The Avalanche also acquired goaltender Michael Hutchinson from the Toronto Maple Leafs in a trade for defenseman Calle Rosen.
Namestnikov is in the final season of a two-year contract he signed with the New York Rangers on July 1, 2018 and can become an unrestricted free agent after the season. The 27-year-old forward, who was acquired by Ottawa in a trade with New York on Oct. 7, 2019, has 25 points (13 goals, 12 assists) in 56 games this season.
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"Today was a good day in advancing the plan that we have for the rebuild," Ottawa general manager Pierre Dorion said. "I think if you sum up the day, you look at the sum of the draft picks that we got. I think it was important for us to do that."
Selected by the Tampa Bay Lightning with the No. 27 pick in the 2011 NHL Draft, Namestnikov has 183 points (79 goals, 104 assists) in 416 regular-season games and four points (one goal, there assists) in 29 Stanley Cup Playoff games.
Hutchinson was sent back to Toronto of the American Hockey League after the Maple Leafs acquired goalie Jack Campbell in a trade with the Los Angeles Kings on Feb. 5. Hutchinson was 4-9-1 with a 3.66 goals-against average and an .886 save percentage with the Maple Leafs this season, and is 50-52-14 with a 2.81 goals-against average, .905 save percentage and five shutouts in 126 NHL games with the Maple Leafs, Florida Panthers and Winnipeg Jets.
Rosen had two assists in eight games with the Avalanche this season and 15 points (three goals, 12 assists) in 35 games with Colorado of the AHL.
"We wanted to do right by Michael Hutchinson and get him into a good situation," Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas said. "When they were willing to put Rosen into the deal for our depth purposes and in knowing what he can bring and how far he came with us in the previous two seasons, we were excited to get him back."
