Re-Signing with Avs was an 'Easy Decision' for Cogliano

Andrew Cogliano is here to stay.
On Tuesday afternoon, the Colorado Avalanche
announced that the veteran forward had re-signed a one-year contract
with the club just a week and two days after Cogliano helped the team hoist the Stanley Cup for the third time in franchise history.

"It was special; my three months coming into Colorado, being part of the team and winning a Cup," Cogliano said in his availability on Tuesday afternoon. "Obviously, it was a very easy decision on my end. [Executive Vice President/General Manager/Alternate Governor Joe Sakic] and [Assistant General Manager Chris MacFarland] expressed interest and wanted me to come back. At the end of the day, it was a great opportunity for me to go back to a team that's won and us coming off a championship year and getting an opportunity to go back after the same thing that we just experienced."

It had been a whirlwind last few months for Cogliano, as he was dealt to the Avalanche via a trade with the San Jose Sharks at the 2022 NHL Trade Deadline on March 21. After making a seamless transition as a fixture in Colorado's lineup among its bottom-six forward group and penalty kill, the 35-year-old veteran - who has skated in 1,140 regular season games and 116 playoffs games - felt revitalized upon joining the ultra determined Avalanche squad and has since maintained that drive.
"After this last swing, me being a part of the group and seeing what the Avalanche are all about, I just felt another level of intensity," Cogliano said. "I found another level of motivation. I was excited to push again. It's an easy team to play on. It was one of the most enjoyable experiences, one of the most enjoyable moments in three months of hockey that I played on, if not the most enjoyable. All of those factoring in, I thought to myself you have a chance to return and go into a season with a championship team, a team that's won previously. That's something that I really wanted that feeling."
Cogliano's presence didn't just boost Colorado's lineup with his tenacious forecheck and ability to stabilize whichever line he's placed on, but he added a surplus of intangibles to the dressing room and made meaningful impressions on some of the team's youngsters in Alex Newhook (21) and Cale Makar (23).
No matter the age or experience level, Cogliano's new Burgundy and Blue teammates all spoke highly of him, his veteran perspective and Nathan MacKinnon even praised the 'calming' presence that he added to the room and makeup of personalities. He also produced six points (3G, 3A) in the postseason for the Avalanche, including a shorthanded goal and two game-winning goals.
"That's one thing I've noticed with our team and our organization," Cogliano said. "They really trust a lot of people and they really let you do your jobs. They let me do that. They gave me an opportunity to be a leader on the team. But to be honest, I really just followed the guys on our team. We have a tremendous amount of leadership. I felt at times that my voice could be an asset, help and push guys in the right direction. Sometimes when you bring new guys into a team it helps. For us and in my scenario, I think it did."
En route to becoming a Stanley Cup champion, Cogliano pushed his body to the limit as he continued to make sacrifice after sacrifice in hopes of doing whatever it took to become victorious.
He underwent surgery for a hand injury in between the Western Conference Final and Stanley Cup Final and was sidelined for Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final. Cogliano made his return in Game 2 and played the entirety of the series where he implemented his relentless play down the stretch was inspiring, especially the selfless blocks he laid out in Colorado's Cup-clinching Game 6.

"The hand is healing," Cogliano said. "It was definitely a time with a lot of trauma, taking the shot, having surgery and then forcing yourself to heal as quickly as possible. I had a great training staff and doctors, who really put a lot of work in to give me and also, [Nazem Kadri] the opportunity to come back and play at a really high level. It was impressive for those guys. I thanked them. It's healing now. During the time, it was tough, but you find that extra gear in playoffs and that push to play through anything."
For Cogliano, the sacrifices and commitment to paying whatever cost needed to try and hoist the Cup was reflective of his appreciation of his teammates. The feeling was mutual between he and his teammates and served as incentive to re-sign with the Avalanche due to the camaraderie and outstanding character among the roster. For his wife and two young daughters, the transition was equally as seamless as they were immediately embraced by the spouses of the players and received an instant support system.
"It was really a team feel and probably the most that I've felt in the league," Cogliano said. "To be honest, that's a big reason why I really wanted to push this year on this team. I enjoy the guys. A lot of it has to do with coming back and playing with them. It's as simple as that. It's a great group of people. When you play with guys like that you battle hard for them, you compete hard for them and it ends up being really fun."
Cogliano addressed the media on Tuesday afternoon with a stunning backdrop of deep evergreens sprouted around a glistening lake. Since returning to his cabin in British Columbia, Cogliano noted he plans to soak up the short summer and ready himself for next season with trainings beginning as early as this week.
And after winning the Stanley Cup, Cogliano shared that he plans to take the coveted trophy back to his hometown just north of Toronto.
"I'll see family and friends," Cogliano said. "It's a great opportunity for everyone there who has helped me to enjoy it."