Avalanche extend Andreas Martinsen One Year

With all the league’s Front Office teams in one place, the start of the NHL Entry Draft is always a catalyst for trades and signings, and the Avalanche started the day by getting some small contract business out of the way. As per a club release and report from the Denver Post’s Terry Frei, the Avalanche have signed Andreas Martinsen to a one year, one-way contract worth $680,000.

In his rookie season, the 26 year old Martinsen notched 4 goals and 7 assists in 55 NHL games and 1 goal and 1 assist in 10 AHL games. At the start of the offseason, Martinsen played for his native Norway at the 2016 IIHF World Championship in Russia, registering 2 goals and 1 assist in seven games.

Andreas Martinsen played a heavy physical game for the Avalanche, and finished the season 4th among NHL rookies in hits. While he wasn’t a big point producer, Martinsen did earn the trust of the Avalanche coaching staff and even spent some time on the team’s top line, where he showed flashes of real skill.

Martinsen’s small, one year contract, however, and his numerous demotions and scratches near the end of the year suggest that the team views him as a low risk depth piece. Martinsen will compete for a job out of training camp next year, but if the Avalanche make any more additions to the NHL roster via free agency, he could easily find himself back in San Antonio.