The Avalanche added a defenseman. Meanwhile, one former Av got traded, another is injured, and a third might not have a team to play for when the season begins next week. Also, is Lane Hutson close to signing a contract extension?
All that and more on this edition of Deen’s Daily — October 4.
Colorado Hockey Now
The Avalanche made their annual waiver claim on Friday, adding defenseman Ilya Solovyov from the Calgary Flames. Solovyov is a towering left-shot blueline who gives Colorado a fourth blueliner that shoots left.
He’s slightly younger and might still have a lot of development to do.
READ MORE: Avalanche Claim Defenseman Ilya Solovyov Off Waivers
One former Av, Jack Johnson, was released from his PTO with the Minnesota Wild. Could this be the end of the road for his NHL career?
READ MORE: Jack Johnson Released From PTO With Minnesota
Later on Friday, Kurtis MacDermid was traded to the Ottawa Senators in exchange for Zack MacCewen. You have to imagine the Sens added him to take care of their Xhekaj problem. On a sidenote, the Avs got Zakhar Bardakov and the seventh round pick that turned into Christian Humphreys from New Jersey.
If you’re waiting to see how Calum Ritchie looks like in a full-time NHL role, you may need to wait longer. Ritchie was injured Thursday in a preseason game against the Flyers and will miss 1-2 weeks with a lower-body injury.
The once highly-touted prospect for Colorado was on track to crack the opening night roster with the Islanders.
Around The NHL
Montreal Hockey Now:Â The Habs are reportedly close to locking in Hutson on an extension. Will he settle for the same amount as Jackson LaCombe and Luke Hughes? If so, will he agree to eight years?
New Jersey Hockey Now: Speaking of defensemen, it’s a good thing the Devils got Hughes to training camp in time because they might be missing one of their key blueliners come opening night.
Florida Hockey Now: The new Amazon Docuseries is approaching and, as you’d probably expect, Matthew Tkachuk and Brad Marchand were center stage.
Pittsburgh Hockey Now: The Docuseries even followed Sidney Crosby. You better believe they couldn’t avoid talking about a possible move from Pittsburgh someday.
