The Colorado Avalanche have re-signed free agent defenceman, Josh Manson, to a four-year contract worth $18 million, or $4.5 million per season. This contract carries him through the 2025-26 season. It has a No-Trade clause in the first two seasons and a modified No-Trade in the last two.
Manson is 4×4.5 in COL
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) July 13, 2022
Josh Manson Re-Signs With Avs
Over his eight-year NHL career, Manson has played for the Anaheim Ducks and the Colorado Avalance. He has scored 28 goals and 92 assists for 120 career points in 475 games played. He was initially drafted in the sixth round, 160th overall of the 2011 NHL draft by the Ducks. Manson spent all his NHL career with the Ducks until they traded him mid-season to the Avalanche. Manson was traded for Drew Helleson, and a 2023 second-round draft pick.
Despite being moved mid-season, Manson had a decent season. He scored six goals and recorded 16 points. Though it seems as though he is finding his groove with Colorado. In 19 games this post-season, he has scored three goals and tallied seven points. His first goal of the post-season came as the game-winning goal in the first game of the Second Round. He is coming off a four-year, roughly four-million-dollar contract.
Josh Manson addressing Colorado media for the first time:
“Hello everyone I’m Josh” 👋#GoAvsGo pic.twitter.com/Dds0pTdlyK
— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) March 20, 2022
What He Brings to the Table
The 30-year-old defenceman is a defensive defenceman. His offensive game is not his strongest suit, but he does have a knack for scoring in key moments. A fifth of the goals he has scored throughout his career have been game-winning goals. At six-foot-three-inches, he uses his size to his advantage. Though, he has size without using mobility and can keep up with some of the speedier opponents he faces. One of the biggest advantages due to his size is his ability to lay hits. This season he recorded 179 hits. However, his career-high is 277 hits in one single season.
Manson is also not scared of a scrum and is known to stick up for his teammates, in an enforcer-type style. This kind of leadership role is also seen in the locker room. His locker room presence is a big part of Manson’s game. Those kinds of qualities are going to be valuable to this team for years to come.
