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Avalanche sign Per Ledin
Posted 11:55 AM ET | Comments 4
According to Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet, the Colorado Avalanche have signed left wing Per Ledin to a one-year contract. Ledin will turn 30 when training camp begins. While playing for HV71 of the Swedish Eliteserien last year, he scored 16 goals and 33 points in 52 games. Known for his gritty style and agitator role he also had 137 penalty minutes. He appeared in 7 games at the World Championships in Quebec/Halifax and assisted on 5 goals. He is also good at shutting down the opposition's top players and is a great team player.
He will provide exactly what the Avalanche was looking for. The team needs to get tougher and is lacking another effective agitator to support Ian Laperriere. The Avalanche are probably hoping that the 6 foot and 194 lbs forward will turn into another Johan Franzen. After Detroit won the Stanley Cup with 7 Swedes on its playoff-roster it makes sense that Colorado was looking in Scandinavia to find some missing pieces.
This marks the third player in the post-lockout NHL who gets signed by the Avalanche and has a legitimate chance to crack the roster:
- In 2005 Colorado signed goalie Vitaly Kolesnik. Kolesnik played 8 games.
- In 2007, center Jaroslav Hlinka was signed to a one-year contract. He appeared in 63 regular season games and accomplished 28 points. He left the Avalanche for Europe
Financial terms of the deal were not announced.
He will provide exactly what the Avalanche was looking for. The team needs to get tougher and is lacking another effective agitator to support Ian Laperriere. The Avalanche are probably hoping that the 6 foot and 194 lbs forward will turn into another Johan Franzen. After Detroit won the Stanley Cup with 7 Swedes on its playoff-roster it makes sense that Colorado was looking in Scandinavia to find some missing pieces.
This marks the third player in the post-lockout NHL who gets signed by the Avalanche and has a legitimate chance to crack the roster:
- In 2005 Colorado signed goalie Vitaly Kolesnik. Kolesnik played 8 games.
- In 2007, center Jaroslav Hlinka was signed to a one-year contract. He appeared in 63 regular season games and accomplished 28 points. He left the Avalanche for Europe
Financial terms of the deal were not announced.
Lets hope he's better than Hlinka, who really wasn't given a fair chance. I like that we got a Swede though.
Ledin is sort of the Sean Avery of the Swedish league-- a big-time pest and trash-talker who has sometimes crossed the line. He's improved a lot as a player in the last couple years.
Thanks Bill. He won't be able to be a very effecvtive trash talker by only speaking Swedish though haha. Although against the Wings..
I hope Ledin is as good as you say he is, but I don't think the Avs need another agitator/fighter with average skills. They already have Lappy, McLeod, Mccormick, and Parker for that, but if Ledin has some hands and/or some speed, he'll be a good addition. Franzen is 6' 3", 220, while Ledin is a long way off at 6' 190. Anybody with speed that can move the puck would be a great pickup for the Avs. To me, that was what was lacking most against the Red Wings, other than healthy players.