Avalanche Nearly Landed a Young Ducks Star

Colorado was apparently much closer to a major swing than most fans realized, and that is the kind of detail that changes how people read an offseason. A near-trade for a young Ducks star tells you the Avalanche are still poking around for impact talent, even when the room looks settled from the outside. Teams do not usually get that close unless they think the fit is real. The fact that it fell short only makes the backstory more interesting.