Lost in the glorious din of this groovy 3-2 Avalanche playoff win was a sneaky good score made by front-office honcho Joe Sakic way back at the NHL trade deadline.
Amid loud fanfare, the Florida Panthers acquired Philadelphia captain and All-Star Game MVP Claude Giroux, while Sakic made an under-the-radar move for Anaheim defenseman Josh Manson.
Advantage, Avs.
Laugh if you want. But check back with me when Giroux is watching from the sofa while Manson takes the ice in the NHL Finals.
Back in March, with the clock ticking down to the trade deadline, I recall a little grousing by folks who pretend to know hockey that the Avs didn’t do enough to improve their championship chances.