Avalanche make a small trade involving one of their defenseman

Colorado Avalanche GM Chris MacFarland made a ton of trades last season.

He overhauled his roster on the fly, attempting to give the Avs the best shot at winning a Stanley Cup.

It didn’t work out last year, but things are looking great this time around. The Avalanche have a ridiculous 76 points already and sport a dazzling 34-5-8 record. Colorado leads Carolina by 10 points for the most in the entire NHL.

Therefore, many expect it to be quiet on the trade front for the Avalanche this time around. But that doesn’t mean tweaks aren’t coming between now and the March 6 deadline. On Tuesday, MacFarland made a move.

We have acquired Valtteri Puustinen and Pittsburgh's own 7th Round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft in exchange for Ilya Solovyov. pic.twitter.com/zegVaNPIgW

— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) January 20, 2026

Defenseman Ilya Solovyov leaves Colorado after playing 16 games this year. He was claimed on waivers in October and registered one goal and two assists, good for three points.

Coming over from the Pittsburgh Penguins is forward Valtteri Puustinen and a seventh-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft. Puustinen will report to the Colorado Eagles, so this is a minor trade with some upside.

Puustinen, 26, has played the entire 2025-26 season with the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and has recorded 26 points (seven goals, 19 assists) in 35 games. At the time of the trade, Puustinen paced the club in assists and ranked second on the team in points.

Clearly, the Avalanche like his potential and were willing to part with Solovyov in order to see what Puustinen can do with the Eagles and hopefully the NHL club one day. 

Head coach Jared Bednar said on Tuesday that defenseman Devon Toews is close to returning, but likely won’t play Wednesday. With the Avalanche giving up Solovyov, they’ll likely need to call up a defenseman from the Eagles.

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