"The Avalanche signed a Swedish player, Joakim Lindstrom, to a one-year contract worth $600,000.

That in itself isn't major news. The more intriguing aspect of Lindstrom coming to Denver is a teammate he had with his last Swedish club.

That teammate, defenseman Adam Larsson , is expected to be among the top four players selected next week in the first round of the NHL draft. The Avs have the No. 2 pick overall.

If the Avs tipped their hand by signing Larsson's friend and teammate, they weren't saying Wednesday. The Avs issued a statement, with general manager Greg Sherman saying they were pleased to bring in a player who led the Swedish Elite League in scoring last season.

Lindstrom, 27, scored 28 goals and had 32 assists for Skelleftea and was an SEL all-star. He has NHL experience, most recently having played 44 games for the Phoenix Coyotes in 2008-09 and putting up nine goals and 20 points.

Lindstrom is considered a skilled playmaker, but he's not a big, physical presence at 6-foot and 185 pounds. He was drafted 41st overall by the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2002, but his career never got going with Columbus. He played only 34 games in parts of two seasons for Columbus, posting four goals and eight points."