If J.T. Compher is indeed gone for greener pastures, the Avalanche might have found his second-line successor at little to no cost.
The Avs traded the rights to pending unrestricted free agent Alex Galchenyuk to the Nashville Predators for 30-year-old center Ryan Johansen on Saturday, a week before free agency opens. Nashville will retain half of Johansen’s $8 million salary for the remaining two years on his contract, meaning Colorado is on the hook for $4 million per season in salary cap space. Compher’s average annual value on his expiring contract was $3.5 million.
Johansen missed the last 27 games of 2022-23 due to right leg surgery after a skate sliced his ankle, prematurely ending his season with 28 points in 55 games. The year before, he had one of his best career outputs with 26 goals and 63 points. He has six 60-point seasons including a career-high 33 goals for the Blue Jackets in 2013-14.
Johansen spent his first four-plus NHL seasons in Columbus, where current Avalanche general manager Chris MacFarland was an assistant GM. Johansen was drafted fourth overall in 2010 by a front office that included a young MacFarland, and in 2012-13, Johansen played for Jared Bednar in the minor leagues.
When the Predators announced Johansen’s surgery Feb. 23, they assigned a 12-week recovery timeline. The trade to Colorado comes more than 17 weeks after that.
The Avalanche may be gambling on his health to an extent — as they know from recent experience with Gabriel Landeskog, 12-week timelines aren’t always 12 weeks — but acquiring Johansen is ultimately a low-risk, high-reward move considering the price. Galchenyuk spent one season in the Avalanche organization, mostly in the AHL with the Eagles. He didn’t register a point in 11 games with the Avs.
The former No. 3 overall draft pick has a 30-goal season as well, but he has passed through seven NHL organizations since 2018-19. In February 2021 after Ottawa traded him to Carolina, the Hurricanes subsequently placed Galchenyuk on waivers and no other team claimed him.
Having already landed a potential 2C, the Avs are now less likely to trade their precious late first-round pick ahead of Wednesday’s NHL draft. The organization has a depleted prospect pool and no picks in the second, third or fourth rounds. If they were to mobilize the No. 27 pick, it would likely be to improve depth in the middle of the ice — which acquiring Johansen effectively does.
The move also continues a recent trend. The Avalanche front office generally prefers to operate via offseason trade rather than making splashy free agent signings.
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