Expect the Avalanche to select defenseman Bowen Byram and goaltender Spencer Knight in the first round of Friday night’s NHL draft.
If they’re available, that is.
Colorado has the Nos. 4 and 16 overall picks at this year’s event in Vancouver, British Columbia, plus three others in the first three rounds and eight overall. Rounds 2-7 are Saturday at Rogers Place.
Byram, a 6-foot-1 Canadian for major-junior’s Vancouver Giants, is the draft’s top-ranked defenseman. Knight, a 6-foot-4 American for the U.S. National Development Program (committed to Boston College), is rated No. 1 among draft-eligible goaltenders.