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Avalanche Boost Playoff Hopes On Otherwise Slow Day Of Trading

DENVER (AP) - Avalanche general manager Joe Sakic was busy attempting to improve Colorado's bid to make the playoffs, while a majority of his NHL counterparts stood pat as the league's trade deadline hit Monday afternoon.

The Avalanche completed two trades in acquiring Arizona forward Mikkel Boedker and New Jersey Devils defenseman Eric Gelinas.

Alex Tanguay, Mikkel Boedker
Alex Tanguay, left, Mikkel Boedker, right (credit: Getty Images)

Boedker is an eight-year NHL veteran who adds scoring depth to an Avalanche team that entered Monday holding down the Western Conference's eighth and final playoff spot. Gelinas is a hard-shooting third-year defenseman who provides Colorado depth on the blue line.

The acquisitions provided a boost to the Avalanche, who have won five of eight, and held a two-point edge over the ninth-place Minnesota Wild.

"It sends a message to everybody in here that they're willing up top to give us the best chance possible and go deep in the playoffs," Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog said. "And that's what we want to do."

In exchange, the Avalanche traded veteran forward Alex Tanguay and two prospects, forward Connor Bleackley and defenseman Kyle Wood, who were both selected in the 2014 draft. For Gelinas, Colorado sent the Devils a third-round pick in the 2017 draft.

Boedker was expendable in Arizona because he is in the final year of his contract and eligible to become an unrestricted free agent this summer. He's third on the team with 39 points (13 goals and 26 assists) in 62 games. Boedker, however, has been slumping having not scored in his past 11 games.

The Coyotes are slipping out of the playoff picture.

Arizona has lost five straight and is 3-10-1 in its past 14. The slump has dropped the Coyotes into 11th in the West, eight points behind Colorado.

Though a number of trades were expected before the deadline, numerous teams spent the previous week adding players and freeing up salaries of players who are in the final years of their contracts.

(© Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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