The Colorado Avalanche entered trade deadline day with a small lead over the Minnesota Wild for the second wild card spot in the Western Conference, and they are looking to solidify that spot. The team was in a buying mode on Monday and acquired forward Mikkel Boedker from the Arizona Coyotes in exchange for Alex Tanguay and prospects Connor Bleakley and Kyle Wood.
After the Winnipeg Jets sent Andrew Ladd to Chicago over the weekend, Boedker was probably one of the top rental forwards available on the trade market and the Avalanche were able to jump in and get him. He is eligible for unrestricted free agency after this season and seemed to be out of the Coyotes' price range. Given their place in the standings -- and currently riding a lengthy losing streak -- it was pretty clear that he was going to get moved.
Like Boedker, Tanguay is also an unrestricted free agent after this season and it is possible the Coyotes could look to flip him before the 3 p.m. ET deadline.
In 62 games this season Boedker has scored 13 goals to go with 26 assists. Most of those points (18) have come on the power play.
Boedker adds a ton of speed to the Avalanche lineup on the wing and has been a productive player on the Coyotes' power play this season which should be a nice add to an Avs team that is a middle of the pack team on the man advantage.
The concern with Boedker is that he doesn't score a lot during 5-on-5 play and his underlying numbers (puck possession, shot differential) aren't great, something that has plagued the Avalanche for the past few years. Their 5-on-5 shot differential is currently one of the worst in the this season and the absolute worst among playoff teams. That is not a good sign when it comes to winning the playoffs. That said, there is still a lot of value in a guy that can score on the power play and put up points. Boedker is an upgrade over Tanguay and they didn't have to give up a first-round pick or a top prospect, so it is probably a risk worth taking.
