With much of the in-house work already done, the Colorado Avalanche began filling some holes and adding some depth to a roster that already greatly differs from the one that got knocked out in round 2 against Vegas.

The Avs signed veteran forward Darren Helm to a one year deal with a reasonable cap hit of $1 million. This is a fine move for a team that's already had a good chunk of its depth pieces depart in various ways since the end of the season.

At 34, Helm still provides some speed and grit to the bottom six. Last season he had just eight points (3g 5a) in 47 games for the lowly Red Wings. Don't expect much more offense than that, instead he will provided steady defensive play and a greasiness to the teams ranks

.***

The Avs also brought in players to help in the AHL and with some spot duties in the NHL. Forwards Dylan Sikura and Stefan Matteau each signed one-year deals for the upcoming season.

Both players have limited NHL experience and plenty of AHL experience.

Matteau, 27, was drafted by the Devils in 2012 and has bounced around the league since then, He has 11 points (6g 5a) in 81 career NHL games. The Avs will be his 5th club since he was drafted all those years ago.

Sikura, 26, was drafted by the Blackhawks in 2014, but was recently with Vegas and even appeared in a couple of playoff games against the Avs this past season. He has a grand total of 16 points (3g 13a) in 53 NHL games.

Side Note: I remember when the Devils picked Matteau. It was a shocker because his father most famously scored the GWG in game 7 of the 1994 ECF - thus ripping out the hearts of NJ fans everywhere... including me. Drafting him was like reliving that nightmare all over again.

He was expected to be a serviceable NHLer and so far he's not met that expectation. Maybe he finds his game here? Colorado has to be the most talented team he's every played for., right? Right?

***

The hope that Brandon Saad would return to the Avs was crushed we he signed a five-year deal worth $4.5 million per season with the St. Louis Blues. St. Louis fans will love having his on their team and not playing against him anymore.

Saad is a two-time Stanley Cup winning a player that added real value to the Avs. The 28-year-old had 15 goals and 9 assists in 44 games with Colorado last season, but he's typically a consistent 20-goal scorer that plays with speed. He fit in nicely with the Avs. There just wasn't the money he was looking for available.

That's all I got today.

Thanks for reading,
Steve

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