Colton

People are going to have to get used to the new economics of not having a flat cap; we're definitely moving beyond "1M for every 10 points".

Colton is either going to look like a steal for this money in a year or a vast overpay. No inbetween on this one I'm afraid.

Not sure how you can say no in between. 4M is about right for a solid 3C. If he gives you 35-40 points while centering the 3rd line then this is just about right. This is the JT Compher contract inflated for a larger cap.

Colton is JTC but more physical (Colton had 151 more hits than JTC last year playing a lot fewer minutes) and with greater goal-scoring ability; he's an upgrade so far as I can tell.

JT is the better player defensively. Colton is better on offense and the forecheck. Both players are probably best suited for 3rd line roles and any overall differential in performance is probably minor. So I would rather have Colton at 4M than JTC at 5.1M.

Also, the Avs filled 2C/3C for 8M. The same amount that JTC and Newhook just got with new teams. And I would argue RyJo/Colton is an upgrade on JTC/Newhook right now and every year until Newhook develops into a bonafide 2C - which is never guaranteed.