Avalanche sign defenseman Patrick Wiercioch

According to Travis Yost of TSN, the Colorado Avalanche will sign former Ottawa Senators defenseman Patrick Wiercioch when free agency opens in the next hour. Terms of the deal have yet to be disclosed. Wiercioch, 25, is a left-handed defenseman who played at the University of Denver from 2008-10. He registered five assists in 52 games played last season and has career totals of 62 points (12 goals, 50 assists) in 211 NHL games. UPDATE: The term is one year for $800,000.

Wiercioch has long been a target of Colorado’s affection as they allegedly had a deal in place for him two seasons ago at the trade deadline that fell apart at the last minute. He is one of the players advanced stats advocates loudly bang the table in favor of as a player who has been unfairly misused by his club as his underlying numbers are consistently positive but he couldn’t ever seen to win over his coaches in Ottawa.

He’s a 6’5″, 200-pound defender who is noted for his good mobility and strong point shot but has been dogged for inconsistent play throughout his career. He is a classic reclamation project for the Avalanche and will compete for a depth role on their blue line. Below is his HERO chart, showing his efficiency in the role given to him plus his WOWYs (which measure success of his linemates with and without him):