Juuso Parssinen is latest reclamation project for Avalanche as they seek consistent forward depth

The Colorado Avalanche School for Wayward Hockey Players has enrolled a new student.

Colorado traded a third-round pick in 2027 and Ondrej Pavel to the Nashville Predators on Saturday for Juuso Parssinen and a seventh-round pick in 2026. Parssinen, 23, had two goals and five points for the Predators this season.

“He’s had a tough year,” Avs coach Jared Bednar said. “Yeah, hasn’t played well this year, the team hasn’t played well. He hasn’t played a lot. I’d say last year he was just OK. But, you look at the player and some of his abilities, his size, ability to play center and wing.

“He comes to the NHL in 2022 and you watch his games and he was phenomenal. Showed a lot of promise. Looks like he’s playing without confidence right now. It wasn’t a big role. Our goal is get him back to playing like he was two years ago. That’s the start, and then he’s going to have to improve from there.”

Parssinen was a seventh-round pick in 2019 by Nashville. He was a revelation during the 2022-23 season, collecting six goals and 25 points in 45 games as a rookie with no prior experience in North America.

Listed at 6-foot-3 and 214 pounds, Parssinen had eight goals in 44 NHL games last year, but only 12 points. And he’s been shifted in and out of the lineup this season for the Predators, who had huge hopes after a splashy offseason but are languishing near the bottom of the league standings.

“He’s a young player. I think there’s still a lot of room for growth,” Bednar said. “We saw what he could do in the NHL on a really good team (two years ago) … so getting him back to that spot is our task. It’s going to take a lot of work from him and our coaching staff.

“We’ll try to get him back to where he can help our team on a consistent basis.”

A third-round pick, even three drafts into the future, is not a cheap price to pay for a depth forward. But, Parssinen is under team control beyond this season (he can be a restricted free agent in July) and the Avs are desperate to round out their forward group with more consistent play.

Parssinen will become the 23rd forward the Avs have played in at least one game this season, and the 38th player overall, in just 38 games. A big part of that has been injuries, but it also underscores how fluid the bottom of the NHL depth chart has been for the club up front.

Eight forwards have played for the Avs and spent time in the AHL. Rookie Ivan Ivan has played in every game to this point but is now out week-to-week with an upper-body injury. Parssinen will get a chance to secure an everyday role with the Avs.

“I feel like I’m a reliable two-way player,” Parssinen said. “I can wing or center. I’m good with the puck, good at protecting it, good on the boards.

“I think this an unbelievable group. This is a team that can go really far. I’m just excited to get going and get to know all the guys even more. It’s a great city to play in, and always a tough place to play as a road team.”

One reason the Avs believe they can help Parssinen regain his 2022-23 form is their body of work with other players who had struggled at previous stops. Another is the environment Parssinen is being dropped into.