Dec. 19: The Avalanche announced that Felhaber has cleared waivers and was subsequently assigned to AHL Colorado.
Dec. 18: The Avalanche have placed forward Tye Felhaber on waivers to return him to the AHL’s Colorado Eagles, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports Wednesday.
Felhaber, 26, signed an AHL contract with the Eagles over the offseason, which the Avalanche tore up and replaced with a two-year NHL contract on Sunday. The left-shot forward had a team-leading eight goals and 13 points through 23 AHL games, putting him on pace for his best season offensively in the high-level minors since turning pro five years ago. He made his NHL debut on Monday in a loss to Canucks, taking just seven shifts for 4:34 worth of ice time. Aside from one hit, he recorded zeroes across his box score, and the Avalanche out-attempted opponents 6-4 with him on the ice.
Felhaber, originally an undrafted free agent signing by the Stars from the Ontario Hockey League’s Ottawa 67’s, has 67 points in 187 AHL contests in parts of seven seasons. He’s been far more productive when demoted to the ECHL, where he’s logged 26 goals and 83 points in 71 games. The former OHL All-Star remains a middle-six minor-league option at best as he enters his prime, though, and there’s likely little interest in his services on an NHL roster elsewhere.
While unlikely, teams have 24 hours to submit a claim and take Felhaber out of the Avs organization and onto their NHL roster. It’s a likelier scenario that Felhaber will clear waivers tomorrow and head back to the Eagles, allowing the Avs to carry a trim roster throughout the holiday freeze, which begins at midnight Eastern tomorrow and runs through Dec. 27.