Colorado Avalanche acquire defenseman Josh Manson from Anaheim

It’s officially Trade Deadline Week and the Colorado Avalanche are kicking off the action.

The Colorado Avalanche acquired defenseman Josh Manson from the Anaheim Ducks on Monday in exchange for prospect Drew Helleson and a second-round draft pick in 2023. The Ducks also retained half of Manson’s $4.1 million salary.

The trade was first reported by NHL Network’s Kevin Weekes.

Manson, the son of former NHLer and current Edmonton Oilers assistant coach Dave Manson, has spent his entire NHL career with the Ducks. He was selected in the sixth round of the 2011 draft by Anaheim and made his debut with the team in 2014-15.

For his career, Manson has played 453 games and has racked up 113 points. The best season of his career came in 2017-18 when he scored 37 points in 80 games, logged 20:21 per game, and received down-the-ballot Norris Trophy votes for the league’s top defenseman.

Manson is in the fourth and final year of a four-year, $16.4 million contract he signed back in October of 2017. He’ll be able to test the open market as an unrestricted free agent for the first time in his career this summer.

The prospect heading back to Anaheim is defender Drew Helleson, who the Avs took in the second round of the 2019 draft. Helleson has 25 points in 32 games for Boston College this season and represented the United States at the 2022 Olympics in Beijing back in February.