Avalanche bolster forward depth trading for Trenin

The Colorado Avalanche made a trade acquiring forward Yakov Trenin and the rights to Graham Sward from the Nashville Predators in exchange for defenseman Jeremy Hanzel and a 2025 third-round draft pick.

Announced nearly an hour after the acquisition of Brandon Duhaime from the Minnesota Wild, the club announced a trade for forward Yakov Trenin and the rights to unsigned prospect Graham Sward from the Nashville Predators in exchange for defenseman Jeremy Hanzel and Colorado's 2025 third-round draft pick. 

The 27-year-old Trenin has appeared in 60 games for the Predators this season, scoring 10 goals and 14 points while playing a bottom-six role. The forward concluded his time with Nashville third on the team in hits (171) and shared the Predators' lead with a plus-12 rating. He is in the final year of his two-year, $3.4 million contract. 

Sward, 20, is a point-producing defenseman with the Wenatchee Wild of the Western Hockey League (WHL). Through 58 games this season, he has 15 goals and 73 points. He currently ranks second in assists, total points, and fourth in goals scored among all WHL defenders.

The left-shot defenseman still has plenty of work to do before pushing for a spot in the NHL with sound positioning and awareness. Still, his skating abilities are limited, and he will need improvement as he progresses in his career. 

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBcwirNKjhQ[/embed]

The trade with the Predators gives the Avalanche several options and hard-nosed bottom-six forwards to insert into the lineup, which is valuable for playoff hockey. However, the move also now allows head coach Jared Bednar and the club the chance to rest veteran players like Zach Parise and Andrew Cogliano in the postseason should a change in the lineup need to occur.