The Colorado Avalanche had a lot to do last offseason after another disappointing round one elimination from the Dallas Stars. Brock Nelson is a pending unrestricted free agent, and they may have very little cap space to sign him. So the day before the 2025 NHL Entry Draft, the Avalanche sent Charlie Coyle and Miles Wood to the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for Gavin Brindley, a 2025 third-round pick, and a 2027 conditional second-round pick.

What looked in the eyes of many like a quick cap dump, freeing over $7.5 million in cap space for a team looking to get deeper without giving up much, has turned out even better for the Avalanche and the way Brindley has been playing recently.

🗣️ Gavin Brindley

On the heels of his first career OT winner, the Avalanche Rookie signed a two-year extension this morning.#GoAvsGo | Powered By: https://t.co/O7RJKwUgbNpic.twitter.com/07oNOue9m3

— Guerilla Sports (@guerillasports) November 11, 2025

The Blue Jackets had additional draft picks and, combined with the prospect pool they have been building over the past couple of years, it was more about acquiring players of the caliber that Coyle and Wood can bring to their team. The third-round pick turned into Francesco Dell’Elce, a more offensive-style, left-shot defenseman from the University of Massachusetts, who has great skating for his age and a strong shot. His playmaking is solid, able to make great stretch-pass plays and use his skating to blow right by them if they give him too much space, but back to Brindley.

Drafted in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft in the second round out of the University of Michigan, who just finished with a season where he scored 25 goals and 28 assists for 53 points, leading his team in points and ahead of other notable prospects like Rutger McGroarty (Penguins), Frank Nazar (Blackhawks).

Heading into the draft, EliteProspects said this about Brindley;

“Brindley is a high-motor player who excels on the defensive side of the puck. He’s a tenacious forechecker and reliable in defensive zone coverage. He’s always in motion, always attacking lanes, bouncing around defenders to find them, especially on the power play. He anticipates plays ahead of time and moves to support them. -EliteProspects 2023 NHL Draft Guide”

He struggled in his first professional year with the Cleveland Monsters in the AHL, scoring six goals and 11 assists for 17 points. At the same time, other notable Blue Jackets outscored him, like Denton Mateychuk and Luca Del Bel Belluz. Though the Jackets, after last season's run, were in the market to bolster their depth, get more physical, and surround their growing prospects with veterans, the Avalanche were happy to do so and came out on top in the deal.

The Avalanche offloaded two contracts that, while deemed reasonable at the time of their acquisition, couldn't stay on the team due to their performance and cap implications.

They also get a young 21-year-old prospect who's looking to make a name for himself in a new system, and he's done just that. Many, including myself, didn't think he was going to mysteriously breakout and make the top six. Still, he shows flashes of top-six potential in his skating and puck-handling, as seen in his game against the Vancouver Canucks and in securing his first career overtime winner. It is his physicality that also fits in the bottom-six, along with his aggressive puck style.

GAVIN BRINDLEY IS YOUR OT HERO!! 😱

The @Avalanche win it in @Energizer overtime! pic.twitter.com/mfWQpTNCd4

— NHL (@NHL) November 10, 2025

In part of filling in for injured Joel Kiviranta and Logan O’Conner, Brindley has been excellent for the Avalanche and the role he fills for them. Despite just three goals and two assists for five points in 15 games, the effort and grinder mentality he brings with Parker Kelly and Zahkar Bardakov on the fourth line has been precisely what the Avalanche could expect from him in his early career.

This is just the style of effort and production that not only keeps him on the team for longer, as he just signed a two-year extension through the 2027-28 season. $850K two-way contract for 2026-27, $900K one-way for 2027-28. It also reminds people that there is still more room to grow and develop as the years come.

Avalanche Ink Gavin Brindley to Two-Year ExtensionThe young phenom will stay in Colorado for at least a while longer.

This is a player who can help the team win now by being productive and reliable in a bottom-six role, who has the opportunity in the seasons to come to grow and work his way into a middle/top-six role as players get older, traded, or not re-signed because they have his talents to fill higher in the lines.

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