Various sites have officially posted the trade. Here's some excerpts from around the web:
"We are acquiring a top-six forward who is only 26 years old," Avalanche general manager Greg Sherman said in a release. "His addition will bolster our lineup immediately."
Fleischmann is coming off his best season in the NHL; he totaled 23 goals and 51 points along with a plus-9 rating in 69 games with Washington last season. Fleischmann had four goals and 10 points in 23 games with the Caps this season, but had been struggling of late. A healthy scratch twice this season, Fleischmann supplied the game-winning overtime goal on Oct. 23 against Atlanta and scored his 60th – and final – goal as a member of the Capitals on Nov. 3 against Toronto.
The move makes sense considering Washington's need for some help on the blue line and their surplus of depth at forward. The team hoped that Fleischmann would emerge as the second-line center, but it hasn't really happened.