The Colorado Avalanche pulled off a pair of offensive-minded swaps on Thursday, a day before the NHL Trade Deadline.
The Avalanche and Nashville Predators pulled off a multi-player swap. Colorado is sending defenseman Jeremy Hanzel and a third-round pick in the 2025 NHL Entry Draft to Nashville. In return, the Predators ship forward Yakov Trenin and the rights to minor-league defender Graham Sward to the Avalanche.
In a separate trade, Colorado acquired forward Brandon Duhaime from the Minnesota Wild for a third-round pick in the NHL draft. The trades bolster the Avalanche’s front-line depth after the team lost fourth-line center Chris Wagner to an injury in Wednesday night’s game against the Detroit Red Wings.
Avalanche building a deep front line
By acquiring Trenin and Duhaime, Colorado has built suitable front-line depth for a hoped-for run at the Stanley Cup this spring. Avalanche coach Jared Bednar told the Denver Post:
“The guys we added today are big, heavy bodies. They play a man’s game. They kill penalties and do a lot of the dirty work. They’re big, physical guys who play hard.”
Trenin has just 14 points this season but had 29 goals over the last two campaigns combined. Duhaime has eight points so far this year on four goals and four assists.
Avalanche give up a defender with upside in trade with Predators
Hanzel has yet to play in an NHL game. The 21-year-old blueliner is highly regarded after tallying 50 points in 58 appearances with the minor-league Seattle Thunderbirds this season. Selected in the sixth round of the 2023 NHL Draft, he was just signed to a three-year entry-level contract by Colorado before the trade to Nashville was consummated.
Speaking of minor leaguers, Sward goes to the Avalanche franchise along with Yakov. However, Sward is likely to remain in the minors for the remainder of this season at least.
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Tom Carothers is a sportswriter with more than 20 years of experience covering sports at the high school, collegiate, and professional levels. Still longing for the return of his Minnesota North Stars, he has a high pain tolerance as a big fan of the Chicago Cubs, Cleveland Browns, and Tottenham Hotspur. You can follow him on X at @tomcarothers.