Avalanche signs forward Sven Andrighetto to two-year, $2.8 million deal

He came to the Avalanche late last season from the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for power forward Andreas Martinsen. It seemed like one of those “who cares?” kinds of deals, with one team trading their lower-level scrub for another.

Except, Sven Andrighetto became a much more than just a scrub the rest of the way with the Avs. In 19 games with Colorado, Andrighetto put up 16 points. He was arguably the team’s best player the final few weeks of the otherwise dismal season.

On Wednesday afternoon, Andrighetto was rewarded by the Avs with a new two-year, $2.8 million contract. He will make $1.25 million in 2017-18 and $1.55 million the following season. His cap hit will be $1.4 million.

“We were pleased with what Sven added to our team at the end of last season,” said Avalanche executive vice president and general manager Joe Sakic said in a team release. “He sees the ice well and brings speed and scoring to our lineup. We’re excited to have him under contract.”

The Swiss native Andrighetto led the team in scoring in March, 11 points, including a career-high four-game point streak from March 23-29.