Surprise: Huge trade followed by a direct placement on waivers, and things don't look good for Jake Allen

The Colorado Avalanche decided to make a big move for the playoffs, and they didn't want to wait until Friday.

First, they acquired Casey Mittelstadt in exchange for Bowen Byram. Although Byram is a very talented defenseman, injuries have plagued him since the beginning of his career. There were even talks of possible retirement in his case last year.


Next, they acquired Sean Walker and a 5th-round pick in 2026 for Ryan Johansen and a conditional first-round pick (top 10 protected) in 2025. Another big transaction.



The announcements didn't stop there. The Flyers, minutes after acquiring Johansen, placed him directly on waivers. Wow!

Another $8 million per year forward on waivers, following the Evgeny Kuznetsov announcement a few days ago.


Clearly, it's over for dead wood and bad contracts for some teams. Let's say it doesn't look good for a trade involving Jake Allen, unfortunately.