Dufour has 18 points (eight goals, 10 assists) in 45 games with Bridgeport of the American Hockey League this season. The 23-year-old forward, who was selected by New York in the fifth round (No. 152) of the 2020 NHL Draft, has played in one NHL game (in 2022-23).
Ritchie scored one goal in seven NHL games this season and has 67 points (14 goals, 53 assists) in 41 games for Oshawa of the Ontario Hockey League. The 20-year-old was Colorado’s first-round pick (No. 27) in the 2023 NHL Draft.
Ritchie signed his three-year, entry-level contract with the Avalanche on July 8, 2024.
Kylington, 27, has four points (one goal, three assists) in 13 games this season, his first with Colorado after signing a one-year contract on Aug. 5.
Selected by the Calgary Flames in the second round (No. 60) of the 2015 NHL Draft, Kylington has 59 points (18 goals, 41 assists) in 214 regular-season games with the Flames and Avalanche, and three points (one goal, two assists) in 12 playoff games.
Colorado (37-24-2), which has won four in a row, is tied with the Minnesota Wild for third place in the Central Division.
New York (28-26-7) is four points behind the Ottawa Senators for the second wild card from the Eastern Conference.
“I think it means that they believe in in our group,” Bednar said about the price it took to get Nelson. “Now the responsibility, I guess, really doesn’t change. It’s on us to go and play well … and you have to be playing well enough that [management] thinks you can go beat whoever it is that we’re playing round one, two, three, four. So, you’re kind of comparing your team against everyone, especially in your conference, to start out, and thinking of some of the challenges, like whether we get in and we play Vegas, Dallas, Winnipeg, whoever it is. And there’s some challenges with all those teams. So, that’s why I think a guy like Brock can really help us down the stretch if we get a spot, and I think he can help us in the playoffs. He’s a really good player.”
Regarding the draft picks the Islanders received in the trade, if the first-round pick in the 2026 draft is transferred to the Philadelphia Flyers due to the terms of the trade for Sean Walker on March 6, 2024, or it is not transferred but falls in the top 10, then Colorado will send its first-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft to New York.
For the conditions of the third-round pick in the 2028 draft to be met, the Avalanche need to win the Stanley Cup this season and have Nelson play in at least 50 percent of their playoff games.
NHL.com independent correspondent Ryan Boulding contributed to this report.
