Avalanche acquire center Ryan Johansen in a trade with the Predators

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The Colorado Avalanche have filled their second-line center void by acquiring Ryan Johansen from the Nashville Predators. Colorado sent pending free agent Alex Galchenyuk to Nashville in a trade that essentially was a contract dump. The Predators are retaining half of Johansen’s $8 million salary cap hit in each of the next two seasons. The move is a big splash for the Avalanche in their attempt to win the Stanley Cup for a second time in three years. Colorado learned recently that captain Gabriel Landeskog would miss the entire 2023-24 season while recovering from invasive knee surgery.