Team gives up on $5.4 million player, placed on waivers.

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Published 7 years ago
Team gives up on $5.4 million player, placed on waivers.
Images Courtesy of Keystone Press

The Colorado Avalanche are slumping right now, which has led to some changes today.

According to Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports, the Avs' have placed veteran forward John Mitchell on waiver Friday. The 31-year old appeared in only four games this season and was held without a point, while seeing his ice time take a significant dip from last season.

Mitchell has been hampered by injuries, including a series of concussions and a nagging hip injury.

Mitchell was just one year removed from a 10 goal and 21 point campaign, appearing in 71 games, and averaging 15:15 in ice time per game. Mitchell is in the last of a three-year, $5.4 million deal, and is set to be an unrestricted free agent on July 1.

The move is telling, as he was a favourite of former Avalanche' head coach Patrick Roy, who resigned rather unceremoniously this summer. The team seems determined to remove most of the players from the "Roy era", as the only players currently on the team with a longer tenure are Matt Duchene and captain Gabriel Landeskog. 

Avalanche GM Joe Sakic hasn't been shy about letting go of players that Roy was a fan of. Sakic dealt Roy's favourite defenseman Nick Holden to the New York Rangers in exchange for a fourth-round pick this past offseason. Roy then openly gave Rangers' coach Alain Vigneault a call, and stated: ‘You just got one of my better defensemen,'” as per the New York Post.

Following the trade announcement, Roy resigned as Colorado’s head coach and Jared Bednar was hired shortly thereafter.

The Avalanche seem very content to turn the page on this chapter of their development as a club.

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Source: TVA Sports