The Colorado Avalanche announced on Friday that the franchise signed veteran defenseman Devon Toews to a new long-term contract extension.
According to Avalanche, Toews agreed to a seven-year extension that will keep him with the franchise through the 2030-31 NHL season. The 29-year-old gets a $7.25 million average annual salary and a total of $50.75 million guaranteed.
Avalanche’s general manager Chris MacFarland said that getting a deal done with Toews was one of the main goals for the franchise ahead of the 2023-24 season. MacFarland went on to call Toews “one of the best” players at his position in the NHL while praising his leadership.
“We’re thrilled to have him in an Avalanche sweater for the next eight years,” MacFarland said in a statement. “He has emerged as one of the best defensemen in the NHL and is a huge part of the core of this team. He logs heavy minutes in all situations — 5-on-5, power play, and penalty kill, plays against the opposition’s top lines, and is one of the top point-producing defenders in the game, as well. And most importantly, he is one of our team leaders both on and off the ice.”
Devon Toews arrived in Colorado ahead of the 2020–21 campaign in a trade from the New York Islanders. While considered nothing more than a serviceable player in New York, Toews significantly elevated his game with the Avalanche. In his three seasons with the franchise, Toews totaled 29 goals and 109 assists for a total of 138 points while helping the Avalanche with a Stanley Cup trophy in 2022.
