The Colorado Avalanche kept one of its top free agents off the market on Thursday, signing winger David Jones to a four-year contract worth $60 million.
The 27-year-old Jones, who was originally a ninth-round pick of the Avalanche (288th overall) in 2003, scored 20 goals and handed out 17 assists in 72 games for the Avalanche in 2011-12. In 239 career NHL games across five seasons, Jones has 67 goals and 50 assists.
The native of North Vancouver was due to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1, but eschewed the open market in favor of staying in Colorado, the only NHL team he's ever been a part of since signing out of Dartmouth College in 2007.
It's a shrewd move by the Avalanche, as Jones has proven to be a reliable 20-goal scorer in his late 20s, and that kind of player can hardly be allowed to walk away for nothing. The $4 million per season price tag might be a little steep - and it's a sizable raise over the $2.5 million that Jones made in 2011-12 - but it's certainly no less than Jones would have commanded on the open market had he chosen to leave Colorado.
Even with Jones back in the fold, he Avalanche has a lot of work do this summer. With Jones re-signing on Thursday, the Avalanche have six NHL forwards under contract for 2012-13, along with three defensemen. Nine of the Avs' 12 remaining free agents are restricted, but Colorado management still has a very busy summer ahead.
The journey of a thousand miles, however, must start with a single step, and as single steps go, Jones is a very good one for the Colorado Avalanche.
