Vancouver Canucks and Colorado Avalanche make a surprising trade on the eve of the regular season

After moving on from Nikita Zadorov this summer, the Vancouver Canucks clearly wanted to improve upon the depth of their blue line, and after waiting until the final week before the season begins, they've officially made an upgrade. According to reports, the team are acquiring Erik Brannstrom from the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for Tucker Poolman and a fourth-round draft pick.

The deal has since officially been confirmed by the Canucks, who will land a 25-year old blue liner with plenty of talent in his future. Last season with the Senators, Brannstrom tallied 3 goals and 20 points in 76 games played, with the former first-round pick seemingly on the verge of a breakout campaign.

As for Colorado, they will acquire Poolman, a veteran that has officially been ruled out for the entire 2024/25 campaign, with the Canucks agreeing to retain 20% of his salary for the upcoming year. On top of that, they'll get a fourth-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, with the team acquiring John Ludvig from Pittsburgh on waivers who they seemingly have very exciting plans for.

Ultimately, this could be one of those rare occasions were both teams got what they wanted out of this deal, and with the new season almost upon us, both parties will look to quickly adjust as they both appear ready to chase a Stanley Cup in 2024/25.