The Colorado Avalanche announced the signing of forward Marek Svatos to a two-year contract, thereby avoiding arbitration.
"Marek Svatos has been a key ingredient to our success the last few years," said Avalanche Executive Vice President and General Manager Francois Giguere in a statement. "He's scored many big goals for this club and we expect him to be a strong force for us again this season."
Svatos, 26, finished the 2007-08 season on the team in goals, with 26, despite missing the last 16 games of the season with a torn ACL. His six game-winning goals tied him with teammate Wojtek Wolski for the club lead.
A seventh-round selection by the Avalanche (227th overall) in the 2001 Entry Draft, Svatos finished his rookie season in 2005-06 ranked third in goals among first-year players (32) behind Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby.