Colorado Avalanche 30 Under 30: Gone Players
Honorable Mention: Kevin Shattkirk
Position: Defenseman
Age: 27 (age 21 with Colorado)
Avalanche Acquisition: Draft, 14th overall in 2007
Left Avalanche: Trade to St. Louis, 2011
Years as an Avalanche: 1
Under-30 Colorado Stats: 46 games played, 7 goals, 19 assists
One of the, if not the, biggest trade for the modern Colorado Avalanche era involved Kevin Shattenkirk. On February 19, 2011, the Avalanche sent Shattenkirk and Stewart, along with a conditional second-round pick to the St. Louis Blues in exchange for Erik Johnson, Jay McClement and a conditional first round pick (used for Duncan Siemens — never mind.)
Shattenkirk was a rookie but had made a bit of a splash in Colorado. That said, his main significance to Avalanche history is the return for the trade — Erik Johnson. He’s the leader of the blueline — the defensive corps is largely built around him.
Shattenkirk has spent the rest of his six-year NHL career with the Blues. He’s small and more of an offensive defenseman. If he were still part of the Avalanche, it’s hard to say there’d be room for Tyson Barrie. And we’d have little to nothing to stop the opponents’ top lines.
Next: The Talented Mikhail Grigorenko
John Michael Liles bridged generations. Paul Stastny helped mentor the young players leading the team now. Chris Stewart (and Kevin Shattenkirk) brought a key player in trade, and Ryan O’Reilly may prove to have done the same.
The players on this list, though gone from the team now, still gave us some of their best while with the Colorado Avalanche.