The Colorado Avalanche continue to be busy.
Days after the club acquired defenceman Josh Manson bolstering their backend, the club has freed up $1.2 million by trading Tyson Jost to the Minnesota Wild. In return, the Avs acquired forward Nico Sturm.
Sturm, 26, is on a deal paying him an AAV of $725,000 and is set to be a UFA after this season. In 53 games with the Wild this year, Sturm has scored nine goals and 17 points — a total tying his career high set the previous year.
His underlying numbers have been decent this year. With him on the ice at 5×5, the Wild controlled 49.25% of the shot attempts, 40.91% of the goals scored and 49.72% of the expected goal share. His PDO, however, sits at just 96.4, suggesting there is some room for improvement in his numbers.
Jost, meanwhile, was a 10th overall pick by the Avs in 2016. He hasn’t quite hit the offensive ceiling that was expected, but he’s been a solid depth player for the club. In 59 games this year, he’s scored six goals and 14 points.
He signed a two-year deal ahead of this season with an AAV of $2 million. His underlying numbers have been nothing to write home about this year. At 5×5, the Avs controlled 48.01% of the shot attempts, 46.34% of the goals scored and 47.18% of expected goals. His PDO is near league average at 99.6.
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