Gavin Brindley’s latest NHL look came and went quickly, and that’s exactly why the Colorado Avalanche still haven’t really given him a true shot to settle in.
The 22-year-old was recalled ahead of Saturday night’s game against the Flames and skated 12 minutes, sliding into Logan O’Connor’s place on the fourth line. He didn’t light up the scoreboard or dominate the night, but he did enough to suggest he could handle more. Still, the Avalanche sent him back to the Eagles on Sunday.
That’s the frustrating part of Brindley’s situation. He’s not being asked to fail or succeed in a role that fits him.
He’s being dropped into a bottom-six job that doesn’t really match what he’s shown in the AHL, where he’s established himself as a legit top-six player. The problem is simple: there isn’t an obvious opening for that kind of usage in Colorado right now.
Nic Roy’s return shifted Nazem Kadri into the third-line center spot, with Roy alongside Brock Nelson and Gabriel Landeskog on the second line. You can make the case that Landeskog could slide down and open a lane for Brindley, and that’s not an unreasonable thought. But the bigger question is whether that would actually be the right move at the moment.
For now, the Avalanche look too deep for Brindley to force his way into a regular role on merit alone. There’s no real reason to pull T.J.
Hughes out of the lineup for him, and the only spot that might make sense belongs to Fedor Svechkov. Even then, that would only work if Parker Kelly moved into the fourth-line center role.
So Brindley’s path looks narrow. The Avalanche don’t seem to need him for 10 or 12 minutes a night in a checking-line role, and the organization appears to have bigger plans for him than that. For now, he’s likely to keep bouncing between Colorado and the Eagles until a real opening appears.
That opening might not come until next season. Roy and Artturi Lehkonen are both UFAs next summer, and if the Avalanche end up choosing between them, Brindley could be the next man up when a spot finally clears.
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Mackenzie Blackwood helped make it stand up with 25 saves, giving the Avalanche the steadier backstop they needed while the skaters did their part at the other end. For a team trying to reset its tone, this was the sort of win that can matter beyond the standings, especially with the schedule offering little time to dwell on anything for long. [Read more 🡒]
Eagles Rally Shows Fight But Another Painful Loss Still Lingers
The Colorado Eagles found a way to drag themselves back into a game that looked ready to slip away, scoring twice late to force overtime against the San Diego Gulls before the night still ended in disappointment. Jayson Megna and Tristen Nielsen each chipped in a goal and an assist, giving Colorado a much-needed offensive spark in a contest where every shift seemed to matter and the margin for error was gone by the third period.
Even with that push, the Eagles could not finish the job once the game reached the shootout, where San Diego converted twice to escape with a 3-2 win. Tomas Suchanek held the line with 32 saves for the Gulls, and for Colorado the result leaves the familiar sting of a hard-earned comeback that still did not translate into points. [Read more 🡒]