There won't be any holdouts when the Colorado Avalanche opens training camp next week.
Marek Svatos, the team's lone remaining unsigned player, on Tuesday inked a one-year contract that will pay him $1.05 million -- giving him a sizable raise from the NHL minimum $450,000 he made last season as a rookie.
It was extremely important to get the 24-year-old forward into camp with the rest of the regulars because he will be expected to carry much of the offensive load following the offseason departures of Alex Tanguay and Rob Blake.
"He'll start camp with the club and play an important role with the club this year. He's happy," Rich Evans, Svatos' agent, said.
Svatos, who was a restricted free agent, tied Joe Sakic for the team lead in goals with 32 despite missing the final 21 games with the shoulder injury. He also scored nine game-winners, matching the league rookie record set by Steve Larmer in 1982-83.
"We are expecting him to be a huge offensive contributor to our team again this season," said Avalanche general manager Francois Giguere, who was wary about giving Svatos a long-term deal because of the player's history of shoulder injuries; Svatos previously hurt his left shoulder three times.
Among NHL rookies, only Washington's Alexander Ovechkin (52) and Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby (39) scored more goals than Svatos, who also played for Slovakia's 2006 Olympic team.
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