The Colorado Avalanche have acquired Nicolas Roy from the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for a conditional 2027 first-round pick and a conditional fifth-round pick.
The Colorado Avalanche have acquired Nicolas Roy from the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for a conditional 2027 first-round pick and a conditional fifth-round pick.
The conditions of the first-round pick are that it’s top-10 protected, and if it's in the top-10, it would slide to an unprotected 2028 first-round pick. The conditions of the fifth-round pick are that it is the lowest of the three available picks the Avalanche owns: the Boston Bruins (from the Charlie Coyle trade) and the Philadelphia Flyers (from the Sean Walker trade and their own.
Coming in at 6-foot-4, 200 pounds, Roy is a right-handed-shot center who was part of the Mitch Marner-to-the-Vegas-Golden-Knights trade. With five goals and 15 assists for 20 points, he might not be on the pace he was last season with the Knights, where he finished with 15 goals and 16 assists for 31 points, but the Leafs have been shaky all season long, and a change of pace for Roy could be just what he needs.
This means the Avalanche have found their third-line center, and while he might not be at the level of Nazem Kadri or Vincent Trocheck, he was a crucial part of the Knights' Stanley Cup championship run during the 2022-23 season. In 22 games, he finished with three goals and eight assists for 11 points, playing just over 15 minutes per game.
While he may be on the slower side in this fast-paced Avalanche offense, it's his defensive capabilities and intangibles as a player that will show instantly. He has a 52.9% win rate in faceoffs this season with the Leafs. Paired with players like Logan O’Connor when he returns, Joel Kiviranta, Victor Olofsson, or other players the Avalanche may acquire, the Avalanche can run a deep, physical bottom-six come the playoffs that can also help offensively.
He also comes at a cap hit of $3 million this season and next, meaning that with a Jack Drury extension, the Avalanche have their centers set this season and next and can focus on expiring contracts, free agency, and improving the defense and wing, with this position now set.
The Avalanche still have $6.7 million left in cap space to deal with tomorrow's 3 pm deadline window, though with the prices players are going at, I imagine any other move they make will be one they truly had their eyes on and comes with more leverage than none.
