Colorado Avalanche Unexpectedly Place Forward Chris Wagner on Waivers

The Avalanche have had some huge issues up front with injury this year, and now they've reportedly made the shock call to place veteran Chris Wagner on waivers.

After a rough start to the season, the Colorado Avalanche are getting healthy up front, with the likes of Artturi Lehkonen and Valeri Nichushkin now back on the ice and solidifying this forward group.

Now, the team have made a shock call on veteran fourth-liner Chris Wagner, as the Avalanche have officially placed him on waivers on Tuesday, according to top NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman.

This comes as a major shock as the 33-year old was re-signed to a one-year deal this off-season after playing a solid role on the fourth line for Colorado during the 2023/24 campaign.

This season, he has continued his solid play, and while he only has one goal in 22 appearances, he brings veteran leadership and stability to the bottom-six, something they've needed all season long.

According to reporter Meghan Angley, the move is to give the team roster flexibility ahead of the roster freeze over the holiday break, but given the need for solid depth around the league, there's always a possibility that he gets claimed.

Wagner has already played in 5 games for the AHL's Colorado Eagles this season, so it appears that may be his future if he passes through waivers, but given the team's depth issues all season long, they'll be hoping that he can pass through without anyone placing a claim on him.

At 33-years of age, Wagner has been around the block, playing in 395 games throughout his career after being a 5th round pick in the 2010 NHL Draft, and while this may not look good for his future, if he remains in the Avalanche organization, it's more likely than not that he'll be back on the fourth line in no time.

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