Two of the top Stanley Cup contenders in the Western Conference are not waiting until trade deadline day to make significant additions down the middle.
The NHL-best Colorado Avalanche acquired center Nicolas Roy from Toronto on Thursday for a conditional fifth-round pick this year and a conditional first-rounder in 2027. The Pacific Division-leading Vegas Golden Knights got center Nic Dowd from the Washington Capitals in exchange for a 2027 third-round pick, a 2029 second-rounder and young goaltender Jesper Vikman.
Avalanche get bigger and deeper by trading for Nicolas Roy
Roy fills a major void for Colorado with significant size at 6-foot-4. Now 29, he helped Vegas win the Cup in 2023, when depth played a major role in that title run.
The condition on the 2027 first-rounder is that if it’s in the top 10, Colorado will send its unprotected first in 2028 instead. The fifth will be the lowest of the three Colorado currently has this year.
There had been some speculation about the Avalanche reacquiring Nazem Kadri, who was part of their championship team in 2022, but the three years remaining on his contract with Calgary and pricey $7 million salary cap hit made that a tougher puzzle piece to fit in.
Roy should slide in perfectly as the No. 3 center behind leading scorer (at 100 points in 59 games) Nathan MacKinnon and 30-goal scorer Brock Nelson. The position was seen as the biggest need for a group that has been atop the standings since October.
Colorado previously added on the blue line with Brett Kulak and Nick Blankenburg.
Golden Knights keep buying by getting Nic Dowd
Vegas jumped the line in January, before the Olympic break, to pick up defenseman Rasmus Andersson from the Flames. Now general manager Kelly McCrimmon bolstered the roster up front.
Dowd, 35, gives the Golden Knights a penalty killer and shutdown defender down the middle who can also chip in some offense. He has 16 points and 43 blocked shots in 55 games this season.
An Alabama native, Dowd is under contract through ’26-27 at a reasonable salary cap hit of $3 million.
The Golden Knights could still target a goaltender. While the Avalanche have the best team save percentage in the league at .916, Vegas is second-worst at .880 between Adin Hill, Carter Hart, Akira Schmid and Carl Lindbom.
What other trades could be coming?
Trading Dowd signals the Capitals’ intention to at least in part be sellers, sitting four points back of the second and final wild card spot in the Eastern Conference but having played three more games than Boston, which is in that position. Pending unrestricted free agent forward Brandon Duhaime and defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk are also trade candidates for Washington.
With roughly 26 hours to go before the deadline, plenty of other teams who declared they’re open for business are awaiting more deals. Vincent Trocheck remains with the New York Rangers, and coach Mike Sullivan was noncommittal about whether the center whose name is atop many trade boards would play Thursday night against Toronto.
Roy played Wednesday night at New Jersey for the Maple Leafs, who are all but certain to miss the playoffs for the first time in a decade. They sat three other players for roster management reasons as trade talk heats up: Bobby McMann, Scott Laughton and Oliver Ekman-Larsson, all of whom could have new homes by 3 p.m. EST Friday.
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Great Job Stephen Whyno, Associated Press & the Team @ KSAT San Antonio for sharing this story.
