Avalanche Sign Veteran Defenseman Christian Wolanin to One-Year Deal
The Colorado Avalanche and general manager Joe Sakic do not seem to be done adding to the team as the offseason is still young. It was recently announced that they were signing veteran defenseman Christian Wolanin to a one-year contract.
Wolanin last played for the Vancouver Canucks as a full-time NHLer in the 2022-23 season. But Wolanin also got some run for the Canucks in the preseason in 2024 before he ultimately did not end up making the team.
By signing the veteran, Sakic continues to add to his backend, which currently has Nick Blankenburg as a free agent, and the fact that Sakic also added Noah Juulsen to his defense not too long ago. The Avalanche can never have too many defensemen on the roster.
There were moments last season when Cale Makar, Devon Toews, and others got hurt, and the depth guys needed to step in and fill their shoes. This is exactly what signing Juulsen and Wolanin does for the Avs.
It gives them extra bodies along the blueline to have down with the Colorado Eagles in the AHL just in case of injury. It gives them players and more options to choose from when someone goes down with an injury.
Now these guys are not going to be able to fill the exact shoes of Makar and Toews when they get hurt, but the more bodies they have, the better. They are here to help provide that stability whenever an unfortunate injury happens.
Wolanin’s Deal Is Low-Risk High-Reward Deal in the Avalanche’s Favor
The Colorado Avalanche have not had a super busy offseason like some other teams have had. But signing Wolanin gives the Avs a chance to get highly rewarded with this deal.
They are taking a risk on a player who has not seen big NHL action in quite a few years. If it works out for them and he becomes a stable third-pairing defenseman or plays on the top pair for their AHL team, Sakic should be praised for this signing.
Wolanin had a good few seasons when he came into the league with the Ottawa Senators, but the fact that he has been out of the league for a few years does not currently bode well for him. However, the potential is there, and he could become a good bottom-pairing defenseman for the Avalanche.
While it has been relatively quiet around the Avalanche front office, there may be more signings coming as free agency continues.
Tyler Miller is a 26-year-old Sports Journalist who has had a passion for writing ever since graduating from Georgia Southern University with a Journalism degree in 2022. Tyler has been writing about sports for going on 8 years now. Tyler has been a hockey fan for years and looks forward to covering the Colorado Avalanche for On SI. Tyler also has had experience writing for FanSided in the past where he was a site expert and a contributor across different sites.