Colorado Avalanche place forward Chris Wagner on waivers

A veteran grinder looks to be on his way back to the minors.

On Wednesday, the Colorado Avalanche placed forward Chris Wagner on waivers.

The 32-year-old made his season debut on Monday, when the Avs pulled out a 4-3 shootout win over Wagner’s old team, the Boston Bruins.

If he clears by Thursday, Wagner can be optioned to the Avs’ American Hockey League affiliate, the Colorado Eagles.

The Walpole, Massachusetts native was forced to miss the first three months of the season after rupturing his Achilles prior to training camp. Wagner has played in just two games over the last three seasons, making just one appearance with the Bruins in 2021-22 and 2022-23.

This is Wagner’s second tour of duty with the Avalanche. Back in the 2015-16 season, he played 26 games with the Avs after getting claimed off waivers from the Anaheim Ducks.

Wagner was a regular depth player for the Bruins for a few seasons, and was a part of the team that made the run to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2019. During that 2018-19 regular season, he posted a career-best 19 points. Wagner was taken in the fifth round of the 2010 NHL Draft by the Ducks, and in 360 games, he has scored 37 goals 26 assists across 10 seasons.

The former New York Islander has spent most of the last two campaigns in the AHL with the Providence Bruins, scoring 34 goals and 24 assists in 124 games. In his 363-game career in the ‘A’, Wagner has registered 164 points and 346 penalty minutes.

The Avalanche (26-12-3) are set to host the Vegas Golden Knights on Wednesday. They are currently second in the Central Division, three points back of the league-leading Winnipeg Jets.

The Eagles (14-12-4-1) will be taking on the Coachella Valley Firebirds, top affiliate of the Seattle Kraken, in their next game on Friday. Colorado is seventh in the AHL’s Pacific Division, 12 points behind the Calgary Flames AHL affiliate, the Calgary Wranglers, who sit in first.