Toronto Maple Leafs: Do Cup Contenders Trade Draft Picks at Deadline?
By Mike Jack
The Colorado Avalanche vs the Toronto Maple Leafs
The Colorado Avalanche have been cup contenders for a couple seasons now. They won the President’s trophy last season, finished second in the Western Conference in 2019-20, and they’re leading the NHL in points per game so far this season.
Around last season’s trade deadline they made moves to acquire pending UFA’s Devan Dubnyk, Patrik Nemeth and Carl Söderberg for a fourth round pick, a fifth round pick, Ryder Rolston (2020 fifth round pick), Josh Dickinson (ECHL) and Greg Pateryn.
At the 2020 deadline, they weren’t as active but acquired pending UFA’s Vladislav Namestnikov and Michael Hutchinson for a fourth round pick and Calle Rosén.
They were able to keep their first round picks in 2020 and 2021, but have already traded their 2022 first round pick along with a conditional 3rd in 2024 to the Arizona Coyotes for Darcy Kuemper.
For the 2022 draft, the Avalanche only have their 3rd, 5th, 6th and 7th round picks remaining. They still have all of their 2023 draft picks except for their fourth rounder.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have more valuable picks remaining than the Avalanche do, but the Avs were able to have some playoff success over the last couple seasons without giving up their first rounders.