Avalanche Trade Ben Meyers To Anaheim For Draft Pick
The Colorado Avalanche have traded forward Ben Meyers to the Anaheim Ducks for a 2024 fifth-round pick. Meyers, 25, is reunited with his former AHL coach Greg Cronin, who is in his first year as head coach of the Ducks.
Meyers was originally signed as an undrafted free agent out of the University of Minnesota in April 2022. He made it into five NHL games after joining the Avalanche organization, scoring his first goal in his debut against the Carolina Hurricanes.
He got an extended look with the Avalanche in 2022-23, playing in 39 games. During that span, Meyers recorded four goals while averaging 9:36 TOI. At the AHL level, he potted six goals and 24 points in 30 games for the Colorado Eagles.
Meyers was penciled in as the 4C for the Avalanche going into the summer. He did not make the team out of camp and was assigned to the Eagles. However, he was recalled in early January and played in nine games, recording a goal.
In 32 AHL games this season, Meyers has found the back of the net 11 times, including four game-winning goals. He also had 14 assists at the time of the trade.
With Colorado’s beefing up their bottom-six over the last couple of days, playing time at the NHL level would be hard to come by for Meyers, let alone anyone else from the Eagles.
Meyers will get an opportunity to carve out a much larger role playing under a coach that he is already familiar with.
As for the 2024 fifth-rounder, the Avalanche now have seven picks in this year’s draft: one first-rounder, one fourth-rounder, two fifth-rounders, one sixth-rounder, and two seventh-rounders.
We will see if the Avalanche are done making moves in advance of Friday’s deadline.
