Avalanche Keep Rookie Hughes for Opener; Injuries Hold Up Final Roster Cuts
The short version
- Colorado assigned 12 players out Sunday, including six on waivers, ahead of Monday's 3 p.m. MT roster deadline.
- Rookie T.J. Hughes, 24, made the opening-night roster and will skate on the first power-play unit.
- Logan O'Connor and Zachary L'Heureux are day-to-day with minor camp injuries and missed the second set of preseason games.
- The Avalanche are leaning toward carrying 22 skaters so L'Heureux can stay without going through waivers.
- Injured Trent Miner, Taylor Makar and Georgii Merkulov remain among the 25 players currently listed.
Colorado cut 12 players Sunday, but injuries to Miner, Makar, O'Connor and L'Heureux left the roster unsettled as rookie T.J. Hughes made the team.
The Colorado Avalanche edged toward a completed roster Sunday, dropping 12 players from camp and putting six of them on waivers. Jared Bednar had said last week that he wanted the squad set in time for Sunday's practice, which followed the second pair of preseason back-to-backs. A series of health issues is all that keeps the process open.
In goal, Trent Miner continues to hold an NHL spot because he is injured. The 25-year-old has not taken part in a complete team skate since camp opened, and once healthy he is not expected to stay with the NHL club.
Taylor Makar was hurt in Saturday's exhibition finale and remains on the roster as a result. Bednar described him as in good shape and nearing a return, and Georgii Merkulov is being held back by an injury of his own.
Bednar also confirmed Sunday that minor camp injuries have left Logan O'Connor and Zachary L'Heureux day-to-day. Both forwards sat out the latest two-game exhibition set, and Bednar said he would have a better idea about their status for the season opener.
T.J. Hughes generated the camp's most talked-about storyline. Bednar confirmed Sunday that the 24-year-old rookie has clinched a place in the lineup for the season opener after two weeks of work that won over the coaching staff. He is also set to run with the first power-play unit next to Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, Martin Necas and Gabe Landeskog.
Although Hughes could be reassigned without exposure to waivers, his play has pushed the organization away from its initial blueprint. General manager Joe Sakic had said he hoped to open with 21 skaters — 12 forwards, seven defensemen and two goaltenders — to bank cap space during the season while keeping everyone on a one-way contract, a group featuring newcomers Jaden Schwartz, Fedor Svechkov, Noah Juulsen and L'Heureux.
Instead of removing a waiver-exempt player from the mix, Colorado appears ready to begin the season with 22 skaters, an approach that would retain L'Heureux rather than risk losing him on waivers. Bednar acknowledged Sunday the team was trending that way.
The roster currently holds 25 names, though the figure is padded by the injured Miner, Makar and Merkulov, presumably the three outside the primary group. Final rosters must be filed with the league by 3 p.m. Mountain Time on Monday.
If everyone expected to be ready is available, the opening-night alignment could feature Artturi Lehkonen with MacKinnon and Necas; Landeskog with Brock Nelson and Nicolas Roy; Schwartz with Nazem Kadri and Hughes; and Parker Kelly with Svechkov and O'Connor, plus L'Heureux as the extra forward. The defense would pair Devon Toews with Cale Makar, Brett Kulak with Sam Malinski and Josh Manson with Brent Burns, with Mackenzie Blackwood and Scott Wedgewood handling goaltending. Nothing is locked in, and the combinations can still shift.
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