Frei: UPDATED. Bo Byram and Erik Johnson talk about their young and, well, not-so-young pairing(+)

UPDATED: This column was posted after Erik Johnson was one of the two Avalanche players made available to the media after practice Thursday. Then Bo Byram was brought to the interview room Friday, and I have touched up the original column to reflect and include his comments. — TF

As the Avalanche Thursday were waiting to see if they’d play the Wild or the Blues in the Western Conference semifinals, it seemed safe to assume they’d stick with the defensive pairings going forward that worked well in the first-round sweep of the Predators.

That means the most tenured Avalanche player, 34-year-old Erik Johnson, who joined the team in a 2011 trade, would remain with Bo Byram.