No surprise here. The Avalanche selected the NHL draft’s top-ranked defenseman, Bowen Byram, with the No. 4 pick Friday at Rogers Place in Vancouver, British Columbia.
Byram, 6-foot-1 and 195 pounds, turned 18 this month, but he could begin his NHL career next season.
“I do happen to think he’s capable but that doesn’t mean I would do it,” NHL Network analyst Brian Lawton told The Denver Post of Byram. “You can always pump the brakes on these kids a little bit. I think it’s been proven over time that you need to give them a little more time.