Avalanche Give Young Forward Another Chance Ahead of Flames Game
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The Colorado Avalanche are making another change to the lineup ahead of the Halloween match against the Calgary Flames. A young forward is getting another opportunity to show off at the NHL level.
Gavin Brindley has been recalled from the Colorado Eagles and is expected to take the ice against the Flames at Ball Arena.
The move came as Logan O’Connor is unavailable on Saturday while attending a memorial service for his father, Myles O’Connor who passed away very unexpectedly earlier this month.
Head coach Jared Bednar confirmed that O’Connor would not be playing Saturday, as expected.
While the circumstances surrounding O’Connor are very personal and unfortunate, the lineup change is giving Brindley another opportunity to contribute to Colorado.
Gavin Brindley Gets Another Opportunity
O’Connor had to miss some time earlier in the season due to a lower-body injury. That allowed Brindley a chance to come up and play with the NHL roster.
Brindley was reasssigned to the Colorado Eagles on October 22 when O’Connor was ready to join the team again.
Now just a little over a week later, Brindley will get the chance to take the ice again.
The 22-year-old forward has had success at the American Hockey League level. He has recorded nine points in eight games with the Eagles, which includes two goals and seven assists.
Four of those points came after he spent some time with the NHL team.
That’s encouraging production. Brindley is doing a good job of establishing himself as someone the Avalanche can count on when they need him.
He got limited minutes with his last call up, averaging just eight minutes per game. He did record an assist during his four games.
While the NHL performance wasn’t head-turning, his continued success at the AHL suggests that he has more he can offer the team.
For Saturday’s game, Brindley is projected to skate alongside Parker Kelly and Fedor Svechkov on the fourth line.
It likely won’t come with a lot of offensive opportunities, but should that chance occur, Brindley needs to demonstrate to Bednar that he is capable.
As he is trying to work his way up to being a regular in Denver, these opportunities matter.
Avalanche Continue To Work Through Lineup Adjustments
There has been no indication that O’Connor will miss any future games, but he’s not the only Avalanche player missing.
Colorado will be without their veteran defenseman Josh Manson as well. He suffered an ankle injury that will keep him sidelined for about eight weeks according to Bednar.
This will give Noah Juulsen an extended opportunity to work his way into a more regular defensive role.
Colorado has had to continuously adjust the forward combinations since the beginning of the season. Just when Bednar thought he was getting his team back to 100%, the Manson injury was a huge blow.
Saturday is an opportunity for the Avalanche to gain some more momentum toward getting their season on track. Bednar has not been pleased with his team’s effort, seeing it as very inconsistent early in the season.
Puck drop for the Avalanche vs. Flames game on Saturday evening is scheduled for 8:10 p.m. Mountain Time at Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado.
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Laura Lambert resides in Wiggins, Colo. with her husband, Ricky and two sons, Brayden and Boedy. She attended the University of Northern Colorado while studying economics. She is an accomplished rodeo athlete and barrel horse trainer along with being a life-long sports fan. Over the years, Laura has been active in journalism in a variety of roles. While continuing to cover western sports and country music, she is currently enjoying expanding her reach into multiple sports including MLB, NHL, NCAA and WNBA. Laura covers the Miami Marlins, Houston Astros, Texas Rangers, Detroit Tigers, Colorado Rockies, Toronto Blue Jays, Colorado Avalanche and Rodeo for On SI. You can reach her at lauralambertmedia@gmail.com