JUST IN: Colorado Avalanche lineup following trade deadline

The 2024-25 NHL trade deadline has officially passed, and the Colorado Avalanche were busy making several moves aimed at strengthening their roster for a deep playoff push. Friday, along with the days leading up to it, proved to be action-packed and full of excitement as the team finalized a flurry of transactions.

The flurry of activity kicked off on March 1st, when Colorado pulled off a significant trade to acquire defenseman Ryan Lindgren, winger Jimmy Vesey, and goaltender Hank Kempf. In return, they sent center Juuso Parssinen, defenseman Calvin de Haan, and two draft picks to their trade partners. Soon after, speculation swirled that the Avalanche weren’t finished making deals.

And those reports? They turned out to be spot on. Big time.

In a smaller move, the Avalanche signed goaltender Adam Scheel to a one-year deal. He’s expected to report to their minor league affiliate.

But the headline-grabbing news broke during Colorado’s dominant win over the San Jose Sharks. It was announced that the Avs had pulled off a major deal with the New York Islanders, acquiring Brock Nelson and William Dufour. In exchange, they sent Calum Ritchie, Oliver Kylington, a conditional first-round pick in 2026, and a conditional third-round pick in 2028 to the Islanders. That trade ended up being their biggest splash.

Then came March 7th—deadline day itself. Around Avalanche circles, there was a strong sense more moves were coming. And sure enough, they did.

Colorado pulled off a blockbuster, trading Casey Mittelstadt, rookie center William Zellers, and a 2025 second-round pick to the Boston Bruins in exchange for veteran center Charlie Coyle and a 2026 fifth-rounder. They also reunited with longtime defenseman Erik Johnson, acquiring him while sending Givanni Smith to the Philadelphia Flyers.

Colorado Avalanche lines following 2024-25 trade deadline

Here’s how I’m expecting the Avalanche lines to look following the 2024-25 trade deadline:

Lehkonen – MacKinnon – Necas
Nichushkin – Nelson – Drouin
O’Connor – Coyle – Colton
Kiviranta – Drury – Vesey

Toews – Makar
Lindgren – Manson
Girard – Middleton/Johnson

Blackwood
Wedgewood

It still feels strange not seeing “Mittelstadt” in the lineup, but his name was constantly brought up in trade talks, so it wasn’t exactly a shock when he was moved. Hopefully, Nelson can step in and be a real upgrade on that second line. My only concern is that he’s approaching his mid-30s, so it’s hard to imagine him being part of the long-term picture. As for Kempf, I’m guessing he’ll be heading down to the Eagles.

This is definitely an exciting stretch for the Avalanche. There are 19 games left in the regular season, and the team is looking to find more consistency. They’ve been playing solid hockey lately, but there’s still work to do. The focus now is on building momentum heading into the playoffs. These next few weeks will be crucial—dropping too many games could make things tricky.

I’m feeling pretty confident about where the team is right now, but I’m not getting ahead of myself. There’s still plenty to prove before we start thinking about playoff matchups. That said, solving the goaltending situation early in the year has turned out to be one of the smartest moves they’ve made, and it’s paid off in a big way.