If the Avalanche didn’t make it clear they liked Brad Stuart when they traded for him in July, that point was hammered home Monday when Colorado announced it had signed Stuart to an extension.
The two-year extension carries with it a $3.6 million average annual value. Meanwhile, the Avs also extended winger Cody McLeod to a three-year deal that has a $1.15 million AAV.
MORE: Training camp images | How exciting are the Avs? | Penguins should look at Kapanen
Acquired from the Sharks for a late-round pick on July 1, the analytics on Stuart aren’t pretty. According to Behindthenet, his relative Corsi was -8.0 last season, which was 17 out of the 22 Sharks who played at least 20 games. On the bright side, it was a little better than he was in ’12-13, where his Corsi was -14.2, 19 out of 20 Sharks with at least 20 games played.
It doesn’t better if you go back to his Red Wings days either. It’s more of the same — a guy who is near the bottom of his team’s Corsi relative rankings. That’s not a good thing for a player who is now the second highest paid defender on the team. And at age 34, Stuart is far more likely to get worse than better.
McLeod is a bottom-six grinder, and his contract reflects that. Unfortunately, he may not have even been worth that. Since the ‘07-08 season, which is McLeod has posted a positive relative Corsi just once. Last season he was -11.4, which was one of the second worst of any Avs player who suited up for at least 20 games. He was better in the lockout-shortened ’12-13 (-1.1) but lousy in ’11-12 (-6.4).
These aren’t franchise-killing contracts by any means. Stuart is vastly overpaid, considering there are players who can be just as bad for much less, but it’s for two more seasons. And McLeod’s deal doesn’t have a huge cap hit.
But sometimes it’s not just about the money. By handing out these contracts, it means the Avs are committed to giving plenty of ice time to a pair of players who, ideally, wouldn’t see much of it. In Stuart’s case, that could mean top pairing minutes, which probably won’t be good for them, or Semyon Varlamov.
However, of greater concern for the Avs is the evaluations that led to these contracts in the first place. The Avs were a team which surprised despite the poor analytic numbers they had last season, and just ask the Toronto Maple Leafs how that often works out the following year.
A realization what the team did was unsustainable and an attempt to remedy that with more positive possession players would have been a welcome change. But in signing players like this, it’s a reminder the organization’s anti-analytics bent isn’t just spin.
Maybe Varlamov is one of the league’s best goalies and can do it again, keeping the Avs in playoff contention this season. But if he does, it almost certainly will be in spite of Stuart and McLeod’s presence rather than because of them.