Avs Talk - A Colorado Avalanche Blog

Cody McCormick has been called back up to the big club. In a move that can only be designed to add some muscle and toughness to the lineup, McCormick will rejoin the team with spark plug Ian Laperriere out for at least another week due to a knee injury.

At 6'3", 215lbs, he adds some size that the Avs desperately need. Aside from Parker, he's the biggest forward the Avalanche have on the roster at the moment.

Karlis Skrastins has also been activated from the IR after some shoulder troubles. To make room, Jeff Jillson was sent down after watching a couple games from the press box. It would have been nice to see Jillson in for at least one game but what can you do.

It's doubtful that McCormick will be in the lineup tonight but Skrastins will likely make his return. Draft Dodger thinks Cumiskey will sit and I doubt he's wrong. Clark and Sauer are the top pair, Finger is the guy who generates some physicality, Hannan is the shutdown/defensive roleplayer and Liles is the powerplay man.

Cumiskey is a Liles clone but with less experience so he could be finding his way back to Lake Erie soon. The Avalanche tend to enjoy having 7 d-men on the active roster with one watching from above though so he could stick around a couple more games.

UPDATE: Rather than sitting the Liles clone, Liles himself is the odd man out. Source: Rocky Mountain News