Vancouver Canucks and Colorado Avalanche make a trade involving a first round pick

This off-season, the Vancouver Canucks let Nikita Zadorov walk into free agency, and with depth questions persisting about their blue line, they've now seemingly answered them. With the regular season just days away, the team have announced a shocking deal with the Colorado Avalanche, as the Canucks have acquired former first-round pick Erik Brannstrom.

In the deal, Vancouver are sending a fourth-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft as well as Tucker Poolman at 20% retained to the Avalanche in exchange for the 25-year old Brannstrom. Last season in Ottawa for the former No. 15 overall pick was a career year, as he tallied 3 goals and 20 points in 76 games played, and with a likely smaller role expected for him in Vancouver, he should be able to thrive with some immense talents around him.

As for the Avalanche, they'll acquire Poolman, who, in the final year of his contract, will miss the entire 2024/25 campaign, while also landing a mid-round pick in the upcoming draft.

This move comes just a day after the team landed another defenseman in John Ludvig on waivers from the Pittsburgh Penguins, and now they are clearly looking to find a way to get him into the lineup. On paper, this move appears to be a deal that benefits both parties, and with the regular season right around the corner, we will find out soon who got the best of it.