The Colorado Avalanche has claimed defenseman John Ludvig off waivers from the Pittsburgh Penguins, the club announced Saturday.
The 24-year-old Ludvig made his NHL debut last season with Pittsburgh, where he recorded five points in 33 games. He also appeared in four games for the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.
With four forwards — Artturi Lehkonen, Valeri Nichushkin, Gabe Landeskog and Ondrej Pavel — currently unavailable, Colorado has some question marks going into the regular season. Rookies Nikolai Kovalenko and Calum Ritchie could be among the players to fill the holes left by the Avs’ missing superstars. The Avalanche signed veteran defenseman Oliver Kylington to a one-year contract in August to add depth to its defense corps, which could go eight deep to start the season.
Colorado opens the regular season on the road in Vegas at 8 p.m. Wednesday. The home opener is 7 p.m. next Saturday against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
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