4. The Varly Trade
Acquiring Semyon Varlamov from the Washington Capitals as an unrestricted free agent in the 2011 offseason was one of the most important moves in shaping the team we see today.
Trading both a first-round and second-round pick in the 2012 draft to get Varly gave the Avalanche an elite goaltender between the pipes.
The first-round pick the Avalanche surrendered for the 23-year-old Varlamov turned out to be Filip Forsberg, who is now with the Nashville Predators and has had an impressive, young career so far.
We aren’t looking to play games of hypotheticals and hindsight, but there is no doubt the Avalanche were affected by the lack of activity in the 2012 draft. However, they did get a Vezina finalist and a major piece in today’s core.
The Varly trade is certainly one of the most impactful moves in Avalanche draft history.
