The Colorado Avalanche made another move on Thursday morning, trading for Nicolas Roy from the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Who is Nicolas Roy?

Roy is a 29-year-old center who has spent much of his career with the Vegas Golden Knights. He only moved to Toronto this season as part of the trade for Mitch Marner.

This season, Roy has five goals and 15 assists in 59 games. He’s averaged 14:45 of ice time per game this season, shooting at a career low 9.1%. However, he’s had a nice season at the face-off dot, winning 52.9% of draws.

Roy is a proven Stanley Cup champion, having won it with the Golden Knights in 2023. In the playoffs that season, he scored three goals and notched eight assists for 11 points in 22 games.

The best season for Roy came in the 2023–24 season with Vegas. In their Stanley Cup defense, he had 13 goals and 28 assists for 41 points.

The 6-foot-3 right-hander is not just a winner in the NHL, but also in the AHL. When he was part of the Carolina Hurricanes organization to start his career, he won the Calder Cup with their affiliate, the Charlotte Checkers, in 2019.

It was the second year of a five-year, $3 million AAV deal. Roy joins the Avalanche with one more year left on his deal after this season.

What’s next for Colorado?

Now, the Avs are left with approximately $3.5 million. If Logan O’Connor’s LTIR money is still used, that number creeps up to $6 million.

However, center depth is bolstered aplenty for the Avalanche with the addition of Roy. Roy will slot into the bottom six for the Avalanche. Therefore, how will Parker Kelly, Ross Colton, Jack Drury, and Zakhar Bardakov fit in now?

After already moving for defenders Brett Kulak and Nick Blankenburg, the Avs have made their first move for a forward. They could still easily move on from another forward in the next 24 hours before the deadline closes. With the roster full, any more moves will have to involve trading away a rostered player.