Evan’s NHL Daily: Avalanche NCAA Signing, Celebrini Decision

It’s kind of funny how quickly the NHL off-season dies off. On July 1, the signings were coming left and right for a few hours. By the time the evening rolled around, it was really quiet, and by the time Tuesday rolled around, there weren’t really that many interesting players to sign. Colorado made one depth signing, while the St. Louis Blues woke up from their Monday slumber to make a few trades and sign one of their own players.

Colorado did make one additional signing out of the NCAA that kind of came out of left field, and speaking of the NCAA, Macklin Celebrini hasn’t made his decision on whether to jump to the NHL or not just yet. It sounds like we’ll know more about that soon, though.

Colorado Hockey Now

What did we learn from Chris MacFarland after July 1? Well, it doesn’t sound like they’re keeping daily tabs on Valeri Nichushin, but good news on the injury front with Logan O’Connor.

It’s schedule release time, and we now know when everyone will be coming to Ball Arena. Take a look at the schedule, and prepare for the Ball Arena return of Patrick Roy.

The Avalanche could use a bigger defenseman, but if there’s cheap skill out there for free, it’s hard to say no. Big fan of the move to bring in Erik Brannstrom.

Dev camp starts on Wednesday, and I’ll be there with updates. We’ll also look at the former Avalanche players who went elsewhere in the NHL.

NCAA Signing by Colorado

Outside of the Brannstrom signing on Tuesday, Colorado did make a few other moves. They re-signed Wyatt Aamodt, but that’s a depth move and unlikely to impact the NHL roster. The other move probably won’t either, but it’s pretty interesting.

Chase Bradley was a 7th round pick by the Red Wings back in 2020, but while he had only completed his Junior season in the NCAA, he declared he wasn’t going to go back to school. Detroit didn’t sign him, but the Avalanche did, giving the 22 year old a two-year ELC.

The University of Connecticut alum isn’t a big scorer, having put up just 22 points in 31 NCAA games, but he apparently did enough to earn that contract. I’m not sure he is someone with NHL prospects, but he cost the team nothing to acquire and will fight for ice-time in the AHL next season.

News and Rumors

San Jose Hockey Now: He hasn’t signed an NHL contract yet, but a decision is coming soon for Macklin Celebrini.

We all know he’s turning pro, right? Tyler Toffoli signing with the Sharks was a big indicator that the first overall pick isn’t going back to BU. And really, he doesn’t have much to prove there after winning the Hobey Baker at just 17 years old.

New Jersey Hockey Now: His time in Colorado was short, but veteran NHL winger Tomas Tatar has decided to return to the New Jersey Devils, getting a one year contract.

I’m a little surprised that he got paid MORE than the Avalanche paid him last summer, but I guess that’s a symptom of the salary cap going up.

Florida Hockey Now: Avalanche fans have every reason to be jealous/angry after hearing this – all Florida Panthers games will be free on TV next year, as they’re going to be broadcast over-the air.

I’ve already lost count of what year we’re entering with the Altitude dispute, but there is no end in sight, as far as I know. You never even hear about negotiations anymore. Somehow, the NHL and NBA haven’t stepped in to do anything.

Montreal Hockey Now: One contract that slipped through everything on Monday was the Juraj Slafkovsky extension. It’s a risky deal, but could pay off in a big way for Montreal.

Nashville Hockey Now: He didn’t sign there just to fade away. Steven Stamkos thinks something special can happen in Nashville.