The Colorado Avalanche made two additional waiver moves on Sunday afternoon. They have placed both Jack Ahcan and Keaton Middleton on waivers for reassignment. For now, the opening night roster appears to be set unless the Avalanche make any dramatic moves before tomorrow. There will be some questions on the back end for the Avalanche. Who will stay, and who will go? The recent pickup of Ilya Solovyov could complicate things for the seventh defenseman slot on the roster.

Waivers

The move to place Ahcan and Middleton on waivers was not that shocking. Ahcan was a top performer on the blue line for the Avalanche during the preseason. He will be on the top pair for the Colorado Eagles if he makes it past the next 24 hours. But the preseason performance will probably put him at the top of the call-up list for the Avalanche. Middleton could be a move to make the roster more flexible. Assuming that he clears, this will give the Avalanche 10 games or 30 days before they have to waive him again.

The rookies

The players to watch throughout camp were Zakhar Bardakov and Gavin Brindley. It was questionable whether both were going to be on the opening night roster, and that question appears to be answered. Bardakov had only one goal during the preseason but proved himself in other ways. He is effective on the penalty kill and can play a physical game on the fourth line. Brindley walked away with three goals; two were in the first game against Utah. He became a pleasant surprise to watch. Showing fans he plays a two-way game and can put the puck in the back of the net.

SOIR could be long

The season-opening injured-reserve (SOIR) could have a few players on it to start the year. Mackenzie Blackwood has been a hot topic. This will force Scott Wedgewood to take the starting role for a while. Logan O’Connor is ahead of schedule for his hip recovery and may not be out longer than a month. During a preseason game, Nikita Prishchepov sustained an injury, and he might need to start on the Avalanche injured-reserve. The defensive list is extensive, including Jacob MacDonald, Sean Behrens, and Ronnie Attard.

The roster is about exactly what we expected at Hockey Mountain High. The Avalanche and the Eagles have gotten bigger and kept their offensive skill. This team will only get better once they add Blackwood and O’Connor back into the lineup regularly. Not to mention the addition of Gabriel Landeskog for the first time in three seasons. Other than defense (because of injuries), this team is something to look out for right now.