The Colorado Avalanche are going to sit out the first day of free agency.
“We’re not going to be looking that day,” GM Joe Sakic told the Denver Post. “As the summer goes on, we’ll see what good fits are. But on the July 1, don’t expect us to go after any big long-term deals. Within our own, we’re going to discuss what we have within, but outside on July 1 we’re not going to go after a big splash.”
Last July 1, the Avs went outside the organization and signed veterans Francois Beauchemin and Blake Comeau. They also inked Carl Soderberg to a big deal after acquiring his rights from Boston.
This summer, after missing the playoffs for a second straight year, their priorities will be getting restricted free agents Nathan MacKinnon and Tyson Barrie under contract.
Sakic has also said he’d like to re-sign one, or possibly both, of Mikkel Boedker or Shawn Matthias; however, both UFA forwards are expected to test the market to “see what’s out there” first.
Related: UFA of the Day: Mikkel Boedker