Andrew Cogliano's Avalanche Career Isn't Over. It's Just Beginning Again
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Andrew Cogliano's playing career with the Colorado Avalanche lasted only three seasons. His career with the organization may last considerably longer.
Just over two years after playing his final NHL game, Cogliano is moving deeper into the front office. The Avalanche promoted the former forward to assistant general manager Tuesday, another quick step in a second career that began almost immediately after his first one ended.
It shouldn't be surprising. Cogliano wasn't in Colorado very long as a player, but it didn't take him long to leave an impression.
Back in March of 2022, the Avalanche acquired Cogliano from the San Jose Sharks at the trade deadline. He wasn't the headline transaction for a team loaded with Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, Gabriel Landeskog, and Mikko Rantanen.
He was a veteran depth forward brought in for the kind of hockey played in May and June. Cogliano played all 20 postseason games as the Avalanche won the 2022 Stanley Cup.
He ultimately finished his 17-year career with 1,294 regular-season games and another 131 in the playoffs. Cogliano spent most of his playing career trying to help teams win. It turns out he wasn't finished doing it when he took off his skates.
Cogliano retired at the end of the 2023-24 season and the Avalanche quickly brought him into hockey operations. According to Evan Rawal of The Denver Gazette, Cogliano was one of two members of the Avalanche organization who spent the most time recruiting T.J. Hughes when Hughes was at Michigan.
Cogliano subsequently worked with Hughes on the development side. Hughes then came into camp this month and made such an impression, the Avalanche put him on their opening night roster.
Cogliano is only 39. Joe Sakic is back in the general manager's chair following Chris MacFarland's departure, and now one of the most respected players from the Avalanche's 2022 championship team will be working directly alongside him.
Maybe the assistant general manager is Cogliano's destination. Maybe it's another stop.
Four years ago, the Avalanche brought Cogliano to Colorado because they believed he could help them win a Stanley Cup. They were right.
Cogliano's role is considerably different now. The skates are gone and so is the number 11 sweater. His contributions won't be measured in goals, assists or blocked shots anymore.
The objective, though, hasn't changed. Cogliano came to Colorado to help build a champion on the ice. Now he gets to try and build one while being off the ice.
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Jason Fink is an NHL writer and lifelong hockey fan who fell in love with the game when he watched Wayne Gretzky’s Edmonton Oilers defeat the Philadelphia Flyers in the 1987 Stanley Cup Final. When he’s not writing, Jason enjoys spending time with his wife Michelle and their son Theo and daughter Stella. Whether he’s following the latest NHL news or cheering from the rink, his passion for the sport has been a constant throughout his life.