June 29th 2024.
The Colorado Avalanche, a team known for their aggressive pursuit of the Stanley Cup, found themselves lacking in draft picks as a result of past trades. However, during the NHL draft at The Sphere in Las Vegas, their general manager Chris MacFarland made a move to change that. Late in the first round, MacFarland traded the No. 24 pick to the Utah Hockey Club in exchange for three selections: Nos. 38 and 71 in the 2024 draft and a second-round pick in the 2025 draft. MacFarland saw this as a good opportunity to add some much-needed draft capital to the team, especially since they were lacking first, second, and third round picks for the following year.
This was not the first time the Avalanche had made trades involving their draft picks. In fact, they had previously traded their second and third round picks in the 2024 draft to acquire players like Artturi Lehkonen and Darcy Kuemper, who both played crucial roles in their 2022 Stanley Cup win. They had also traded their 2025 first round pick to acquire players like Casey Mittelstadt and Sean Walker, while also freeing up cap space by getting rid of Ryan Johansen's contract.
MacFarland discussed the importance of balancing the team's immediate goal of winning with the need to acquire young players for the future. He acknowledged that the draft is a key way to bring in entry-level players, but also mentioned the challenge of finding talent in later rounds or through college free agents. The trade with Utah not only gave them more picks, but also the opportunity to potentially add some promising prospects to their organization.
As a part of the trade, the Avalanche also received the New York Rangers' second-round pick in the 2025 draft. This was a result of Utah's 20 selections in the first three rounds over the next three drafts, of which they traded three to Colorado in order to move up and select Cole Beaudoin, a center from the Barrie Colts in the OHL.
MacFarland and the Avalanche had also been busy during the 2023 NHL draft, making trades to acquire players like Ryan Johansen, Ross Colton, and Calum Ritchie, as well as defensemen Mikhail Gulyayev. These players, along with defenseman Sean Behrens, who was drafted from the University of Denver, are considered the top prospects in the organization. However, beyond them, the Avalanche have a relatively thin collection of prospects compared to other teams in the league. This trade with Utah was seen as an opportunity to add more depth to their prospect pool and potentially use some of those assets in future trades to improve the NHL roster.
With rounds two through seven of the draft taking place the following day, the Avalanche now had three selections in the second and third rounds, as well as five selections in the final three rounds. MacFarland expressed his satisfaction with the "clusters" they had created with their picks, and was optimistic about finding some talented players with their new selections.
In addition to the draft, the Avalanche also made headlines as their star player, Nathan MacKinnon, was named the Hart Trophy winner, making him the third player in Avalanche history to receive this honor. MacKinnon's MVP season was seen as one of the team's top moments, along with other achievements such as their participation in the 4 Nations Face-Off and their sweep of the NHL MVP awards.
For fans wanting more Avalanche news, they could sign up for the Avalanche Insider to receive all the latest NHL analysis and updates. With a promising draft and a star-studded team, the future looks bright for the Colorado Avalanche.
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