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Ross Colton

#79 · Centre · Nashville Predators

Born Sep 11, 1996 in Robbinsville, New Jersey, USA (age 30) · 6'0", 194 lb · Shoots left · Drafted 118th overall in 2016 by TBL (round 4)

Trophy case

Stanley Cup NHL Champion 2020-21

Compare with a similar player

The forwards closest to him in points in 2025-26. Pick one to see the two side by side, or choose someone else.

Noah Laba NYR · 24 P in 74 GP Frederick Gaudreau SEA · 24 P in 68 GP Jake Evans MTL · 24 P in 68 GP Jonathan Drouin STL · 24 P in 64 GP Ethen Frank WSH · 24 P in 62 GP

Career

Regular season games only. Pick a season to see its game log below. Cap hit is what he counted against the salary cap that season, where it is known.

0102030402020-21: 12 points1220-212021-22: 39 points3921-222022-23: 32 points3222-232023-24: 40 points4023-242024-25: 29 points2924-252025-26: 24 points2425-262026-27: 2 points226-27

Points by season. The darker bar is the season shown below.

Season Team GP G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits P/GP Cap hit
2020-21 TBL 30 9 3 12 3 16 46 36 0.40 $700K
2021-22 TBL 79 22 17 39 4 24 159 153 0.49 $1.125M
2022-23 TBL 81 16 16 32 -8 50 153 188 0.40 $1.125M
2023-24 COL 80 17 23 40 -8 61 146 141 0.50 $4M
2024-25 COL 61 16 13 29 -1 18 125 145 0.48 $4M
2025-26 COL 73 9 15 24 9 13 153 159 0.33 $4M
2026-27 NSH 5 1 1 2 0 4 6 15 0.40 $4M
7 seasons Career 409 90 88 178 -1 186 788 837 0.44

Playoffs

Playoff games only. Pick a season to see that year's bracket.

Season Team GP G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits P/GP
2020-21 TBL 23 4 2 6 4 12 32 46 0.26
2021-22 TBL 23 5 4 9 -2 13 39 63 0.39
2022-23 TBL 6 1 3 4 0 4 8 19 0.67
2023-24 COL 11 1 3 4 2 2 14 43 0.36
2024-25 COL 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 0.00
2025-26 COL 11 2 3 5 -2 16 20 38 0.45
6 seasons Playoffs 75 13 15 28 2 47 114 212 0.37

2025-26 season totals

GP G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits P/GP Shooting % Avg TOI
73 9 15 24 9 13 153 159 0.33 5.9 12:31

Contract

$4MCap hitends in 2027, then UFA
$167KCap dollars per point24 points in 73 games
$604KCap dollars per goal above replacement6.6 goals above replacement
$6.4MWorth at the going ratewhat teams paid for a season like his
+$2.4MValueworth minus cap hit; below zero is overpaid

His cap hit for the whole season, set against what he did in the regular season. Lower is better value. In a season still being played the cost per point starts high and falls as the games add up. Value is coloured by where it ranks among the 715 ranked skaters whose contract is known. How value is worked out.

The contract

Signed by the Colorado Avalanche on Jul 17, 2023, as a new contract: 4 years and $16M, beginning in 2023-24. It runs through 2026-27, with 1 season left after this one, and he is then an unrestricted free agent.

Season Cap hit Base salary Signing bonus Performance bonuses Paid in all Clause
2023-24 $4M $4.1M $0 $4.1M
2024-25 $4M $3.5M $500K $4M NTC
2025-26 $4M $4M $0 $4M M-NTC
2026-27 $4M $3.9M $0 $3.9M M-NTC

Each season of the contract, with this one marked. The cap hit is the same every year; what he is paid is not. The pay is as written when the contract was recorded in October 2024, so a later change, such as the rise in the lowest salary for 2026-27, is not shown.

Contracts he has signed

Signed Signed by Kind Seasons Years In all Cap hit
Jul 17, 2023 Colorado Avalanche New contract 2023-24 to 2026-27 4 $16M $4M
Aug 9, 2021 Tampa Bay Lightning New contract 2021-22 to 2022-23 2 $2.25M $1.125M
Oct 10, 2020 Tampa Bay Lightning New contract 2020-21 to 2020-21 1 $700K $700K
Jun 26, 2018 Tampa Bay Lightning Entry-level 2018-19 to 2019-20 2 $1.85M $768K

Every contract on record for him, newest first, with the team that signed him to it and the day it was signed. The one covering 2025-26 is marked. An extension is signed while the contract before it is still running, often a year ahead. A row with no team or date is a contract known only by its cap hit, most often one signed since October 2024.

