Bowen Byram, J.T. Compher and Cale Makar were on the ice Wednesday and are “possibilities… for Thursday’s game against the Minnesota Wild at Ball Arena, coach Jared Bednar said during an optional practice.
“I should know later today if they’re available tomorrow or not, or I should know after this skate, but they’re all on the ice right now,… Bednar said.
Byram has missed nine games, Makar 10 and Compher six, all with upper-body injuries.
Here’s my NHL.com RECAP of Tuesday’s 8-4 win against Anaheim.
In a move that suggests a defenseman will be available, Dan Renouf was placed on waivers. It gives the Avalanche the option of assigning him to the taxi squad or Colorado Eagles if he clears.
“It helps clear cap space to be able to activate guys,… Bednar said. “We haven’t sent Renouf down. We put him on waivers, but we haven’t sent him down or put him on the taxi squad or done any of that at this point.…
Renouf was playing pretty well as a replacement until Tuesday when he was minus-3 in the Avalanche’s 8-4 win against the Anaheim Ducks while logging 13:36 in ice time. He has three assists in 10 games.
The same can’t be said for backup goalie Hunter Miska, who allowed four goals on seven shots against the Ducks and was pulled after the first period.
Philipp Grubauer, who started 22 of the first 26 games, was scheduled to get a much-needed game off but played the last two periods, stopped all 15 shots he faced and picked up his 16th win as the Avalanche erased a 4-2 first-period deficit with six straight goals.
The Avalanche can't count on Miska anymore; he's gone 1-1-2 in five games with a 4.16 goals-against average and .838 save percentage as Pavel Francouz remains out long term with a lower-body injury.
No doubt general manager Joe Sakic has been on the phone looking to acquire a reliable backup as the Avalanche reach the halfway mark in the season on Thursday. Grubauer, who is having a Vezina Trophy-type season can’t play every game. He's also missed significant time the past two seasons with injuries.
Bednar said he spoke with Miska on Wednesday, and it isn’t his style to throw anyone under the bus.
“He could’ve pitched a shutout last night and saved 50 shots and I wouldn’t be ready to say, yeah, this guy’s one piece of our NHL tandem for the next five years,… Bednar said. “That’s not how I operate. He had a tough night, he’s had a couple tough nights. He’s a young guy and goalies take a long time to develop. I love his attitude, I love his work ethic, he’s a great teammate, he wants to get better, he’s willing to learn, he wants to put the time in, and it takes time for goaltenders.
“He (hadn’t) played since February (of last year), so I wasn’t expecting miracles out of this guy. It’s not an ideal situation. I don’t know that he’s ready to be an NHL backup at this point, but he’s been a good option for us. I just want him to keep working and trying to get better.
“We’re not going to indict him on a couple bad games nor are we willing to sign him to a five-year deal if he had pitched a shutout. It’s just not the way we operate. It’s constant evaluation and I just wanted him to keep his head up, not worry about it, put that behind him, learn from it and get ready for his next start, whenever that is.…