Meyers and Malinski reassigned by Avalanche, roster appears set

The Colorado Avalanche have reassigned Ben Meyers, who signed a one-year contract extension over the summer, to the Colorado Eagles. The ex-captain from the University of Minnesota vied for final roster spots this season.

Meyers was able to play 39 games for the Avalanche last season and accumulate four goals. The Avalanche sent him down to Loveland to join the Eagles after injuring his back and found his spark. While playing top-line minutes for 30 games, he was able to net six goals and 18 assists. He became an offensive driving force on the power play and in the top six. With his impressive play, he earned another call up and finished the year with the Avalanche.

The Avalanche also announced today that they have placed Riley Tufte on waivers. They signed Tufte this summer on a one-year, two-way contract and he had some exceptional moments during the preseason. Once he moved from center to the wing, his play only improved even more. A former first-round pick of the Dallas Stars, Tufte would be a wonderful pickup for any team to have in their system.

The Avalanche also reassigned Sam Malinski to the Colorado Eagles this afternoon. Last season, scouts touted Malinski as the best unsigned college free agent and he spent the last four seasons with Cornell University. Once he joined the Eagles, he played 14 games, managing 10 points. Matthew Stienburg even gave him a little credit for why he signed his extension with Colorado.

Eagles captain and defenseman Brad Hunt cleared waivers along with Jack Ahcan. Their presence will enhance the Eagles’ defensive and offensive capabilities.

The Avalanche are now down to 13 healthy forwards on the roster. It looks like the Avalanche will have a solid lineup down the middle. Ryan Johansen, Ross Colton and Fredrik Olofsson will help with that throughout the year. Because of health issues, the Avalanche have not reassigned Jean-Luc Foudy and Alex Beaucage, which still raises questions. It is just a matter of time until they become healthy.