Avalanche forwards John Mitchell (migraines) and Jamie McGinn (back) participated in Monday’s practice, with Mitchell doing everything but being cleared to talk to reporters, and the club announced the . Also, the Avs reassigned goalie Roman Will and defenseman Stefan Elliott to Lake Erie of the American Hockey League.
Elliott, 23, must clear waivers before joining the Avs’ AHL affiliate, and chances are decent he will be claimed.
Here’s coach Patrick Roy talking about Mitchell and McGinn, Elliott’s demotion and the lineup for Tuesday’s preseason game at Calgary:
Barring injuries, the Avs’ blue line is set, with only the third pairing in question for opening night:
Stuart-Johnson
Holden-Barrie
Hejda-Wilson
Guenin-Redmond
The Avs are carrying 11 D, and Duncan Siemens, Maxim Noreau and Bruno Gervais will be reassigned to Lake Erie within the next week. Only Siemens is waiver-exempt.
Footnotes. The Avs also reassigned goalie Roman Will to Lake Erie, trimming their roster to 38 players. … Colorado will visit Calgary on Tuesday night for a preseason game, but former Flames captain Jarome Iginla and a handful of other Avs veterans are not making the one-game trip. Captain Gabe Landeskog and fellow established young forwards Matt Duchene, Ryan O’Reilly and Nathan MacKinnon are sitting this one out.
