DENVER, Colo. — The Colorado Avalanche just got even bigger down the middle. The Avalanche on Thursday said they acquired veteran center Nicolas Roy from the Toronto Maple Leafs.
According to our news partners at The Gazette, he did not come cheaply, as the Avalanche are sending a conditional 2027 first-round pick to Toronto and a conditional 2026 fifth-round pick.
The 2027 first-round pick is top-10 protected, so if the Avalanche were to finish with a top-10 pick at the end of the 2026-27 season, the Maple Leafs would get Colorado’s 2028 first-round pick.
Roy has five goals and 20 points in 59 games with the Maple Leafs this season, his first with the organization after spending the previous six years with the Vegas Golden Knights.
At 6-foot-4, 200 pounds, he’ll bring size to the Avalanche center group as well as pedigree. He helped the Golden Knights win a Stanley Cup in 2023.
The 29-year-old is signed through next season with a cap hit of $3 million, so this is not a rental.
He’ll likely play a vital part in the penalty kill with the Avalanche. With the Maple Leafs, he’s averaging 1:46 minutes per game on their penalty kill, and he was also an important penalty killer for the Golden Knights during his tenure with that team.
Roy gives coach Jared Bednar another strong option in the face-off circle, as he’s won 52.9% of his draws this season. Colorado’s bottom-six centers down the stretch appear as though they will be Roy and Jack Drury.
The Avalanche do not practice Thursday and will travel to Dallas for their big divisional matchup with the Stars on Friday. The trade deadline is 1 p.m. Friday, so there’s still time for Colorado to make additional moves.
An Avalanche spokesman said the team is working to get Roy to Dallas by Friday. However, his playing status is to be determined, as immigration paperwork must be completed due to Roy playing in Canada this season.
The Gazette's Evan Rawal contributed to this web story.
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