At that point some people were questioning what was taking Sakic so long to pull the trigger, or if he really was the right person to lead the Avs through this transition. On Nov. 5, 2017, the deal finally got done -- a three-way trade with Nashville and Ottawa that, looking back, the Avs clearly came away with a win on.
The Duchene deal talked about above was the first trade of note. The second was taking advantage of the goalie market and giving up only a second-round pick for Philipp Grubauer in 2018. He solidified their goaltending for three years before pricing himself out of town . A year after the Grubauer trade, Colorado sent a second- and third-rounder to Washington for Andre Burakovsky, who has been a valued support scorer for three years now.
Even though the Avs were the worst team in 2016-17 by a mile it really wasn't long before they were trading away draft picks to help upgrade their team. They kept all of their first-rounders until 2022, but only added one other first-round pick along the way . Instead of building only through the draft, the Avs leveraged picks on the market to find undervalued assets who are now integral pieces to their team.
It's still too early to fully judge many of the other draft selections Colorado has made in recent seasons, but the Avs' mid-to-late round picks aren't coming along as quickly, nor should they be expected to. It's the early picks that have been important to Colorado's quick rise and with the Canadiens staring at an early first of their own in 2022 -- and perhaps even first overall -- it's vital to not miss.
What the Habs and their fans can be reminded of here, though, is that they don't have to take just one road back to redemption. They don't have to trade everyone of consequence and scorch the Earth to build back through draft picks. That would be the longest road and the most uncertain.
RoryBoylen Yup lots of patience I think
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