The Colorado Avalanche trimmed their training camp roster by five on Monday. The team announced that Oskar Olausson, Chase Bradley, Tye Felhaber, and Nikita Prischepov have been reassigned to the Colorado Eagles of the AHL. Jacob MacDonald was placed on waivers with the intention of signing back to the Eagles.
The aforementioned group will now take part in the Eagles’ training camp ahead of the AHL season opening.
The only mild surprise from these cuts was MacDonald. MacDonald figured to be in the mix for a roster spot, potentially as the seventh or eighth defenseman. But then again, the Avs’ coaching staff most likely felt that MacDonald would benefit more from having regular playing time at the AHL than sitting in the press box.
Meanwhile, the other four players are still prospects, meaning they would also benefit from more seasoning at the AHL level.
In total, 40 players remain on the Colorado Avalanche’s NHL training camp roster. With roughly ten days before the start of the NHL season, it remains to be seen who will go in the next round of cuts. Prospects such as Ivan Ivan, Sean Behrens, Jean-Luc Foudy, and Calum Ritchie figure to be among the last players to be sent down.
Ritchie, in particular, would most likely go back to the OHL. But as I’ve stated earlier, there’s an outside chance the Avalanche give Ritchie a nine-game NHL stint to see what he can do in real game action.
Other Colorado Avalanche training camp notes
Bellemare still on the roster
One of the most interesting names on the Avs’ training camp roster is Pierre-Edouard Bellemare. Bellemare signed with the Avs this offseason on a Professional Tryout (PTO), hoping to rekindle some success from years ago.
Thus far, Bellemare has looked serviceable. He could certainly fill a void in the bottom six, specifically on the fourth line.
Bellemare should sign for no more than league minimum considering the Avs’ current cap situation.
Then, there were three... netminders in camp
Trent Miner remains on the training camp roster in addition to starter Alexandar Georgiev and presumptive backup Justus Annunen. Annunen had a bit of a tough start in the Avs’ last game against the Utah Hockey Club.
So, there’s a good chance that Miner could get the next start with Annunen backing him up. If Miner shines, his performance could make it interesting for the Avs‘ coaching staff. While it’s unlikely that Miner beats Annunen out for the backup role, the Avs may feel comfortable with an Annunen-Miner tandem at some point.
Of course, there’s no indication that would be the case. It is, nonetheless, an intriguing possibility considering that Georgiev is in the final year of his contract.