 On February 14, 2013, in a 4–3 shootout victory over the Minnesota Wild, Parenteau appeared in his 200th career NHL game.In participating in every game for the Avalanche that season, he recorded a career-best points-per-game average to lead the team with 18 goals and co-lead, alongside linemate Matt Duchene, with 43 points.On June 30, 2014, Parenteau was traded, along with a fifth-round draft pick in 2015, to the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for Daniel Brière.