Avalanche, Nieto avoid arbitration with 1-year, reported $1M deal

The team that finished the 2016-17 NHL season with a league-worst 48 points has largely remained intact this offseason.

The Colorado Avalanche re-signed restricted free-agent forward Matt Nieto to a one-year contract, the team announced Tuesday, resolving his case prior to a meeting with an arbitrator. The deal's worth $1 million, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported.

The Nieto signing leaves defenseman Nikita Zadorov as the Avalanche's lone remaining restricted free agent.

Nieto began last season with the San Jose Sharks, posting just two assists while averaging 12:13 of ice time in the team's first 16 games. He was eventually placed on waivers and claimed by the last-place Avalanche, where he showed some improvement while seeing his ice time increased to 15:56 per game. He scored seven goals with four assists in 43 contests with Colorado.

Nieto has totaled 81 points in 264 games over his four-year career thus far.

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