Avalanche recall 2021 first-round pick Oskar Olausson

The Colorado Avalanche, still not comfortable with their NHL depth, recalled 2021 first-round pick Oskar Olausson from the minor leagues. Jayson Megna is coming back up as well after he, Anton Blidh and Andreas Englund were assigned Tuesday.

Olausson, 20, comes up following a win by the Avalanche on Monday that saw them ice their fourth line for just a handful of shifts. Megna played 5:25, Dryden Hunt 5:41 and Blidh saw the ice for just 4:16. Even Martin Kaut was under 10 minutes in the match despite it going to a shootout, putting huge pressure on the top players. Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen played nearly 30 minutes, while even Evan Rodrigues broke the 24-minute mark thanks to huge power-play time.

With Englund staying down, it likely means that Samuel Girard will return to the lineup, giving the team another defenseman to rely on. Cale Makar played more than 32 minutes on Monday, while Englund saw just 11.

While they are winning and now sit second in the Central, this isn’t how the Avalanche likely want to operate for long. They need to be able to find a mix of players who can take some heat off the top names or risk burning them out in the early part of the year. Olausson, who has barely any professional experience under his belt, will get the next chance to show what he can do.

In 16 games with the Colorado Eagles, the young forward has eight points.