Avalanche acquire Kevin Mandolese from Senators for draft pick

The Colorado Avalanche acquired goaltender Kevin Mandolese, as well as a 2026 seventh-round pick from the Ottawa Senators in exchange for a 2026 sixth-round pick.

The 23-year-old Mandolese played 23 games for the AHL’s Belleville Senators in 2023-24, posting a 10-9-2 record, a .901 VS% and 3.07 GAA. He also made two appearances for the ECHL’s Allen Americans, posting an 0-2-0 .918 SV% and 3.53 GAA.

Mandolese, a native of Blainville, Que., has appeared in 16 career ECHL games. He made nine playoff appearances for the Americans in the 2023 Kelly Cup Playoffs.

Taken in the sixth round of the 2018 NHL Entry Draft, Mandolese played in three games with Ottawa in 2022-23, going 1-2-0 with a .916 SV% and 3.29 GAA.

He spent four full seasons with the QMJHL’s Cape Breton Screaming Eagles, posting an 86-41-8 record with a .900 SV% and 2.96 GAA. In his final season, he went 26-7-1 with a .925 SV% and 2.33 GAA in 37 appearances, which earned him a three-year, entry-level contract with the Senators.

Internationally, Mandolese represented Canada at the Under-17 and Under-18 tournaments in 2016-17 and 2017-18, respectively.

The Avalanche finished the 2023-24 regular season with a 50-25-7 record and 107 points, third in the Central Division. They defeated the Winnipeg Jets in five games in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but were eliminated by the Dallas Stars in the second round in six games.

Meanwhile, the Senators finished the 2023-24 regular season with a 37-41-4 record and 78 points, seventh in the Atlantic Division and 13 points behind the final Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference.