The Avalanche made their second trade in as many days on Tuesday, this time with their division rival Minnesota Wild.
Colorado has acquired forward Nico Sturm from Minnesota in exchange for Tyson Jost.
Listen to “Trading For Josh Manson” on Spreaker.
Sturm, 26, has nine goals and 17 points in 53 points this season and is in the second year of a two-year deal that pays him 725K annually. Sturm is a pending unrestricted free agent.
“Nico (Sturm) is a big, strong forward who also brings a heavy defensive presence, ” Avs general manager Joe Sakic said in a release. “He is a defensive-minded center who can chip in offensively, is good on draws and can contribute on the penalty kill.”
Sturm is 52 percent in draws, which trails only Gabriel Landeskog (54.9) among Avalanche regulars.
Jost was drafted 10th overall by the Avs in 2016 and has six goals and 14 points in 56 games. The 24-year-old signed a two-year deal with the Avalanche last summer that pays him $2 million per year.
With this trade, the Avalanche clear up $1.275 million in cap space ahead of Monday’s trade deadline and get out from under another $2 million next season.
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Aarif Deen is our Colorado Avalanche beat reporter. He covers Avs games live from Ball Arena and attends practices, media availabilities and other events pertaining to the Avs on the daily beat. He is also a co-host of Hockey Mountain High: Your go-to Avalanche Podcast. Deen joined Mile High Sports upon completion of his bachelor’s degree in journalism and master’s in business administration from the University of Michigan – Dearborn. Before Mile High Sports, Deen worked for the Michigan Wolverines Athletics Department as the assistant sports information director.
Follow him on Twitter @runwriteAarif
