The Avalanche on Thursday traded a player it probably would have lost in next week’s expansion draft.
Colorado sent defenseman Ryan Graves to the New Jersey Devils for Russian forward Mikhail Maltsev and a second-round selection (61st overall) in the 2021 draft. Maltsev, 23, the Devils’ fourth-round draft pick in 2016, is coming off his NHL rookie season with New Jersey.
The Avs, who traded their 2021 and 2022 second-round picks to the New York Islanders for defenseman Devon Toews before last season, now have a second-round pick in the upcoming draft and won’t lose the 26-year-old Graves for zero in return.