Bo Byram on Avs taxi squad, but now so is Timmins

As the Avs prepare for their first road swing of the year, the team is making their first roster moves of the season, one of which includes Bo Byram and another that involves Conor Timmins.

This is because: He’s baaaaaack!

Defenseman Erik Johnson is finally ready to play after battling with COVID the last couple weeks. His return to the Avs means that Timmins is the odd defenseman out this time around and has thus been reassigned to the taxi squad for the time being.

In Timmins’ first two games, his play reflected that of his team overall. Average the first game, very good in the second.

However, the big move that will be sure to get every Avs fan excited was the announcement of Bowen Byram to the taxi squad. Byram had to spend the last week quarantining before being eligible to be with the Avalanche. Now that the week has come and gone, Byram is ready to don that Avs sweater when needed.

If you’re one to buy into the hype, then you know that Byram is being viewed as potentially another generational talent like Cale Makar is proving to be. Byram spent this last World Juniors cycle as Team Canada’s captain, leading them to a silver medal finish against Team USA and tallying five points along the way.

It will be interesting to see how and when the Avs utilize Byram. There is still a decent chance he plays much of the season elsewhere, probably in Loveland for the Eagles (if the WHL season does not start). But he could stay with the Avs for the full season if a) Injuries happen to the defense any time soon or b) he plays lights out in the games he gets at some point soon.

Although the rest of the team is off, Byram and Johnson will make their first appearances on the practice ice today, according to head coach Jared Bednar.

To round off the rest of the moves, forwards Shane Bowers and Logan O’Connor have been reassigned back to the Colorado Eagles. For O’Connor, that’s a bit of a disappointment, having shown well for the Avs in the playoffs and going into training camp as a realistic candidate for a roster or taxi-squad spot. But the thinking here probably is: let’s let the kid play regularly in Loveland instead of sitting around on a taxi squad.

The Avs kick off their California road trip Tuesday against the Los Angeles Kings. With four games in six days, the Avs get their real first taste of the shortened season’s rapid-fire schedule.