Colborne Joins the Avalanche

The Calgary Flames didn't qualify restricted free agent Joe Colborne and it turned out to be to the advantage of the Colorado Avalanche, who signed the lanky pivot to a 2-year, $5 million deal on Friday.

The Avalanche get a very big bodied centre, who has a tendency to play a weaker game, given his size, but still has some offensive upside left, but time is running out on him to realize potential at age 26.

Last season with the Flames, Colborne scored 19 goals and 44 points in 73 games, jumping up the ranks to 109th among all forwards, which will have him comfortably among the pool worthy for next season's draft.

Colorado is a team that is in flux and if you were to believe all of the rumours that are floating around out there, the team still has plenty of moves left to make.  One would have thought that they were close to becoming a playoff regular team with a great core of young players, but that notion has all but fizzled out and the winds of change are blowing for this side.  Colborne will certainly be looking to be part of the solution here.