Forward had 27 points in 76 games for Devils last season; Colorado also signs Drouin, Byram
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Miles Wood signed a six-year contract with the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday. Financial terms were not disclosed.
The 27-year-old forward had 27 points (13 goals, 14 assists) in 76 regular-season games for the New Jersey Devils last season and two goals in eight Stanley Cup Playoff games.
"That was my goal heading into free agency, was trying to get term, and I was fortunate enough to get that," Wood said Monday. "This free agency, a lot of one-and two-year deals were handed out. So I feel very fortunate in the sense that I got a six-year deal, and from the start, Colorado was always a team that I would love to play for. I love the mountains. I'm an outdoor guy, and whenever [The Devils] would go out and play them, it's just such a great spot. And I have some friends that live out there as well, so I'd go out to see them in the offseason and just felt like Colorado is a perfect spot for me."
Selected by New Jersey in the fourth round (No. 100) of the 2013 NHL Draft, Wood has 148 points (78 goals, 70 assists) in 402 regular-season games and two goals in 13 playoff games.
"I think talking with (Avalanche general manager) Chris MacFarland, I'd been on their radar for a few years now, and to hear that was a boost of confidence for me," Wood said. "Just to play for a GM and a team and a coach that really wanted me, that was the most important thing. And I talked to Chris once I did get signed up there, and it was great to talk to him. I talked to the head coach there, and we're all just super excited to get going here."
Wood (6-foot-2, 195 pounds) had 100 hits and led the Devils with 76 penalty minutes last season.
"I think Miles is a big-body winger that can skate," MacFarland said. "So his identity, he clearly has an Avs identity for how we want to play the game, and that north-south type approach. He's a got a little bit of a wrecking-ball philosophy with how he plays the game. He's a good netfront guy that we feel is going to fit.
"… We feel he's got some good runway in front of him, but to get the [AAV] where we felt comfortable with doing it so that we can maximize on our cap dollars … it's one that we felt made sense for now, the [NHL salary] cap hit. Hopefully for where the cap is going in a few years, that cap hit will look pretty good."
Drouin, 28, had 29 points (two goals, 27 assists) in 58 games for the Montreal Canadiens last season.
Selected by the Tampa Bay Lightning with the No. 3 pick of the 2013 NHL Draft, Drouin has 281 points (77 goals, 204 assists) in 485 regular-season games for the Canadiens and Lightning and 21 points (six goals, 15 assists) in 33 playoff games.
"I think I needed a fresh start," Drouin said Saturday. "Obviously, there was a lot of ups and downs in my six years in Montreal, so I'm super excited to get a fresh start somewhere new, and like I just said, it's a great team and has been a great team for a lot of years. I'm just hoping to help them in any way I can and try to find my game again. I know it's there. It's just a matter of confidence, and like I said, it's going to be a fresh start for me. And I'm very excited about that."
Cogliano, 36, had 19 points (10 goals, nine assists) in 79 games for Colorado last season, his 16th in the NHL. Selected by the Edmonton Oilers in the first round (No. 25) of the 2005 NHL Draft, he has 445 points (184 goals, 261 assists) in 1,219 regular-season games with the Oilers, Anaheim Ducks, Dallas Stars, San Jose Sharks and Avalanche, and 35 points (13 goals, 22 assists) in 120 playoff games.
Byram, 22, who was a restricted free agent, had NHL career highs in goals (10), assists (14) and points (24) in 42 regular-season games for the Avalanche last season, and had three assists in seven playoff games.
Selected by Colorado in the first round (No. 4) of the 2019 NHL Draft, Byram has 43 points (15 goals, 28 assists) in 91 regular-season games and 12 assists in 27 playoff games. Byram won the Stanley Cup with the Avalanche in 2022.
The Avalanche also acquired center Ryan Johansen from the Nashville Predators for forward Alex Galchenyuk on June 24; traded forward Alex Newhook to the Montreal Canadiens for a first- and second-round pick in the 2023 draft and defenseman prospect Gianni Fairbrother on Tuesday; and acquired forward Ross Colton from the Lightning on Wednesday for a second-round pick in the 2023 Upper Deck NHL Draft.
Colton, 26, is a restricted free agent.
"I think both Wood and Colton were key parts on their previous teams for sure," MacFarland said. "I think [coach Jared] Bednar will have a lot of flexibility and a lot of different options to try different things. I believe, obviously, Drouin's skill set will definitely play well with our other skilled players. So I can easily envision him getting looks with Nathan [MacKinnon], Johansen -- whoever that 'Bedsy' wants to see in the top six.
"Now he's going to have to earn that ice time to stay there, but I definitely think it's a skill swing, and his hands and his ability to make plays is certainly not in question. So, I would envision Coach will have some interesting types of things to mix and match on, including with Ross and Miles Wood."
Colorado (51-24-7) won the Central Division last season but lost in seven games to the Seattle Kraken in the Western Conference First Round.
NHL.com independent correspondent Ryan Boulding contributed to this report
