Colorado Avalanche get much-needed depth with Vladislav Namestnikov
According to Elliotte Friedman, the Colorado Avalanche are expected to trade for Ottawa Senators forward Vladislav Namestnikov.
The Colorado Avalanche are expected to trade for Ottawa Senators forward Vladislav Namestnikov, according to Elliotte Friedman. Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun is reporting the return is a 2021 fourth-round pick.
In 54 games in Ottawa this season, Namestnikov has 13 goals and 12 assists for 25 points. The Senators acquired him back in October from the New York Rangers for a fourth-round pick in the 2021 NHL Draft, so they got that pick back. That gamble didn’t pay off quite as well as expected, but at least they broke even.
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Namestnikov was originally drafted by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first-round of the 2011 NHL Draft. He was traded to the New York Rangers at the 2018 trade deadline in the deal which sent Ryan McDonagh and J.T. Miller to the Tampa Bay Lightning.
With the Rangers, Namestnikov put up 11 goals and 20 assists for 31 points during the 2018-19 season. He had zero points in two games this season before being traded to the Senators.
This is a much-needed trade for the Avalanche. With recent injuries to Nazem Kadri and Mikko Rantanen, they needed more depth. Namestnikov has experience playing a variety of roles. He can play with skilled players, which is important since the Avalanche have Nathan MacKinnon. But at the same time, Namestnikov has been solid in a middle-six role with the Senators.
He has experience playing at all three forward positions, which is something the Avalanche value. Namestnikov can also kill penalties and was one of the Senators most trusted penalty killers. He has spent at least 100 minutes shorthanded in each of his past three seasons.
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Expect Namestnikov to join either the second line or the third line for the Avalanche. The Avs didn’t give up much here and they got a quality guy who can provide some much-needed depth. It wouldn’t surprise me to see them do more before the trade deadline.