Former Edmonton Oilers forward Andrew Cogliano retires, joins Avalanche front office

After a 17-year, 1,294 game career, Andrew Cogliano has announced his retirement.

Drafted by the Edmonton Oilers 25th overall in the 2005 draft out of the Ontario Junior A. League, Cogliano spent two years at the University of Michigan before breaking into the NHL in the 2007-08 season.

He burst onto the scene with a tremendous rookie season, scoring 18 goals, 27 assists and 45 points with the latter two being career highs for the 5’10, 179 lb. then-centre-turned winger.

His tenure in Edmonton lasted only four years in Edmonton before he was traded to the Anaheim Ducks in the summer of 2011 for a 2nd round draft pick, later used to select Marc-Oliver Roy. It wasn’t unexpected to see him moved at the time, given that for the two prior summers, then-general manager Steve Tambellini had been trying to find him a new home.

The overwhelming reason for the move was that Cogliano had been s

truggling up the middle of the ice, and that the team already had too many centres of his size and stature. Players like Sam Gagner and Gilbert Brule, as well as smaller wingers in Linus Omark and Liam Reddox simply made Cogliano expendable.

It took all of one year for the Ducks to realize the same, shifting Cogliano to the wing where he was able to carve out a role for himself as a bottom-six player. He spent eight seasons in Anaheim before stints with the Dallas Stars and a 56-game run with the San Jose Sharks.

Cogliano found a home for himself in Colorado, though, spending the last two and a half seasons of his career in The Mile High City, hoisting the Stanley Cup in 2022.

He will now transition to a front office role with the team, that will include work within ‘player development, professional and amateur scouting, as well as working with the American Hockey League’s Colorado Eagles,” the Avalanche said in a statement.

“The game of hockey has given me and my family so much and I am grateful for every moment,” said Cogliano in a statement released by the team. “I am blessed to have played for so long with some great organizations and amazing teammates. I will miss being with the guys in the dressing room and battling for each other on the ice every night but it’s time to move on. Thank you to everyone I ever played with, played for and all the great fans for all of their support. I am excited to start my new chapter in the front office.”

Zach Laing is the Nation Network’s news director and senior columnist. He can be followed on Twitter at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach@thenationnetwork.com.