo signing Jost for $2M, have $2.77M Cap Space with a full 23 Players on Projected Roster (14F/7D/2G).

Assuming full health, any further addition would be net of removing 1 player & their Cap Hit from Active 23 Player Rosterhttps://t.co/Azpe41fAYI

— PuckPedia (@PuckPedia) July 30, 2021

I’ll be honest, the cap number stuff is thoroughly confusing to me. Does anyone know what the true cap number is lol? CapFriendly says the Avs have about $5.1 million of cap space right now, but they are counting players such as Logan O’Connor, Jacob MacDonald and Alex Newhook as “non-roster” players. PuckPedia has them as on the roster. But, unless I’m reading wrong, PuckPedia has a guy like Kiefer Sherwood as a full-roster player and one of the “23 active-roster contracts” when he has a two-way contract.

Translation: I’m confused.

Does this leave enough room to sign a good forward still on the open market, or are the Avs done spending, based on their current roster? If Avs brass tells me, I’ll relay the information on.

Bottom line: the Avs don’t have a ton of cap space either way. I don’t think the true cap number is $5.1 million, that’s for sure. Even Joe Sakic said the other night that “we’re up against the cap” and was the reason why they couldn’t offer more to a guy like Brandon Saad.

As for Jost, he probably had his best season as a pro in 2021. No, his scoring production wasn’t much again (seven goals, 17 points in 54 games) but his defensive play was excellent (plus-14) and his Corsi for percentage was very good (58.7). He became a better checker and penalty killer.

Hopefully, he can start scoring goals in the double-digit range again. He hasn’t done that since 2018-19. Jost will still be a restricted free agent when this contract is over, though he will be eligible for arbitration when it’s over too. He would then be one year away from being a UFA.

Here’s more on the signing, from Avs PR:

Jost, 23, skated in 54 of Colorado’s 56 games last season, recording 17 points (7g/10a) with a career-best +14 plus/minus rating.  He ranked fifth on the team in hits (45) and was second in total shorthanded minutes (108:57).  Jost posted a career-high, five-game assist/point streak from April 9-22 and scored a season-high two goals, including the game winner, in the season finale on May 13 vs. Los Angeles to help the Avalanche win the Presidents’ Trophy and Honda West Division title.

The St. Albert, Alberta, native has produced 89 points (39g/50a) in 262 career NHL games and has 10 points (6g/4a) in 40 career Stanley Cup Playoff appearances.  He skated in all 10 of Colorado’s postseason games during the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs, recording four points (2g/2a).

“Tyson took a big step last year and was a key contributor to our team.  He has worked hard to improve his game and earn a spot in our lineup,” said Avalanche Executive Vice President / General Manager Joe Sakic. “Tyson is a guy with a lot of character who competes at a high level day in and day out.  We are excited to have him under contract for another two seasons.”

Prior to turning pro, Tyson Jost played one season for the University of North Dakota, tallying 35 points (16g/19a) in 33 games.  He finished second on the team and third among all National Collegiate Hockey Conference freshmen in points, earning a spot on the NCHC All-Rookie Team.

Before enrolling at North Dakota, Tyson Jost was named the winner of the 2015-16 Vern Dye Memorial Trophy as the British Columbia Hockey League’s Most Valuable Player after tallying 104 points (42 goals, 62 assists) in 48 games for the Penticton Vees.  His 62 assists led the BCHL, while his 104 points ranked third.  Jost’s 2.17 points-per-game average was the highest in the league.

Internationally, Jost represented his country at the IIHF World Championship in 2018 and 2019 and helped Canada capture the silver medal at the 2019 tournament in Slovakia.  The 5-foot-11, 187-pound center helped Canada to a silver medal at the 2017 IIHF World Junior Championship in Montreal/Toronto and captained Team Canada at the 2016 IIHF Under-18 World Championship in Grand Forks, North Dakota, where he led the entire tournament with 15 points (6g/9a) in seven games. His 15 points established a Canadian record at that event, surpassing the previous mark set by Connor McDavid (14) in 2013.  Jost was selected as the tournament’s “Best Forward” and was named to the All-Star Team.