The Colorado Avalanche have acquired forward Brandon Duhaime from the Minnesota Wild in exchange for a 2026 third-round draft pick. The Avalanche have had their eyes on Duhaime for a bit now and have added more physicality and defensive ability to their bottom six.
After acquiring Sean Walker to bolster the defense and Casey Mittelstadt to solidify themselves at center, the Avalanche felt the need to get a bit tougher and add more grit to the bottom of the lineup.
Avalanche Ready for Playoff Run
The Western Conference is loading up on talent. The Avalanche are one of the top teams in the conference and after making the necessary changes to the top of the lineup, adding depth is now their priority. For only a third-round draft pick, they must be happy with the abilities Duhaime can bring to their team.
While his four goals and eight points aren’t a needle-mover in terms of offense, the 26-year-old Duhaime brings strong defensive play, speed, and toughness to the bottom of the lineup that the Avalanche don’t have a ton of with their forwards. Duhaime, who has played 193-career NHL games over three seasons, killed a lot of penalties for the Wild and has been one of their best in that area, and it is expected he will slide into the rotation for the Avalanche there too. It has been noted plenty of times that Duhaime is a well-liked member of his team and is great in the locker room.
Related: 2024 NHL Trade Deadline Tracker
Duhaime is in the final year of a $1.1 million deal and is set to become an unrestricted free agent (UFA) at the end of the season.
Wild Bring in Draft Pick
The Wild aren’t looking like they will be a contender this season and may miss the playoffs. General manager Bill Guerin is aware of that and decided that now is a good time to gather some assets to help them down the line, and as a pending UFA, Duhaime was someone they were able to move on from without hurting the future of the team.
Duhaime was certainly valuable to the club, which is why someone with only eight points was moved for a third-round pick. Points aren’t everything when you look at a player who plays the game like Duhaime does. His presence adds a lot to the confidence to a group and isn’t someone you need to worry about sheltering when it comes to minutes.