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Will Gabriel Landeskog, Philipp Grubauer And Other Upcoming Free Agents Be On The Colorado Avalanche Roster Next Season?

(CBS4) - For the third straight season the Colorado Avalanche were knocked out in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Avs lost 4-2 to the Vegas Golden Knights, including four straight after leading the series 2-0. Now with the season over, the Avalanche will have several key offseason moves to make, including what they will do with their captain and starting goaltender.

Unrestricted Free Agents (16)

The Avalanche enter the offseason with 16 unrestricted free agents, according to Spotrac. The top players are Gabriel Landeskog, starting goaltender Philipp Grubauer and forward Brandon Saad.

After the Golden Knights beat the Avalanche, Landeskog said in his postgame comments that he is "excited to be a part of this group. I love all the guys in there." The Avalanche captain had 20 goals, 32 assists for 52 points. This season Landeskog made $6.5 million and signed a 7-year, $39 million deal in 2014.

Philipp Grubauer had a terrific season, being named as one of the three finalists for the 2021 Vezina Trophy which is awarded to the NHL's top goaltender. He was second in hockey with 30 wins, 1.95 goals against average, and tied for a league-high seven shutouts. He played this season on the final year of his 3-year, $10 million contract he signed in 2018.

Brandon Saad was a strong contributor in the playoffs with seven goals, which was the second-most in the playoffs. Saad, acquired in a trade with the Chicago Blackhawks last offseason, made $6.5 million this season.

Other top undrafted free agents: Devan Dubnyk, Patrik Nemeth, Matt Calvert, Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, and Carl Soderberg.

Restricted Free Agents (10)

The biggest name on the list is Cale Makar, who is coming off his entry-level contract. The Norris Memorial Trophy finalist, given to the league's best all-around defenseman, had eight goals, 36 assists, for 44 points. Makar made only $925,000 this season and could see a contract like Ottawa Senators defenseman Thomas Chabot's eight-year, $64 million deal.

Other top restricted free agents include Connor Timmins and Tyson Jost.

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