Avalanche land Ian Cole on 3-year deal

The Colorado Avalanche signed defenseman Ian Cole to a three-year contract, the club announced Sunday. The contract carries an annual value of $4.25 million, reports TSN's Darren Dreger.

Cole is the definition of a stay-at-home defenseman. He had just 20 points in 67 games last season split between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Columbus Blue Jackets. However, he recorded 95 hits and 116 blocked shots and managed to maintain positive possession numbers despite starting most of his shifts in the defensive zone.

At 29, Cole is still relatively young for an unrestricted free agent. He gives the Avs a stellar left-handed-shooting rearguard who can play alongside Erik Johnson or Tyson Barrie on one of the team's top two defense pairings.