The Colorado Avalanche made major moves on the first day of NHL Free Agency, and its 2019-20 roster is a little more balanced then when the frenzy began.
Colorado began Monday's proceedings by signing Pierre-Edouard Bellemare and Joonas Donskoi, forwards that will provide key depth in the lineup as the Avs aim to build a squad that is tough to play against in all three zones. The Avalanche also re-upped two-way forward Colin Wilson, who, like Bellemare and Donskoi, was also an unrestricted free agent but ultimately decided to return to the squad that he spent the past two seasons with.
"We decided to add as much depth as we could to our group," said Colorado executive vice president/general manager Joe Sakic in an early afternoon conference call. "We like the depth that we have right now. Now we are at a next phase where we sit back and maybe there's a trade we could do or explore."
The biggest transaction of the day for Sakic was indeed in the form of a trade and came just before 5 p.m. MT. The Avalanche sent defenseman Tyson Barrie, forward Alexander Kerfoot and a sixth-round pick in the 2020 NHL Draft to the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for forward Nazem Kadri, defenseman Calle Rosen and a third-round selection in the 2020 draft.
Avs Fill Out Roster With Free Agency Frenzy
Nazem Kadri, Joonas Donskoi, Pierre-Edouard Bellemare and Calle Rosen join Colorado
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