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Morning Flurries: Colorado Avalanche host Fan Fest Practice

and we had some roster cuts yesterday

By HardevLad
NHL: Preseason-Minnesota Wild at Colorado Avalanche
Sep 22, 2019; Denver, CO, USA; Colorado Avalanche fan Liam Middleton enjoys his first hockey game before the start against the Minnesota Wild at Pepsi Center.
Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

The Avs

Yesterday, the Colorado Avalanche opened their doors for their annual Fan Fest at Pepsi Center. There were giveaways, signings, speeches, and shootouts! Sounded like loads of fun. Here are some of the highlights.

Tyson Jost is Ready t’ Rock!

Shoot your shot!

Eat your veggies, kids!

Incoming transmission!

I told you so, the boys signed everything!

The Roster

On the team side, there were eight cuts to the roster ahead of Friday. Seven went to the AHL to play for the Colorado Eagles (two on waivers), while fourth overall pick Bowen Byram headed back to the Vancouver Giants for his Draft+1 season.

They may have pulled off a resounding win over their conference opponents, but 2019 fourth overall pick Bowen Byram struggled a bit with puck protection and physical play against the bigger NHL competition during preseason action. So it’s not a huge surprise to see that he was a part of the cuts made on Thursday morning; he’ll be heading back to the Vancouver Giants of the WHL, where he aims to win a Memorial Cup this year before challenging for an NHL roster spot this coming year instead.

Scott wrote an interesting piece on Nicolas Meloche and where he stands within the organization. He was drafted high, but it’s been four years after the team took him in the second round. What’s going on?

For an athlete, it all boils down to where they stand on a depth chart. It doesn’t matter where you played juniors or how high of a draft pick you were, it matters where you are on that team’s organizational roster ranking. It’s a dog-eat-dog world on the depth chart. For an athlete to get to where they want to be, they have to scratch and claw their up it, or risk losing it all to a superior being. Survival of the fittest. Depth chart Darwinism.

The League

There was a trade in the OHL yesterday — problem child Ryan Merkley is heading over to the London Knights from the Peterborough Petes after being told he could not attend their training camp. Despite his skill, teams around the OHL were very adverse to taking Merkley on, Merkley had 14 goals and 71 points last year, with a 52% GF% at even strength in the OHL.

The NWHL Metro Riveters have released their new logo for this season! Thoughts?

And the Vancouver Canucks have started The Botchford Project in honour of the late Jason Botchford. Details in the link below. #RIPBotch