Avalanche trade Andreas Martinsen to Montreal

The Colorado Avalanche have traded forward Andreas Martinsen to the Montreal Canadiens for forward Sven Andrighetto. The 26-year-old Martinsen was in his second year in Colorado after signing as a free agent in 2015 out of the DEL in Germany.

Martinsen registered 3 goals and 4 assists in 55 games for the Avalanche this year. He started out as one of the team’s top penalty killers and is known for using his 6’3”, 220-pound frame for bone-crushing hits that leave the victims wondering where the freight train came from.

In return for Martinsen, the Avalanche get an undersized forward in Andrighetto, who is just 5’10”, 187 pounds, but fits the mold of what Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar likes in the form of wingers who play hard and constantly pressure opponents with speed.

The 23-year old Andrighetto has scored 2 goals and 6 assists in 27 games for the Canadiens this year. He has split time between Montreal and their AHL club, the St. John’s IceCaps, where he notched an impressive 8 goals and 14 assists in 20 games.

For a comparison, Andrighetto will remind some of forward Matt Nieto, who is another smaller, speedy winger picked up by the Avalanche earlier this season who has been a positive contributor in an Avalanche uniform.

Andrighetto is making just $650,000 this season on a one-way contract and will be a restricted free agent this summer. For a brief glimpse as some his underlying numbers, see the HERO chart below: