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NHL trade deadline sees Avalanche add to stacked roster, acquire four players for 2022 stretch run

 

With the home stretch of the NHL season approaching, the annual NHL trade deadline means teams either begin building for the future or stocking up for a deep playoff run.

For the Colorado Avalanche, the team made a trio of trades at the 2022 deadline to bolster their roster to win now.

This past Monday, the Avalanche acquired forwards Nico Sturm from the Minnesota Wild, Andrew Cogliano from the San Jose Sharks and Artturi Lehkonen from the Montreal Canadiens in three separate deals.

One week before the deadline, Colorado picked up defenseman Josh Manson from the Anaheim Ducks.

Sturm came from the Wild in exchange for forward Tyson Jost.

He has recorded 17 points (nine goals, eight assists) in 53 games with the Wild this season and ranks second on the team in faceoff win percentage (52.0 percent). Signed by Minnesota as a free agent on April 1, 2019, Sturm has produced 36 points (20 goals, 16 assists) in 111 career NHL games, all with the Wild.

He has also added three points (two goals, assist) in nine career postseason outings.

“Nico is a big, strong forward who also brings a heavy defensive presence,” Avalanche GM Joe Sakic said. “He is a defensive-minded center who can chip in offensively, is good on draws and can contribute on the penalty kill. We would like to thank Tyson for everything he has brought to our team over the last five seasons, not just on the ice, but in the generous and impactful work he has done throughout the community.”

Jost was selected by the Avalanche in the first round (10th overall) of the 2016 NHL Draft. He has recorded 103 points (45 goals, 58 assists) in 321 career games, all with Colorado.

Cogliano, an NHL veteran, was picked up from the Sharks in exchange for a fifth-round selection in the 2024 NHL Draft.

Cogliano has registered 15 points (four goals, 11 assists) in 56 games for the San Jose Sharks this season, his 15th in the NHL. He has totaled 425 points (174 goals, 251 assists) in 1,122 career games with the Edmonton Oilers, Anaheim Ducks, Dallas Stars and Sharks.

Selected by Edmonton in the first round (25th overall) of the 2005 NHL Draft, Cogliano recorded an 830-game ironman streak from Oct. 4, 2007 through Jan. 13, 2018, which was the fourth-longest in the NHL at the time. He is one of two NHL skaters to appear in 800 consecutive games from the start of their career (Doug Jarvis, 964).

Cogliano has collected 29 points (10 goals, 19 assists) in 100 career postseason contests with Anaheim and Dallas. He helped the Stars reach the Stanley Cup Final in 2020 and paced the team in hits (89) and shorthanded time on ice (99:31) that season. Cogliano was part of Anaheim’s runs to the Western Conference Finals in 2015 an 2017, setting playoff career highs in goals (3) and points (9) and matching his career best in assists (6) in 2015.

Lehkonen arrives in Denver in exchange for forward Justin Barron and a second-round selection in the 2024 NHL Draft.

Lehkonen has tallied 29 points (13 goals, 16 assists) in 58 games for the Canadiens this season, ranking third on the team in points, fourth in assists and tied for third in goals. He is two points shy of matching his career best (31) set in 82 games during the 2018-19 campaign.

Now in his sixth NHL season, Lehkonen has totaled 149 points (74 goals, 75 assisrs) in 396 career NHL contests, all with Montreal, who selected him in the second round (55th overall) of the 2013 NHL Draft. He has collected 12 points (six goals, six assists) in 33 playoff contests, including a career-best three goals in 17 Stanley Cup Playoff games last season to help Montreal reach the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 1993. Lehkonen scored the overtime game-winning goal in Game 6 of Montreal’s semifinals series against the Vegas Golden Knights to clinch the Canadiens a spot in the Stanley Cup Final.

Barron was taken by Colorado in the first round (25th overall) in the 2020 NHL Draft. He had been playing with the AHL’s Colorado Eagles this season.

Manson was acquired from Anaheim for defenseman Drew Helleson and Colorado’s second-round selection in the 2023 NHL Draft.

Manson recorded nine points (four goals, five assists) in 45 games for the Ducks this season, his seventh full NHL campaign and third serving as an alternate captain. He ranked third on the team in hits (116) and third on the club in short-handed time on ice per game (2:22).

Selected by Anaheim in the sixth round (160th overall) of the 2011 NHL Draft, Manson has totaled 113 points (26 goals, 87 assists) in 453 career contests, all with the Ducks. He ranks fifth all-time among franchise defensemen in games played and third in plus/minus rating (+39), while his 87 assists and 113 points both rank ninth all-time among Anaheim blueliners. He is Anaheim’s franchise leader among defensemen in hits (1,083) and ranks second among all Ducks skaters – only Ryan Getzlaf (1,968) has more. He has appeared in 22 career Stanley Cup Playoff contests, recording three points (three assists), all of which came during the 2017 postseason to help the Ducks reach the Western Conference Finals.

Helleson was selected by the Avalanche in the second round (47th overall) of the 2019 NHL Draft. He just completed his junior season at NCAA Division I Boston College.

Photos/Colorado Avalanche

(March 25, 2022)

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