Avalanche Acquire Johnson, McClement from Blues for Stewart, Shattenkirk

The Colorado Avalanche announced on Saturday that they have acquired defenseman Erik Johnson, center Jay McClement, and a conditional first round draft pick in 2011 or 2012 in exchange for right wing Chris Stewart, defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk, and a conditional second round draft pick in 2011 or 2012. If St. Louis finishes among the bottom 10 teams in the league this season, they will send Colorado their first round pick in 2012 and Colorado will send them their second round pick in 2012. If St. Louis does not finish in the bottom 10 teams this season, Colorado will get the Blues' first round pick in 2011 and St. Louis will get Colorado's second round pick in 2011. Johnson, McClement, and Stewart all have one year left on their remaining contracts, while Shattenkirk still has two years left on his entry-level deal. In 56 games this season with the Blues, Johnson has five goals and 14 assists for 19 points, while McClement has six goals and 10 assists for 16 points in 57 games. Stewart, who missed 21 games this season with a broken hand, has 15 goals and 17 assists for 32 points, while Shattenkirk has seven goals and 20 assists for 27 points in 47 games. Quite an interesting trade for Colorado and St. Louis, as I figured both teams would continue to rebuild around the players they traded. For the Avalanche, they get a very talented defenseman in Johnson who has the potential to anchor their blueline for years to come. He has a good shot, lots of size, and plenty of all-around defensive upside. In McClement, the Avalanche get a decent defensive forward who is good on the faceoff, and with his addition, are now very solid up the middle (Paul Stastny, Matt Duchene, Ryan O'Reilly, and McClement). The Blues land an offensively skilled forward in Stewart who can play a physical game and has the poential to become a power forward in the league. Shattenkirk brings lots of offensive skill to the blueline, especially on the power play, and gives the team a decent prospect defenseman to replace Johnson. In the end, the Blues look to be winners in this trade, given the all-around skill they've added to their team in Stewart and Shattenkirk.