Leafs trade Kadri, Rosen to Avalanche for Barrie, Kerfoot

The Toronto Maple Leafs have acquired defenseman Tyson Barrie, forward Alex Kerfoot, and a 2020 sixth-round pick from the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for forward Nazem Kadri, defenseman Calle Rosen, and Toronto’s third-round selection in 2020, the team announced Monday.

Colorado will retain 50 percent of Barrie’s $5.5-million cap hit as part of the transaction.

Barrie, 27, is an elite skater and a valuable right-hand shot on the blue line. He recorded a career-high 59 points with Colorado last season.

Kerfoot, signed by the Avalanche ahead of the 2017-18 campaign, has tallied 85 points in 157 pro contests. The 24-year-old center is a restricted free agent and in need of a new deal.

Kadri, who has played all nine seasons of his career with Toronto, saw his production drop last season after being pushed down the Leafs' depth chart following the addition of John Tavares, but still contributed 44 points in 73 games. The 28-year-old has three years remaining on his current contract with an annual cap hit of $4.5 million.

Rosen spent the majority of last season with the Toronto Marlies of the AHL and recorded 46 points in 54 games.

The Maple Leafs currently have $11 million in projected cap space, according to CapFriendly, but still need to sign Kerfoot and defenseman Cody Ceci, who was acquired in a trade with the Ottawa Senators. Restricted free agent Mitch Marner is also in need of a new deal.

It's been a busy day for Avalanche general manager Joe Sakic, who also inked forwards Colin Wilson, Joonas Donskoi, and Pierre-Edouard Bellemare to new contracts.

The Avalanche have $27.1 million in projected cap space but Mikko Rantanen, J.T. Compher, defenseman Nikita Zadorov, and newly acquired forward Andre Burakovsky are all restricted free agents in need of new deals.