Avalanche Acquire Danil Gushchin, Trade Former First Round Draft Pick

The Avalanche made a minor league trade with the San Jose Sharks on Friday, acquiring Danil Gushchin in a one-for-one deal for 2021 first-round pick Oskar Olausson.

The 23-year-old Gushchin, who is listed at 5’8 and 165 lbs, played just 12 games for the Sharks last year and recorded one assist. He’ll likely be a full-time player for the AHL’s Colorado Eagles. Gushchin was drafted No. 76 overall by San Jose in 2020.

Meanwhile, Olausson, who the Avs selected No. 28 overall that year, is officially on his way out.

Olausson played just four NHL games over three seasons and did not record a point. He also wasn’t all that productive in the AHL, where he had just 66 points in 163 games.

In the 10 spots after the Avs’ pick, full-time NHLers like Olen Zellweger, Ryker Evans, and Josh Doan were all selected.

Olausson is yet another in a long line of draft busts for a team that hasn’t had much success in that department in recent years. I think of guys like Sampo Ranta, Martin Kaut, and Nikolai Kovalenko as other drafted prospects with a lot of promise that didn’t pan out.

Perhaps a change of scenery will do good for Olausson.