Brandon Duhaime knew he could be traded before the NHL’s trade deadline on Friday.
With the Minnesota Wild out of a playoff spot and his contract set to expire at the end of the season, the 26-year-old could see the writing on the wall.
The Colorado Avalanche acquired the gritty forward on Thursday in exchange for a third-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft.
While the Wild were preparing to take on the Arizona Coyotes in the evening, Duhaime was en route to join the Avalanche in Denver for Friday’s game against… the Wild.
“Definitely a weird experience, for sure. But might as well get it out of the way,” Duhaime said on playing his former team right away. “I got a phone call in the earlier morning, and I got on a flight out here around 2 or 3 (p.m.). I got in last night, so it was a quick transition.”
At 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds, Duhaime brings a unique combination of size and speed to the Avalanche. He, along with Yakov Trenin, who was also acquired on Thursday, was brought in to bolster Colorado’s bottom-six forwards.
At the time of the trade, the Coral Springs, Florida native has four goals and eight points in 62 games while averaging 10:41 time on ice this season. While he may not provide much offensively, he has shown to be an effective player on the penalty kill.
Added, Duhaime already has seven fights this season and will bring that element of toughness that the Avalanche lost when they traded Kurtis MacDermid to the New Jersey Devils.
“Just try to come in here and play my game,” said Duhaime. “Just physical, kind of in-your-face, with some pace, and kind of contribute to this squad.”
Including Duhaime, the Avalanche’s trade deadline acquisitions were deliberate attempts to complement the skill players on their top two lines with depth to try to capture their second Stanley Cup championship in three years.
With the moves on Wednesday and Thursday, added with Valeri Nichushkin‘s return to the lineup, Friday’s game should have no shortage of excitement as the Avalanche look to fine-tune everything over the final 18 regular season games.
“I know the momentum they have and where they’re at,” Duhaime said. “I just want to come in and try to keep that momentum.”
Quotes used with permission via Guerilla Sports and were lightly edited for clarity.
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