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Pickard signs two-year deal; arbitration for Barrie, Grigorenko

July 5, 2016, 6:47 PM ET [23 Comments]
Rick Sadowski
Colorado Avalanche Blogger •Avalanche Insider • RSSArchiveCONTACT
The Avalanche announced Tuesday that goalie Calvin Pickard has signed a two-year contract that will take him through the 2017-18 season.

Pickard, 24, was a restricted free agent. He will make $925,000 this season and $1.075 million in 2017-18. His salary cap hit is $1 million.

Pickard went 7-6-1 in 20 games with the Avalanche last season while posting one shutout, a 2.56 goals-against average and .922 save percentage. He played in 21 games with the AHL San Antonio Rampage, going 9-8-4 with one shutout, a 2.75 average and .917 save percentage.

Pickard helped Canada win gold at the 2016 IIHF World Championships in Russia. He went 2-0 with one shutout in two games. He had a 0.50 goals-against average and .971 save percentage.

The Avalanche's second-round pick (No. 49) in the 2010 NHL draft, Pickard has a career 13-13-4 NHL record with one shutout, a 2.46 average and .927 save percentage. He went 6-7-3, 2.35 and .932 in 16 games as a rookie in 2014-15.

Pickard will open the upcoming season as Semyon Varlamov's backup. Reto Berra was traded to Florida for Rocco Grimaldi on June 23.

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Defenseman Tyson Barrie and forward Mikhail Grigorenko have elected for salary arbitration, the NHL Players Association announced Tuesday. Twenty-four NHL players have elected to go that route. Hearings will be held from July 20 to Aug. 4.

Players can still reach contract agreements before their hearings.

Barrie's decision doesn't come as a surprise, but Grigorenko's seems a little unusual since he's coming off a first season in Colorado in which he had six goals and 20 assists in 74 games. He made $675,000.

Barrie, who completed a two-year, $5.2 million contract, had 13 goals and 36 assists in 78 games. Avalanche general manager Joe Sakic proposed a long-term offer before the NHL draft.

Two other Avalanche restricted free agents have yet to sign new contracts: center Nathan MacKinnon and defenseman Duncan Siemens.

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Twenty-four players will attend the Avalanche's development camp at the Family Sports Center in Centennial, Colo. On-ice sessions run Wednesday through Saturday. They are free and open to the public.

Wednesday, Thursday and Friday schedule: Three 45-minute sessions 8:30-11:15 a.m., one all group session 4-5 p.m.

Saturday schedule: One all group session 8:15-9:45 a.m.; 3-on-3 challenge 10-10:30 a.m.; skills competition 10:30-11 a.m.

Here's the roster:

Goalies (3): Chase Marchand, Spencer Martin, Adam Werner

Defensemen (7): Josh Anderson, Sergei Boikov, Will Butcher, Nathan Clurman, Anton Lindholm, Griffin Luce, Nicolas Meloche

Centers (5): J.C. Beaudin, Tyson Jost, Filip Karlsson, Julien Nantel, Gustav Olhaver

Left wings (8): Travis Barron, J.T. Compher, A.J. Greer, Cam Morrison, Brogan O'Brien, Shawn Ouellette-St. Amant, Ben Storm, Jeffrey Truchon-Viel

Right wing (1): Jackson Houck



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