Avalanche, Rocco Grimaldi agree on one-year, two-way contract

Rocco Grimaldi, one of two previously unsigned restricted free agents with the Avalanche, has agreed to a new deal with the team. The contract, to be announced either later Tuesday or Wednesday, is a one-year, two-way agreement, sources tell BSNDenver.

The only remaining restricted free agent still to be signed by the Avs is defenseman Nikita Zadorov. Terms of Grimaldi’s contract are not yet available. *Update: Grimaldi will make $750,000 with the Avs and $170,000 at the AHL level.

Grimaldi, one of the shortest players in the NHL at 5-foot-6, played four games with the Avs toward the end of the 2016-17 season, posting one assist and a minus-3. Even though he did not receive a one-way contract offer, Grimaldi was one of the eight forwards on the protected list of the Avs in the Expansion Draft.

Grimaldi, 24, is coming off his entry-level contract, originally signed with the Florida Panthers in 2013. He was the 33rd selection overall by the Panthers in the 2011 NHL draft. He led the San Antonio Rampage in scoring last season with 31 goals and 55 points in 72 games. He starred for three years at the University of North Dakota.

Grimaldi, a center who can also play the wing, is a native of Anaheim, Calif. He should have a decent chance of making the Avalanche roster, but if not, if he goes back to San Antonio, he figures to be a prime candidate to be recalled when needed.