The two were dealt for each other as part of the Nashville Predators and Colorado Avalanche trade on Thursday afternoon.
Two of the top overaged defencemen in the WHL were traded for each other before the 2024 NHL Trade Deadline. The Colorado Avalanche traded Seattle Thunderbirds' Jeremy Hanzel and a 2025 third-round pick to the Nashville Predators for Wenatchee Wild's Graham Sward and Yakov Trenin. This is the first trade of the deadline season to include WHL prospects and the first of the year to involve multiple WHLers.
The move is surprising, as Hanzel was signed by the Avalanche just a few hours before the trade. The Thunderbirds' defender is having a career year and is one of 11 WHL defencemen to hit the 50-point mark this season. Initially a sixth-round pick by Colorado in 2023, he could make his AHL debut with the Milwaukee Admirals once his WHL season ends.
As for Sward, he sits second among defenders in the WHL with 73 points in 58 games. Drafted by the Predators in the fifth round of the 2022 NHL Draft, he has been a crucial part of Wenatchee's success during their inaugural season. Currently unsigned, the Avalanche have until Jun. 1, 2024, to sign him; otherwise, they lose his rights.
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