The axe falls: Colorado Avalanche announce the next wave of roster cuts

Following Tuesday night’s ugly loss to the Vegas Golden Knights, the Colorado Avalanche announced the next wave of training camp cuts. The following players have been reassigned to the Colorado Eagles of the AHL:

Jack Ahcan

Matthew Phillips

Calle Rosen

Sean Behrens

Jean-Luc Foudy

Jere Innala

Jayson Megna

Trent Miner

Jason Polin

Matthew Steinburg

The cuts don’t come as much of a surprise considering that these players were basically long shots to make the team. Nevertheless, two names were mild surprises.

First, Innala had the Avs’ lone goal against the Golden Knights. He showed potential in camp but was destined for the Eagles as there is no real roster spot for him.

Second, Calle Rosen looked like a potential seventh or eighth defenseman. But it seems Tuesday night’s game sealed his fate. Rosen should be among call-ups in case of injury.

Now, let’s focus on some interesting notes following the next wave of cuts:

Key notes about the Colorado Avalanche’s next round of roster cuts

Calum Ritchie still on the team

While I wasn’t expecting Ritchie to get cut, I figured the Colorado Avalanche would do it now if they didn’t plan to keep him on the opening night roster. Keeping Ritchie on the roster up to this point signals that the Avs may be thinking about giving him a real shot once the season opens.

Bellemare survives this round

Pierre-Edouard Bellemare was likely to make the team, even though he joined the club on a PTO. Bellemare figured to be, at worst, the 13th forward. However, he has shown he can still play at 39.

Now, where Bellemare actually fits into the lineup is a different question. My guess is that he slots in as the fourth-line center, moving Parker Kelly and Chris Wagner to the wings. That checking line looks good on paper. As such, it seems the real roster battle will go down for the 13th and 14th forward spots.

The goaltending tandem is set

Trent Miner’s assignment to the AHL is no surprise. If anything, it merely confirms what we knew all along. The tandem will be Alexandar Georgiev and Justus Annunen to start the season.

Now, if Georgiev struggles similarly to the game against the Golden Knights, there’s little chance the Avs will delay in giving Annunen control of the crease. At this point, Annunen has the best shot of his career to earn the starting role.

Ivan has a shot at making the team

Ivan Ivan has had a strong showing this preseason. He survived this round of cuts, meaning he could have a realistic shot at making the team.

Though still 22, Ivan had a strong season with the Eagles last year. Another season of regular playing time in the NHL could certainly help his development. However, keeping him on the club, particularly in the bottom six, could provide Ivan and the Avs plenty of flexibility moving forward.

The likeliest scenario is that Ivan goes back to the AHL. But by the look of things, he could be a roster surprise this season.