Drury, a 26-year-old center and pending RFA, had 10 goals and 27 points in 82 games in 2025-26. Greg Fiume / Getty ImagesJune 24, 2026 Updated 5:53 pm EDTJoe Sakic and his former general manager, Chris MacFarland, have made their second trade in eight days.The Colorado Avalanche traded Jack Drury, Chase Bradley and a 2029 third-round pick to the Nashville Predators in exchange for Zachary L’Heureux and Fedor Svechkov, the teams announced Wednesday.“Jack Drury is a hard-working, reliable, full-sheet of the ice center who can handle the tough assignments while being elite in the face-off circle,” MacFarland said in a statement. “His addition to our forward group bolsters our depth in the middle of the ice, and we’re thrilled to have him on our roster. We’re also excited to add Chase Bradley – another young forward who’s had some NHL experience – to our overall organizational depth at forward.”
Both teams connected on the Ross Colton trade on June 16. MacFarland was named GM and president of hockey operations in Nashville on June 2 after spending the last 11 years in the Avs organization, the last four as GM, after Sakic relinquished the GM title to him after the 2022 Stanley Cup championship and moved up to president of hockey operations. Sakic is now GM again and plans to do so full-time moving forward (not on an interim basis). MacFarland had one year left on his contract as Colorado GM, but the Avalanche didn’t stand in his way of a bigger opportunity in Nashville, where he would run the entire organization.Since then, Sakic and MacFarland have connected twice on deals.Drury is RFA on July 1 and is due for a raise on his $1.725 million salary from his expiring deal. The Avs have a salary cap crunch and Drury could slot in as Nashville’s third-line center. The 26-year-old center had 10 goals and 27 points in 82 games in 2025-26.The veteran Avs got younger with the additions of 23-year-old bottom-six forwards L’Heureux ($875,000) and Svechkov ($1.25 million), who are signed through the next two seasons at bargain cap numbers.Bradley, 24, spent most of this past season in the AHL, appearing in only two games with the Avalanche at the NHL level. He’s a restricted free agent.
