Avs Acquire O'Byrne

The Colorado Avalanche announced this morning that they had acquired defenseman Ryan O'Byrne from the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for 18 year old prospect Michael Bournival.

The move comes on the heels of an injury marred first couple of months this season for the Avs, who have lost 4 of their top 6 defenders to injury.

Captain Adam Foote, Kyle Cumiskey and Kyle Quincey are all missing from the lineup due to concussion like symptoms while Ryan Wilson is also missing time because of an apparent leg injury.

This situation leaves 4 rookies picking up a lot of the slack, Jonas Holos, David Liffiton, Kevin Shattenkirk and Colby Cohen. Among them, Holos has the most NHL experience, with 10 games.

O'Byrne will help the Avs blueline, adding size, some grit and 128 games worth of NHL experience to the thin lineup.

You can read a press release from the Avs at their official site, found here.