The Avalanche signed Jaden Schwartz to a three-year contract valued at $3.25 million on July 1. The 34-year-old veteran was an alternate captain with the Seattle Kraken and won the Stanley Cup with the St. Louis Blues in 2019.
“We thought Jaden Schwartz would be a great fit offensively, a top-nine role. Go anywhere in the lineup, gives us depth,” GM Joe Sakic said. “Brings that championship pedigree. Great guy, fits our identity and the way we like to play. Competitor, great in the dressing room, works extremely hard off the ice. We’re confident we got the right fit for our group.”
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The Blues drafted the Wilcox, Saskatchewan native 14th overall in 2010. He spent 10 seasons in St. Louis and led the team in postseason goals during its first championship run.
Schwartz signed with the Kraken as a free agent in its expansion year (2021-22). He had 26 points last season and 168 total in 301 regular-season games in his five seasons with the team.
Schwartz’s connection to Colorado and the Avalanche
The 5-foot-10 lefty played for Avs assistant coach Dave Hakstol for four of his five seasons in Seattle. Their familiarity should be an advantage in Schwartz’s integration into the Avs system. He is a skilled, smart player expected to help on special teams.
“One of the reasons why we wanted him is team fit. You take a swing on free agency sometimes or even at the deadline, and it’s not always a perfect fit,” Sakic said. “But we feel with Jaden, PK and PP, we feel he can play in any one of those spots and help. We have some pretty good centermen here; he’ll have every opportunity to score.”
In his end-of-season press conference, Sakic highlighted the need to improve the team’s power-play strategy.
“I know the guys appreciate his (Hakstol’s) work. He’s an experienced coach … Our power play overall wasn’t as good as it could have been. We made a change last year in that position; it didn’t work. But once we got Naz (Nazem Kadri) and filled that role on the other side, it was much better after the trade deadline,” Sakic said.
Colorado will not be new to Schwartz. He played for Colorado College from 2010-12. In 60 games, he scored 88 points (32 goals, 56 assists) and was named to the NCAA West First All-America Team for the 2011-12 season.
Schwartz is solid in the faceoff dot, with a 59.3 win percentage last season. His versatility may fit in the top six, as Valeri Nichushkin’s departure created an open spot.
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