The first third of the NHL season has had an unusually active trade front.
The Avalanche's swap of Alexandar Georgiev for Mackenzie Blackwood represents the ninth trade of the season involving NHL-level players, which could prove potentially game-changing, especially across the Western Conference.
The message from the New York Rangers on Friday, and now Colorado just three days later, is more pointed. Teams that are theoretically playoff contenders but are worried about fatal flaws will not sit around and wait.
The Avalanche have a goaltending problem, and they weren't going to leave it to the trade deadline.