Avalanche sign depth defenseman to two-year extension

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Depth defenseman Keaton Middleton has put pen to paper on a two-year extension with the Avalanche, per a club announcement Thursday. It carries the league-minimum $775K cap hit and has a two-way structure in 2025-26 before converting to a one-way deal in 2026-27, Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff reports.Middleton, 26, was set to be an unrestricted free agent next summer after completing his two-year, two-way deal. The 6-foot-6, 240-lb lefty has been in the Avs organization in some capacity since the 2020-21 campaign on NHL and AHL contracts, although he only has 13 NHL games to his name.Ten appearances have come this season, his first since a three-game stint in the majors in 2020-21. He’s spent much of the past month playing spot duty for Colorado with Josh Manson and Oliver Kylington, who missed time with injuries and earned some looks in the lineup over already-rostered options Calvin de Haan and John Ludvig.Middleton has averaged a paltry 10:31 per game during this call-up, posting a +1 rating and 7 PIMs while adding 10 blocks and 14 hits. He’s still looking for his first NHL point after recording 59 in 231 games for the AHL’s Colorado Eagles over the past five seasons.The younger brother of Wild defenseman Jacob Middleton was a fourth-round pick by the Maple Leafs in 2016 but never signed with the club, landing his first pro contract with the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda in 2018. He made the jump to the Avalanche organization after two seasons there.Middleton will be a UFA again when his deal expires in 2027.This article first appeared on Pro Hockey Rumors and was syndicated with permission