Vladislav Kamenev signs with Avalanche

The Colorado Avalanche have re-signed forward Vladislav Kamenev to a one-year contract. Financial terms were undisclosed. He will be a restricted free agent again next summer.

Kamenev, 22, played in 23 games this season before getting coming injured in a game against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Kamenev sustained a shoulder injury resulting in surgery this season. Prior to the injury, Kamenev tallied five points (2g, 3a) this season with the Colorado Avalanche.

In the 23 games, Kamenev averaged 9:02 TOI, and even showed some faceoff acumen, winning exactly 50% of the draws he took. Kamenev scored his first goal as an Avalanche player in a November 1 game against the Calgary Flames. The goal was short-handed.

Kamenev has been bitten by the injury bug in his time in Colorado; during the 2017-2018 season, Kamenev was hurt just moments into his Avalanche debut and came back to make two more appearances before being shut down in the middle of a playoff race.

Prior to his arrival in Colorado Kamenev saw time in the Russian development team, the KHL, and the AHL. In the 2015-2016 season with the Milwaukee Admirals, Kamenev was selected to the AHL All-Star Game in a season in which he totaled 37 points in 57 contests.

Kamenev was traded to the Colorado Avalanche in the ever talked about Matt Duchene trade. The team has continued to have high hopes for him but back-to-back season-ending injuries are certainly one way to go about losing a spot in the NHL before ever really getting a chance to lock one down.

If Kamenev can shake the injury bug, he might have a real chance at staying in the NHL. It’s obvious the Avs like him but after a busy summer in which they put 12 established forwards in front of him, it’s also obvious they aren’t banking on him playing a prominent role next year. It will be up to him to prove he belongs.

Colorado’s only RFAs remaining are A.J. Greer and Mikko Rantanen.

As usual, some fancy stats: