Avalanche acquires Eric Gelinas from New Jersey

The Colorado Avalanche acquired defenseman Eric Gelinas from the New Jersey Devils in exchange for a third round draft pick in 2017.

Gelinas, 24, is 6’4″ and 215 pounds and is a left-handed shot that has scored one goal and five assists in 34 games played this season for the Devils but has found himself pushed out of the lineup at times due to inconsistency. He has shown flashes in his 156 career games in which he has racked up 14 goals, 40 assists for 54 points.

He is making $1.575 million this season and next, at which time he becomes a restricted free agent. The scouting report on Gelinas is that he is prone to making mistakes in his own end but has a booming shot from the point and is capable of developing into a decent two-way player. Below is the HERO chart from Gelinas, indicating the Avs might have gotten themselves an underrated player who simply needed an opportunity elsewhere.

And some highlights on Gelinas to get you ready for his Avalanche debut: