Bo Byram sent back to junior by Avalanche

Well, we’re gonna have to wait a while for Bo Byram to play his first official game with the Colorado Avalanche.

Byram, 18, was sent back to Vancouver of the WHL and is expected to play for the Giants Friday night in the season opener. He will not be getting any nine-game “tryout” with the Avs in the regular season, in other words.

It probably makes the most sense, though I was hoping the kid would make it this year. I thought he looked good in the preseason, but I got the sense that he still needs a bit more time. He needs to continue to get stronger. There were times he seemed to have a bit of trouble muscling with bigger guys around the net.

You don’t want to see a kid with his kind of talent playing fifth-or-sixth D-man type of minutes, either. With the return of Erik Johnson ahead of schedule, that kind of took a roster spot away that he might have had at the start of the year, too. With guys such as Conor Timmins and Calle Rosen having looked real good, too, in camp, it makes most sense to send Byram back. Byram also figures to be a top player for Canada in the next World Junior tournament.

Keep in mind: Byram could still play for the Avs in the playoffs. Also keep in mind: that would burn a year off his ELC. I’d say it’s highly unlikely that would happen. He cannot, now, play at all for the Avs in the regular season.

He’s a big part of the team’s future, though, so we’ll see a lot more of him soon enough.

The Avs also announced the other following cuts: