TRADE: Avalanche Acquire More Depth In Brandon Duhaime

When the Colorado Avalanche won the Stanley Cup back in 2022, they made a few depth additions at the deadline that flew under the radar. Andrew Cogliano was one, and Nico Sturm was the other. You can never have enough depth when the playoffs roll around.

On Thursday, the Avalanche made another move to strengthen the depth inside the organization.

Colorado has acquired Brandon Duhaime from the Minnesota Wild in a relatively minor trade prior to the NHL Trade Deadline. In return, Colorado will send their 2026 third round pick to Minnesota. The Wild are set to play the Avalanche on Friday evening, so there’s a good chance he’ll be in the lineup for Colorado.

Duhaime is an unrestricted free agent after the season, and currently makes $1,100,000 this year. Colorado will have no problem fitting that in under the salary cap given the moves they made on Wednesday. He currently has just eight points in 62 games this year, but that’s not the reason why the Avalanche would want to bring him in. He plays with an edge, and kills penalties for the Wild, averaging over two minutes a game for them while they’re shorthanded.

One thing Duhaime does not do is play center or take face-offs. He’s a pure winger and I would anticipate he plays there in Colorado. Chris Wagner was injured on Wednesday night, and we are waiting for an update on his status from the team.

Stay tuned to CHN for all your Avalanche updates, as we’re only 24 hours away from the NHL Trade Deadline.