Here are all the small things the Colorado Avalanche did on Wednesday
Jul 13, 2022, 5:26 PM | Updated: 7:12 pm
The Colorado Avalanche had an extremely eventful Wednesday.
It was the first day of NHL free agency, and the team made a plethora of moves. The headline grabbers were re-signing Artturi Lehkonen, Josh Manson and Darren Helm, along with losing Andre Burakovsky and Darcy Kuemper. Nazem Kadri currently remains on the market.
But the Avs also made plenty of smaller moves throughout the day to help potentially fill out their NHL team and minor league rosters. Here’s a quick recap, with notes provided by the team:
Signed forward Charles Hudo
– Hudon, 28, appeared in 66 games with the Syracuse Crunch during the 2021-22, recording 57 points (30g/27a). Selected by the Montreal Canadiens in the fifth round (122nd overall) of the 2012 NHL Draft, Hudon has produced 41 points (14g/27a) in 125 career NHL contests, all with Montreal.
Signed defenseman Andreas Englund
– Englund, 26, appeared in 57 games with the Colorado Eagles during the 2021-22, recording 12 points (2g/10a). Selected by the Ottawa Senators in the second round (40th overall) of the 2014 NHL Draft, Englund has produced three points (0g/3a) in 33 career NHL contests, all with Ottawa. He has also skated in 285 career AHL games with the Belleville/Binghamton Senators and Eagles, collecting 46 points (9g/37a).
Signed goaltender Jonas Johansson
– Johansson, 26, began the 2021-22 campaign with the Avalanche, posting a 3-2-1 record, 3.73 goals-against average and .885 save percentage in nine outings before being claimed by the Florida Panthers off waivers on Dec. 13, 2021. He appeared in two contests for Florida and one game with the Panthers’ AHL affiliate, the Charlotte Checkers.
Signed defenseman Josh Jacobs
– Jacobs, 26, recorded 15 points (4g/11a) in 51 games for the Chicago Wolves this past season and was tied for second among team defensemen with a +14 rating. He added two points (1g/1a) and was +11 in 18 postseason contests to help the Wolves capture the Calder Cup. Selected by the New Jersey Devils in the second round (41st overall) of the 2014 NHL Draft, Jacobs has played in three NHL contests with the Devils.
Signed forward Spencer Smallman
– Smallman, 25, recorded 27 points (10g/17a) in 65 games for the American Hockey League’s Chicago Wolves this past season. He added six points (2/4a) in 18 postseason games to help the Wolves win the Calder Cup as league champions. Selected by the Carolina Hurricanes in the fifth round (138th overall) of the 2015 NHL Draft, Smallman has collected 48 points (13g/35a) in 130 career AHL contests, all with Carolina’s affiliates, the Charlotte Checkers and Chicago.
Will any of these guys be on the Avalanche’s Opening Night roster come October? Maybe, maybe not. But they’re all depth signings that could impact the team down the road. And as we know from the 2022 Stanley Cup run, every man on the team is important at some point.
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