Avalanche Re-Sign Winnik, Quincey, Grahame, Talbot, Add Liffiton, Mauldin, Van Der Gulik, Bacashihua

The Colorado Avalanche made a slew of signings Friday night by re-signing defenseman Kyle Quincey and center Daniel Winnik to two-year contracts and center Julian Talbot and goaltender John Grahame to one-year deals. The team also signed defenseman David Liffiton, center Greg Mauldin, right wing David Van Der Gulik, and goaltender Jason Bacashihua to one-year contracts. Financial terms of all the deals were not disclosed. The Avalanche acquired Winnik from the Phoenix Coyotes for a fourth round pick in 2012 on June 28 and Talbot from the St. Louis Blues for forward T.J. Hensick on June 17. The Winnik and Quincey signings are good ones for the Avalanche. Winnik is a good penalty killer and will bring some defensive skill to the checking lines, while Quincey brings plenty of offense and toughness to the blueline. The rest of the players are nothing more than depth signings, as nearly all of them are likely to spend most of next season in the minors.

Blues Acquire Hensick from Avalanche for Talbot

Just hours after acquiring goaltender Jaroslav Halak from the Montreal Canadiens, the St. Louis Blues acquired center T.J. Hensick from the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for prospect center Julian Talbot. In seven games with the Avalanche last season, Hensick had one goal and two assists for three points. He also appeared in 58 games for Lake Erie of the AHL, scoring 20 goals and 50 assists for 70 points. Talbot played in 76 games with Peoria of the AHL last season, scoring 17 goals and 15 assists for 32 points. He has yet to appear in an NHL game. Not a bad depth move for the Blues, as Hensick has plenty of speed and some offensive upside. The Avalanche never gave him much of a chance to prove himself, so a new environment might be what Hensick needs to get his career on track. Talbot has some offensive skill, but likely won't see much, if any, time with the Avalanche next season given their depth on offense.