2025-26 playoff analytics

Regular season Playoffs

Rating

+1.6Goals above replacementsix goals are worth about one win
+0.3Wins above replacementgoals above replacement divided by six
+1.3Goals above averagethe five parts below added up
Even-strength offence+1.4Even-strength defence-0.2Power play0.0Penalty kill0.0Penalties+0.0

The goals he added to his team's goal difference, compared with a spare-part player given the same ice time. Each part is measured against the league, so zero is an average skater. A full season is about two-thirds the player and one-third chance. A playoff run is too short to rank anyone on.

02468102020-212021-222022-232023-242024-252025-262026-27Goals above replacementGoals above replacement, by season

On the ice

What happened at five-on-five while he was on the ice. What these numbers mean

53.8Corsi for %120 attempts for, 103 against
-2.7CF% relative to teamagainst the team without him
56.8Expected goals for %5.3 expected for, 4.0 against
+2.3xGF% relative to teamagainst the team without him
55.2Fenwick for %unblocked attempts
41.7Goals for %5 for, 7 against
94.5PDO9.1% shooting + 85.4% saves
33Attempts takenhis own shot attempts

Each share is coloured by where it ranks among the 135 skaters who played enough to be ranked: green is in the top fifth and red the bottom fifth, with paler shades in between and amber for the middle. Hover over a tile for its percentile. PDO and attempts taken are left plain, since neither is good or bad on its own.

Who he played with

Forward lineGPTimeCF%xGF%Goals
Nazem Kadri · Nicolas Roy · Ross Colton626:3956.160.60-3
Brock Nelson · Valeri Nichushkin · Ross Colton417:1852.947.00-0
Brock Nelson · Nicolas Roy · Ross Colton513:5358.172.42-2
Nazem Kadri · Valeri Nichushkin · Ross Colton39:4551.733.21-0

The lines he spent the most time in at five-on-five, with the team's share of the shot attempts and expected goals, and the goals for and against, while they were out. The two shares are coloured as above, against the league's lines that played a fair amount together. Hover over one for its percentile.

Chances and finishing

Expected goals adds up how likely each of his shots was to go in, judged by where it came from, what kind of shot it was and whether it was a rebound. All situations, leaving out shots at an empty net.

2Goalsnot counting empty-netters
2.4Expected goalsfrom 29 unblocked attempts
-0.4Goals above expectedgoals minus expected goals
Chances created 1.36 expected goals per 60 minutes99th
Shot quality 8.3% chance per attempt57th
Finishing -0.4 goals above expected48thOne season of finishing is mostly luck.

Each bar shows the share of forwards he is ahead of, among the 81 who played at least a quarter as much as the busiest in these playoffs.

00.511.52Expected 2.4Goals 2

His goals and his expected goals as the season went on. When the goals line pulls away above, he is scoring more than his chances were worth; below, less.

Where he shot from

Every attempt he took in these playoffs, in all situations, attacking the net on the right. There is a dot for each attempt, bigger for a better chance. "Show as heat map" shades the ice by where the attempts came from. Click a goal for its details.

