First off, let me start off by saying yesterday was wild. I mean wild. NHL GM's went full video game mode and the deals were flying through league offices faster than Nathan Mackinnon down the ice on a breakaway.

We saw names like Seth Jones, Pavel Buchnevich, Connor Garland, OEL and Rasmus Ristolainen all change teams for boats loads of picks and prospects. It was pure banana land stuff.

All this while Colorado Avalanche general manager Joe Sakic and his draft contingent gathered at a brewery in Littleton, CO. Perhaps the group gathered to decompress for the eventual loss of Landeskog or perhaps they to are laying the groundwork for some kind of deal in the coming days.

Nonetheless, it was a relatively quiet night for Colorado. The night was made longer by the painfully slow pace of the draft (Day 2 should be done by Thursday). Finally, Sakic was introduced to make the Avs selection at 28.

Colorado selected right winger Oskar Olausson with the pick. Olausson played for HV71 program in the Swedish league. Olausson is regarded as a potential middle six forward with shooting upside, excellent stick-handling ability and speed. From what I read he can kill penalties and does have some scoring ability, but he needs to remain engaged or he can disappear at times. He's coming off a season in which he collected 27 points (14g 13a) in 16 games for HV71 J20 team in the J20 Nationell. Not too shabby.

He's a solid depth player which seems to be Sakic's M.O. these days. Add depth and worry about the top-end talent when the time is right. Olausson was the guy Colorado had hoped would fall to them and he did. So far, so good.

If yesterday was that wild, I can't imagine what kind of shenanigans will take place today. I kinda hope the Avs get in on the phone because they only have a handful of picks in rounds 2-7. Let the games begin.

Colorado has three more picks to make.

- Round 2 pick 61 (NYI to NJ to COL) - Ryan Graves trade
- Round 3 pick 92
- Round 7 pick 220

Thanks for reading,
Steve

Join the Discussion: » 3 Comments » Post New Comment

» Avalanche Stay Active On The Trade Market

» Red Hot Avalanche Trade For An Old Friend

» The Colorado Avalanche Are Stanley Cup Champions!

» Avalanche On The Verge Of Hockey's Pinnacle

» Stanley Cup Final: Avalanche Take Thrilling Game One In OT