On Jan. 1, Cody McLeod was a disgruntled member of the Avalanche, the NHL’s worst team which stood 12-23-1 and going nowhere. The Avs had stripped him from the ‘A’ on his chest as alternate captain, scratched him on opening night and generally only played him when others were injured.
McLeod hinted about a trade to a playoff-contending team, and less than two weeks later, the fourth-line forward and middleweight enforcer got his wish. McLeod, Colorado’s most veteran player, was traded to the Nashville Predators on Jan. 13 for minor-league forward Felix Girard. The following night against the Avs at the Pepsi Center, McLeod, in his Nashville debut, scored a goal and fought Jarome Iginla in the Preds’ 3-2 triumph.