As expected, the Colorado Avalanche traded Ryan O’Reilly. The centerman was moved to the Buffalo Sabres just before the start of the 2015 NHL Entry Draft, and with the move Colorado improved its defense with a young defender.

Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports in Montreal was the first to report the move.

Darren Dreger of TSN reported that the deal also included Jamie McGinn and that Colorado will receive defenseman Nikita Zadorov, forward Mikhail Grigorenko, forward J.T. Compher and a second-round pick.

A release from the Avalanche said the following about each player:

Zadorov, 20, was Buffalo’s first-round pick (16th overall) in the 2013 NHL Draft.  He appeared in 60 games as a rookie for the Sabres this past season, tallying 15 points (3g/12a) with 51 penalty minutes.  The 6-foot-5, 220-pound defenseman made his NHL debut early in the 2013-14 campaign, appearing in seven games (1g/0a) before returning to his junior team, the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League.

Grigorenko, 21, was Buffalo’s first-round choice (12th overall) in the 2012 NHL Draft.  He appeared in 25 games for the Sabres this past season, tallying six points (3g/3a).  The 6-foot-3, 209-pound center has played in 68 career games, notching 14 points (6g/8a).

Compher, 20, was a second-round pick (35th overall) of the Sabres in the 2013 NHL Draft.  The Northbrook, Illinois, native recently completed his sophomore season at the University of Michigan, tallying 24 points (12g/12a) in 34 games. As a freshman in 2013-14, Compher was named the Big 10 Rookie of the Year after recording 31 points (11g/20a) in 35 games, which also earned him spots on the Big 10 Second All-Star Team and Big 10 All-Rookie Team.

The O’Reilly move was expected, as earlier in the day the Avalanche came to terms with Carl Soderberg on a five-year deal worth nearly $24 million. O’Reilly was reportedly seeking a long-term deal north of $7 million per year for eight years.

O’Reilly is currently on the last of a two-year deal signed last offseason.