Five weeks ago, Avalanche general manager Joe Sakic said he would be aggressive and think creatively ahead of the NHL’s trade deadline. So far, he’s done just that.
And there’s a decent chance he’s just getting started.
Colorado was in on the only two NHL trades over the last 24 hours — first for Anaheim defenseman Josh Manson on Monday, then for Minnesota forward Nico Sturm on Tuesday.
Both Manson (6-foot-3, 218 pounds) and Sturm (6-3, 210) add size and toughness to the lineup as pending unrestricted free agents — aka “rentals” for the stretch run.