Avalanche send veteran forward McLeod to Predators for prospect

Cody McLeod’s first NHL game in a uniform other than the burgundy and blue of the Colorado Avalanche will be Saturday, at the Pepsi Center, as a member of the visiting Nashville Predators.

The Avalanche dealt its longest-tenured player to Predators on Friday in exchange for forward prospect Felix Girard.

The 22-year-old Girard, who tallied eight points (3 goals/5 assists) in 35 games for the Milwaukee Admirals this season, will be assigned to the Avalanche’s American Hockey League affiliate, the San Antonio Rampage.

Girard was a fourth-round (95th overall) in the 2013 NHL Draft and is in his third professional season.

McLeod, 32, had spent his entire 10-year NHL career with the Avalanche, signing as a non-drafted free agent on July 6, 2006.

Through 28 games, McLeod amassed just one point, a goal, and 52 penalty minutes.

The forward is under contract through next season, with a cap hit of $1.33 million, and Colorado will retain 40 percent of his salary as part of the deal, according to the Denver Post.

Playing the role of enforcer, McLeod’s only franchise record consists of the most 100-penalty-minute seasons with eight.

Last season, McLeod became just the ninth player in franchise history to play in 600 contests and just the fourth to do so as an Avalanche player, joining Milan Hejduk (1,020), Joe Sakic (870), and Adam Foote (760).

The NHL trade deadline is set for Feb. 28.

Follow digital content producer Johnny Hart on Twitter: @johnnyhart7.