Ducks trade Manson to Avalanche for Helleson, pick

The Anaheim Ducks traded defenseman Josh Manson to the Colorado Avalanche for prospect Drew Helleson and a 2023 second-round pick, the team announced Monday.

Anaheim is retaining 50% of Manson's $4.1-million cap hit, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reports. The 30-year-old is a pending unrestricted free agent.

Manson shoots right and stands at 6-foot-3, 218 pounds. He doesn't produce much offensively, as he's recorded just nine points in 45 games this season. However, he's extremely physical (116 hits) and has logged top-four minutes (19:45 ATOI). The underlying metrics are poor, though.

Colorado is banged-up on the back end, as Sam Girard and Bowen Byram are currently out. Girard is projected to miss a month, while Byram hasn't played since Jan. 10 and his return is unknown. When healthy, Colorado's defense projects as follows:

Helleson, meanwhile, was the Avs' second-round pick in 2019. The 6-foot-2, right-handed defenseman has tallied 25 points in 32 games at Boston College this season. He represented the United States at the 2021 world juniors and the 2022 Olympics.