The trade
Colorado Avalanche get: Right wing Brandon Duhaime.
Minnesota Wild get: Third-round pick in 2026.
I like this trade a lot and I like it a lot mostly because I remember how important Vegas’s fourth liners were last season when the Golden Knights won the Stanley Cup. Nicolas Roy, William Carrier and Keegan Kolesar, especially, stuck out in the final round, when teams were mostly running on fumes, and the big guys were so useful in wearing down the opposition’s resolve.
When the Avalanche traded away Kurtis MacDermid to New Jersey a few weeks back, I thought a move like this was in the works – for a player with size and physicality who could simply do more than MacDermid did for Colorado, where he was playing just five minutes per night.
Duhaime is a massive upgrade there and more reminiscent of that Vegas trio referenced above.
He’s 26. He’s a 6-foot-2, 200-pounder, who skates reasonably well for a big man which allows him to get in on the forecheck and force defensemen to make plays, sometimes more quickly and less efficiently than they want. He averaged 10:41 in ice time for the Wild this season and gave an effort on every shift. That sort of energy can be vital in a long playoff run.
It’s also what made him a popular figure in the Wild dressing room, according to our Michael Russo.
He’s a pending unrestricted free agent, and with the Wild probably turning to lower-priced options to supplement their bottom-six next year, became expendable. The return represents fair value for both teams.
Colorado is top-heavy with explosive scorers, but their depth up front proved to be an Achilles heel during last year’s upset loss to Seattle in the first round. Duhaime could easily be a fit on the third line, depending upon when Valeri Nichushkin is ready to return, and how long Logan O’Connor is out. But if all he ends up doing is slotting in on the fourth line, to provide a little size opposite Andrew Cogliano, that might be the perfect fit for him.
Avalanche grade: A
Wild grade: B
(Top photo: Christopher Hanewinckel / USA Today)