Colorado Avalanche claim Defenseman off waivers

The NHL season is now only days away and teams are finalizing their rosters. The Pittsburgh Penguins yesterday decided to send down 24-year-old defenseman John Ludvig by putting him on waivers. As a result, every team in the NHL had an opportunity to claim him.

Today it was confirmed by NHL insider Chris Johnston that the Penguins would be losing John Ludvig as he was claimed by the Colorado Avalanche. He will now get another NHL opportunity to begin the upcoming season.

This is the second time that John Ludvig will change teams due to waivers. He was originally a Florida Panthers prospect playing for the Charlotte Checkers. Eventually claimed by the Pittsburgh Penguins John Ludvig played 33 games in the NHL last season and tallied 5 points.

Originally it was thought that John Ludvig was a guarantee to make the NHL roster. He was solid in a depth role and was one of the youngest players on defense for the Penguins. Add in the fact that Erik Karlsson had been out for much of the preseason due to injury John Ludvig seemed like a solid bet to at least be the extra defenseman to start the year. However, the unexpected play of an even younger defenseman might have pushed John Ludvig out of Pittsburgh.

The emergence of 2024 2nd-round pick Harrison Brunicke as a potential immediate option in the NHL led John Ludvig to be expendable. With only a few days left before opening night, it seems that the Penguins are going to let Harrison Brunicke get an opportunity few 2nd round picks get so quickly.

As John Ludvig now heads to the Colorado Avalanche it will be fun to see if he can adapt his game and become a useful defenseman on one of the best teams in the NHL.