One minute, defenseman Andrew Bodnarchuk was preparing to board a flight to meet the Columbus Blue Jackets’ AHL affiliate, the Lake Erie Monsters, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The next, he was pulling his gear from the belly of the plane.
That’s what happened on Tuesday when the 27-year-old rear guard was claimed on waivers by the Colorado Avalanche.
“It was a unique one, to say the least. I was actually at the airport with my bags checked onto a flight—before the 12 o’clock deadline—just in case,” Bodnarchuk said of the adventure. “I was going to join the team for a game in Milwaukee, but I found out before 12 that I might be going somewhere.