The Colorado Avalanche make a lot of trades, but it???s safe to say nobody saw this one coming.

On Monday, the Avs shipped top prospect Noel Gunler to the Dallas Stars in exchange for star defenceman Charlie McAvoy and the 56th overall pick in the second round of this year???s draft. Colorado also moves up from 33rd to 30th in the draft as part of the deal.

McAvoy, 24, is a #1 defender with elite shutdown ability and solid offensive skill signed for one more year at the bargain rate of $1.6 million.

But it???s still a surprise to many that the rebuilding Avs would part with Gunler, the 20-year-old right winger they drafted 10th overall in 2020, who already has 114 NHL games under his belt. The young Swede is a stud first liner in the making who can snipe with the best of them and create offence in other ways, and is also solid defensively.

Gunler was also the first player drafted by GM Josh Lewis after he was hired. He posted 13 goals and 29 points in his first full season last year.

???It???s tough to part with Noel, no doubt about it. But if you want an elite young defenceman, you gotta pony up.??? he said. ???Between young guys already on the roster and some other high-end prospects - not to mention the 1st and 8th overall picks this summer - we have lots of options to fill the wing spots in our top six with high-octane offence.???

Mitch Marner and Janne Kuokkanen are the current right wingers on the top two lines, while Alex Nylander, Kailer Yamamoto and Nolan Patrick can all play the right side as well.

In McAvoy, Colorado gets a true top-of-the-lineup blueliner who will form a potent top three alongside Owen Power and Duncan Siemens. McAvoy???s big drawback is his lack of physicality, but the Avs feel they have that covered between several other d-men on the roster and some high-end defence prospects.

???McAvoy???s a cornerstone that we???ll build around. We do hope he???ll help us return to respectability in the near future, but this guy is also here for the long haul,??? the GM said. ???You can pencil him onto the #1 PK and PP units as well as the top pair at even strength. He has excellent endurance - he can handle it.???

He was a big part of the Stars??? Stanley Cup championship team this year. After posting 18 points in 63 regular season games, McAvoy really amped up his contributions in the playoffs with 15 points in 25 contests.

Colorado also gets some futures in the deal, hedging their bets somewhat as they continue to rebuild. They now have three first round picks and two seconds as part of a massive list of 18 picks in this year???s draft.

???You can???t overstate how huge this draft is going to be for our franchise,??? Lewis said. ???These picks will deliver some real high-end talent to add to our core and some solid prospects later on to either develop or use as future trade chips to improve the roster.???