Game log

Date Opponent Result G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits TOI
Apr 16, 2026 vs SEA W 2-0 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 14:27
Apr 14, 2026 @ CGY W 3-1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 11:48
Apr 13, 2026 @ EDM W 2-1 (SO) 0 0 0 -1 0 0 3 12:48
Apr 11, 2026 vs VGK L 2-3 (OT) 0 0 0 1 0 1 2 10:13
Apr 9, 2026 vs CGY W 3-1 0 0 0 0 0 3 2 08:53
Apr 7, 2026 @ STL W 3-1 0 0 0 1 0 2 1 10:54
Apr 5, 2026 vs STL L 2-3 0 0 0 0 0 4 1 11:56
Apr 4, 2026 @ DAL W 2-0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 07:49
Apr 1, 2026 vs VAN L 6-8 0 0 0 -3 0 0 1 09:35
Mar 30, 2026 vs CGY W 9-2 0 0 0 -1 0 0 2 14:43
Mar 28, 2026 vs WPG L 2-4 0 0 0 -1 0 0 5 09:35
Mar 26, 2026 @ WPG W 3-2 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 10:43
Mar 24, 2026 @ PIT W 6-2 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 11:50
Mar 10, 2026 vs EDM L 3-4 1 0 1 0 0 1 2 08:15
Mar 8, 2026 vs MIN W 3-2 (SO) 0 0 0 -1 2 2 4 12:41
Mar 6, 2026 @ DAL W 5-4 (SO) 0 0 0 0 0 2 10 13:46
Mar 3, 2026 @ ANA W 5-1 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 12:51
Mar 2, 2026 @ LAK W 4-2 0 0 0 -1 0 2 2 12:23
Feb 28, 2026 vs CHI W 3-1 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 10:00
Feb 26, 2026 vs MIN L 2-5 0 0 0 0 0 3 4 10:50
Feb 25, 2026 @ UTA W 4-2 0 0 0 1 0 2 4 11:48
Feb 4, 2026 vs SJS W 4-2 0 0 0 0 0 3 2 14:33
Feb 2, 2026 vs DET L 0-2 0 0 0 0 0 1 4 12:45
Jan 31, 2026 @ DET W 5-0 1 0 1 1 0 3 1 14:56
Jan 29, 2026 @ MTL L 3-7 1 0 1 -1 0 2 3 12:37
Jan 21, 2026 vs ANA L 1-2 (SO) 0 0 0 0 0 5 0 12:30
Jan 19, 2026 vs WSH W 5-2 0 0 0 0 0 5 1 14:41
Jan 16, 2026 vs NSH L 3-7 0 0 0 1 0 5 0 13:31
Jan 12, 2026 vs TOR L 3-4 (OT) 0 0 0 0 0 5 4 15:03
Jan 10, 2026 vs CBJ W 4-0 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 13:15
Jan 8, 2026 vs OTT W 8-2 0 3 3 3 0 4 2 15:14
Jan 6, 2026 @ TBL L 2-4 0 0 0 0 0 4 1 12:34
Jan 4, 2026 @ FLA L 1-2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 12:13
Jan 3, 2026 @ CAR W 5-3 0 1 1 1 0 4 0 10:42
Dec 31, 2025 vs STL W 6-1 0 0 0 -1 0 2 1 12:54
Dec 29, 2025 vs LAK W 5-2 0 1 1 1 2 2 2 12:02
Dec 27, 2025 @ VGK W 6-5 (SO) 0 0 0 1 0 2 2 09:51
Dec 23, 2025 vs UTA W 1-0 0 0 0 1 0 0 2 09:19
Dec 21, 2025 @ MIN W 5-1 0 0 0 -1 0 2 0 10:03
Dec 19, 2025 vs WPG W 3-2 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 08:18
Dec 16, 2025 @ SEA W 5-3 0 0 0 0 2 0 2 10:50
Dec 13, 2025 vs NSH W 4-2 0 0 0 0 0 2 3 11:20
Dec 11, 2025 vs FLA W 6-2 0 0 0 1 0 2 3 13:52
Dec 9, 2025 @ NSH L 3-4 (SO) 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 12:15
Dec 7, 2025 @ PHI W 3-2 0 0 0 -1 0 0 0 15:41
Dec 6, 2025 @ NYR W 3-2 (OT) 0 0 0 -1 0 4 2 12:22
Dec 4, 2025 @ NYI L 3-6 0 0 0 -2 0 1 4 12:34
Dec 2, 2025 vs VAN W 3-1 0 1 1 2 0 5 2 15:41
Nov 29, 2025 vs MTL W 7-2 0 1 1 3 0 0 3 14:57
Nov 28, 2025 @ MIN L 2-3 (SO) 0 0 0 -1 0 2 3 15:51
Nov 26, 2025 vs SJS W 6-0 1 0 1 1 0 2 2 14:55
Nov 23, 2025 @ CHI W 1-0 0 0 0 0 0 4 7 16:00
Nov 22, 2025 @ NSH W 3-0 0 0 0 1 0 5 4 15:32
Nov 20, 2025 vs NYR W 6-3 1 0 1 1 0 5 0 16:36
Nov 16, 2025 vs NYI W 4-1 1 0 1 0 0 4 4 14:43
Nov 13, 2025 vs BUF W 6-3 0 1 1 1 0 1 2 12:44
Nov 11, 2025 vs ANA W 4-1 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 15:41
Nov 9, 2025 @ VAN W 5-4 (OT) 0 0 0 1 0 4 2 12:57
Nov 8, 2025 @ EDM W 9-1 0 2 2 2 0 3 1 12:13
Nov 4, 2025 vs TBL W 3-2 1 0 1 0 0 3 1 12:11
Nov 1, 2025 @ SJS L 2-3 (OT) 0 0 0 -1 0 3 1 12:50
Oct 31, 2025 @ VGK W 4-2 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 12:11
Oct 28, 2025 vs NJD W 8-4 0 1 1 1 0 3 2 13:23
Oct 26, 2025 @ NJD L 3-4 (OT) 0 1 1 0 0 1 5 14:39
Oct 25, 2025 @ BOS L 2-3 0 0 0 -2 0 1 3 12:33
Oct 23, 2025 vs CAR L 4-5 (SO) 0 1 1 1 0 1 5 10:04
Oct 21, 2025 @ UTA L 3-4 (OT) 0 1 1 1 0 1 2 14:05
Oct 18, 2025 vs BOS W 4-1 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 12:26
Oct 16, 2025 @ CBJ W 4-1 0 0 0 0 0 5 2 12:09
Oct 13, 2025 @ BUF W 3-1 0 0 0 -1 0 3 1 13:23
Oct 11, 2025 vs DAL L 4-5 (SO) 0 0 0 -1 5 0 3 10:41
Oct 9, 2025 vs UTA W 2-1 1 0 1 1 0 4 2 10:23
Oct 7, 2025 @ LAK W 4-1 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 11:17