Canadiens' trade nightmare looms as Avalanche phenom prepares for NHL debut

Gulyayev remains one of the Avalanche's final highly touted prospects, and it appears a move to North America could be on the horizon in 2026.

Elias Edmonson from Habs Fanatics writes that acclaimed journalist Marco D'Amico recently highlighted an intriguing story about a young defenseman in the Avalanche organization.

Twenty-year-old Gulyayev, a 5-foot-10, 171-pound defenseman, was selected 31st overall by the Colorado Avalanche in the 2023 NHL Draft.

The pick originally belonged to the Canadiens but ended up with Colorado as part of the Alex Newhook trade.

Would Gulyayev have been the Canadien' pick? It's uncertain, but it's clear that Montreal's management held him in high regard.

On June 27, 2023, the Canadiens sent the 31st overall pick (which became Gulyayev), the 37th overall pick (used for Ethan Gauthier), and Gianni Fairbrother to the Avalanche in exchange for Newhook.

We strongly recommend checking out the full RG Media article, but in short, it confirms that Gulyayev could make his NHL debut as soon as the end of this season, much like Ivan Demidov did when he joined the Canadiens a few months ago.

Source:
Habs Fanatics
Canadiens' Trade Could Come Back to Haunt Them as Avalanche Prospect Nears NHL Debut