Deen’s Daily: Bednar Shakes up Avalanche Lines; Jarry Goes on Waivers

Jared Bednar shook up the line combinations at practice following a disappointing effort vs the New York Rangers. The Avs also placed John Ludvig on waivers. Speaking of which, a high-priced goalie in Pittsburgh was also put on waivers.

All that and more on this edition of Deen’s Daily — January 16.

Colorado Hockey Now

As the Avalanche prepare for the Edmonton Oilers, catch my 10 Observations from the last game — a 3-2 OT victory over the New York Rangers where an unhappy coach Jared Bednar said his team had too many passengers.

Colleen Flynn also wrote about those sentiments from the locker room, with thoughts from Devon Toews and Mackenzie Blackwood.

The Avs practiced on Wednesday with what was a mishmash of line combinations. Bednar shifted Rantanen to the No. 2 center spot and Casey Mittelstadt assumed fourth-line duties between the two AHL call-ups, Jason Polin and Jere Innala. Ross Colton was also downgraded to the third line while hard-working wingers Logan O’Connor and Joel Kiviranta were given a crack at playing with Rantanen.

Will these be the lines against Edmonton? And if they are, how long will it last? It’s anybody’s guess. But it’s clear that Bednar is sending a message to the “passengers” he was referring to on Tuesday night.

Defenseman John Ludvig was also placed on waivers.

Based off the optional practice jerseys, these could be lines tomorrow.

Lehkonen – MacKinnon – Drouin
Kiviranta – Rantanen – LOC
Colton – Kelly – Parssinen
Innala – Mittelstadt – Polin

— Evan Rawal (@evanrawal) January 15, 2025

Catch the latest episode of my podcast, Rinkside with Aarif Deen — Too Many Passengers | January 15, 2025.

Around the NHL

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: The Penguins have had enough of Tristan Jarry. After posting a fifth straight loss, the high-priced goalie was placed on waivers on Wednesday. Alex Nedeljkovic, who has had a bit of a career resurgence in Pittsburgh, spoke about his past experiences with waivers. The Penguins also called up Joel Blomqvist to share the crease with Nedeljkovic.

General manager Kyle Dubas met with the media and said he has no regrets for signing Jarry in 2023.

Montreal Hockey Now: The Habs are inching closer to the playoffs. Which, after such a brutal start to the season, has been an accomplishment in itself. Check out the latest analysis on their playoff odds. Also, a story on how Lane Hutson’s development could impact the upcoming offseason for Montreal.

New Jersey Hockey Now: NHL Network’s Kevin Weekes has linked two names to the Devils as trade targets.

Detroit Hockey Now: Coming off a bad loss to San Jose, the Red Wings, who are 7-2-0 since Todd McLellan took over, have the toughest remaining schedule in the NHL.