Avalanche Extend Qualifying Offers to Pickard, Grigorenko and 6 More

Before tackling the July 1st free agency period, the Colorado Avalanche needed to take care of some business in-house, making qualifying offers to a number of their restricted free agents in advance of this afternoon’s qualifying offer deadline. After revealing this weekend that Joey Hishon would be qualified and Jordan Caron would be let go, the Avalanche, according to the NHL’s official free agent list, chose to qualify 8 of their 12 restricted free agents, including recent acquisition Mikhail Grigorenko.

In addition to Grigorenko and fan favorite Hishon, the Avalanche have reportedly extended qualifying offers to keep defenseman Stefan Elliott and Mat Clark, as well as forwards Andrew Agozzino, Freddie Hamilton, and finally, goaltender Sami Aittokallio. Recent deadline acquisition Jordan Caron, was not qualified by the team while potential RFA Marcus Lauridsen has already signed a contract to play for AIK in Sweden next year. RFA forwards Mitchell Heard and Tomas Vincour were also let go.

Extending a minimum qualifying offer to an RFA prevents that player from becoming an unrestricted free agent on July 1st. Once a qualifying offer has been made, players can either sign their minimum QO and start their new contract, or reject the initial QO and either leave the NHL for a foreign league, file for arbitration, or continue negotiating a deal over the summer. Qualified players can only sign an NHL contract with their original team, except in the case of an offer sheet.

There are no real surprises in the group of QO recipients. The biggest story belongs to forward Mitchell Heard. The Avalanche reached off the board in 2012 to draft Heard, who was a point per game forward with the OHL’s Plymouth Whalers, 41st overall. Heard reached the point per game mark with Plymouth again in an injury shortened 2013 campaign, but the agitating forward could never find success at the professional level.

After struggling to make an impact with the Lake Erie Monsters over parts of three seasons, Heard found himself down in the ECHL. Heard’s dismissal cements his legacy as the Avalanche’s most disappointing recent draft pick. .

A complete rundown of the players qualified follows:

Calvin Pickard:
Goaltender – 6’1″ 200 lbs – Age 22
NHL: 16 GP – 6W – 7L – 3OT – .932 SV%
AHL: 50 GP – 23W – 17L – 9OT – .917 SV%
Minimum Qualifying Offer: $850,000
Calvin Pickard was a pleasant surprise for the Avalanche in 2015, winning 6 of the 16 games he appeared in and posting a team-high .932 save percentage. Pickard is expected to battle Reto Berra for the backup goaltender spot in training camp this September. The young goaltender could be a big part of the Avs’ future and earned the #7 spot in our Top 25 Under 25 series.

Mikhail Grigorenko:
Center – 6’3″ 209 lbs – Age 21
NHL: 25 GP – 3G – 3A – 6Pts
AHL: 43 GP – 14G – 22A – 36Pts
A major x-factor in the Ryan O’Reilly – Nikita Zadorov swap, Grigorenko could start the season with San Antonio or in a sheltered depth role with the Avalanche. The young Russian forward has a lot to offer if he can find more consistency.

Joey Hishon:
Center – 5’10” 170 lbs – Age 22
NHL: 13 GP – 1G -1A – 2Pts
AHL: 53 GP – 16G – 20A – 36Pts
Minimum Qualifying Offer: $893,000
A feel good story for the Avs, Hishon finally made his NHL regular season debut after years of head injury complications. Though he registered just two points, Hishon was impressive in his first real NHL stint and earned the #8 spot in our Top 25 Under 25 series.

Freddie Hamilton:
Center – 6’1″ 195 lbs – Age 23
NHL: 18GP – 1G – 0A -1Pt
AHL: 57GP – 11G – 23A – 34Pts
Minimum Qualifying Offer: $688,000
Late in the season Freddie Hamilton provided the Avalanche with serviceable 4th line depth whene injuries stacked up throughout the organization. Hamilton earned the #13 spot on our Top 25 Under 25 series and should add quality forward depth to next year’s AHL roster in San Antonio.

Stefan Elliott:
Defense – 6’1″ 190 lbs – Age 24
NHL: 5GP – 0G – 0A – 0Pts
AHL: 64GP – 19G – 21A – 40Pts
Minimum Qualifying Offer: $893,000
As a defenseman, Stefan Elliott finished second on the Lake Erie Monsters’ roster in points and earned a trip to the AHL All-Star Game. The 2nd rounder from 2009 did not register a point in his 5 game NHL call up, but generated impressive shot totals and offense off the scoreboard. Elliott earned the #9 spot on our Top 25 Under 25 series.

Andrew Agozzino:
Left Wing – 5’10” 187 lbs – Age 24
NHL: 1GP – 0G – 1A – 1Pt
AHL: 74GP – 30G – 34A – 64Pts
Minimum Qualifying Offer: $640,000
The diminutive undrafted Agozzino got his first taste of NHL action this season and earned an assist in his only NHL game. Agozzino led the Monsters in scoring with 30 goals and 64 points and will be counted on for leadership and offense in San Antonio. Agozzino finished 14th on our Top 25 Under 25 series.

Mat Clark:
Defense – 6’3″ – 225 lbs – Age 24
NHL: 0GP – 1A – 1Pt
AHL: 66GP – 1G – 6A -7Pts
Minimum Qualifying Offer:$605,000
Mat Clark was brought in at the NHL Trade Deadline to bring a steady veteran presence to Lake Erie’s young blueline. Next year Clark will do the same in San Antonio, providing a buffer for Chris Bigras and Mason Geertsen to adjust to professional hockey. Clark earned the 21st spot in our Top 25 Under 25 series.

Sami Aittokallio:
Goalie – 6’1″ 185 lbs – Age 22
AHL: 16 GP – 7W – 5L -1OT – .900SV%
ECHL: 4 GP – 3W – 1L – 0OT – .823SV%
Minimum Qualifying Offer: $820,000
Aittokallio had a down year for the Avalanche organization and at one point found himself playing in the third tier ECHL. If Aittokallio returns to the organization he’ll be competing with Spencer Martin and Roman Will for the San Antonio backup position.

In other news, Mike Chambers at the Denver Post reports that the Avalanche have added an on-ice component to their development camp this season. The camp, starting July 6th, will be the first chance for Avalanche fans to see Mikko Rantanen and the Avs’ other draft acquisitions.

Something new: #Avs say they’ll have 2 days of on-ice during “development” camp, open to public. Camp starts July 6, sked out soon.

— Mike Chambers (@MikeChambers) June 29, 2015