Ross Colton’s Arbitration Date Set

There is now an official date on when Ross Colton and the Colorado Avalanche will (potentially) meet in court to finalize a new contract.

July 27.

That’s coming up quick.

The NHLPA posted the official hearing dates for the players that filed for arbitration on Monday morning. It should be noted that the number has dwindled over the past few days already, as three players have already come to agreements with their teams on new contracts, avoiding the arbitration process.

I think there’s a very good chance that happens with Colton and the Avalanche.

Evolving Hockey projected a 4-year, $3.3 million per-year contract for Colton, but as we know, things change. Colton is one year away from unrestricted free agency, so if the two parties actually did meet in court, he could only be rewarded a one-year contract. The Avalanche don’t want that, but that’s some leverage for the Colton camp.

If you’re on Colton’s side, you’re probably looking at the contracts that both J.T. Compher and Andrew Copp signed these past two summers and thinking that if you have a big year, you can get paid. But in order to get a contract like that, you have to have that big year, and Colton best season so far saw him hit 39 points. The Avalanche also may be looking to lock Colton up for a bit more term, much like they did with Miles Wood.

I am still of the belief that it would be a major surprise if the two parties went through the arbitration process. 46 players have been set to have their day in court over the last two years, and only one of them has actually made it that far. Just think of July 27 as a deadline for the two parties to agree to a new deal.

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