On Thursday, the Colorado Avalanche hit the links for their annual Charity Golf Classic. They may have seemed a bit chipper whilst chipping, having moved to 5-0 during the preseason on the back of their second-straight shutout the night prior. Soon after the scorecards were all filled out, however, they got back to work.
The Avalanche announced their latest series of transactions Thursday afternoon, sending defensemen Chris Bigras and Anton Lindholm, as well as forward J.T. Compher, to the San Antonio Rampage.
Bigras’ demotion comes as somewhat of a surprise, as he played well after being called up last season, continuing that strong, smart play throughout rookie camp, training camp and (for the most part) the preseason. His reassignment likely bodes well for Nikita Zadorov and Duncan Siemens, though one of them could still be sent down, should the Avalanche break with the norm (under Patrick Roy, at least) and keep only seven defensemen.
Though not as much as Bigras, Compher’s demotion also comes as somewhat of a surprise. He is one of the Avalanche’s top prospects, and many have speculated that he could crack the roster, despite having never played a professional game. He was indeed given every chance to make the roster, being utilized in virtually every situation imaginable, but likely could benefit from a little more seasoning.
With Lindholm, the surprise was that he stuck around this long. Perhaps the most impressive defenseman in the preseason, his high hockey IQ has helped him adjust to the smaller North American ice. Though he did not make the team out of camp, he definitely left an impression and has likely worked himself into the call-up conversation should the injury bug bite the blueline.
With the trio having been assigned to San Antonio. The Avalanche roster (which can be viewed here) now stands at 27 players. Four more players must be reassigned for the team to reach their regular season roster limit.
