After two weeks spent in the American Hockey League with the Colorado Eagles, defenseman John Ludvig will return to the NHL. The Colorado Avalanche announced they’ve recalled Ludvig from his conditioning loan to the NHL roster.
According to the current Collective Bargaining Agreement, the rules stipulate that a team can send a player down via a standard conditioning loan for 14 consecutive days, meaning the Avalanche kept Ludvig in the AHL for the maximum allotted time. Furthermore, during his entire stint with the AHL Eagles, Ludvig counted against the 23-man roster for the Avalanche and was paid his full NHL salary for the duration of the loan.
During his 14-day span in Loveland, CO, Ludvig tallied one assist in five games for the Eagles with a -3 rating. It’s not dissimilar from his production in the NHL this year with the Avalanche as he’s tallied two assists in eight games with a -4 rating.
Although Colorado has struggled with injuries this season, they have operated quite well in Ludvig’s absence. Should the organization want to continue with only seven available defensemen on the active roster, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Ludvig end up on waivers within the next week.
He could get some consideration from the team’s wanting another minimum-salary defenseman on the NHL roster but he’ll likely clear given his production over the last two years. This would ultimately prove a benefit to Ludvig as the Avalanche may be more comfortable taxiing him from the AHL should he be exempt from waivers for a few weeks.