The Colorado Avalanche waived defenseman Brandon Gormley on Thursday.
Gormley was acquired by the Avalanche in September in a trade with the Arizona Coyotes. The two teams swapped struggling defensemen, hoping that a change of scenery for each would be the ticket to reinvigorating their careers.
For Gormley, that hasn’t happened. He came out of major junior selected 13th overall, a point per game player for the Moncton Wildcats, a Memorial Cup All-Star and the 2012 World Junior Championship’s Best Defenseman (the last time a Canadian won the award).
He’s managed to find some offense in the AHL, but that hasn’t translated to the NHL, not even with Colorado’s uptempo offense that brings defensemen into the action regularly. It seemed like a good fit for his skillset, but he’s played 26 games with the Avs this season and put up no goals and a single assist.
The decision to waive him may have played into Colorado’s decision to claim Andrew Bodnarchuk off waivers from the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday.
Waiving him may also be an attempt to clear a contract after claiming Bodnarchuk. Colorado’s hands are tied a bit in regards to making a move to pursue the playoffs. They currently have the league maximum number of contracts, 50.
In all, he’s played 58 NHL games in his career over three seasons, scoring two goals and three assists.
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