In a somewhat surprising move, the Avalanche released center Pierre-Edouard Bellemare from his PTO on Thursday.

The 39-year-old struggled to position himself as a fourth-line midfielder, but the team has decided to look elsewhere. Parker Kelly, who signed a two-year deal, has also gotten a look at center, as has Ivan Ivan, who the team signed as an undrafted free agent last summer. The team also continues to have experienced center Chris Wagner on the team. He was also a candidate for the position entering training camp.

There’s also a chance the team could hit the waiver wire in the next few days. Several players capable of filling a central role on the fourth line will likely be claimed off waivers by Monday.

We will miss Bellemare. His personality is something every wardrobe would love to have. And it’s the most thoughtful interview I’ve experienced in the NHL. In my opinion he did well in the limited pre-season.

The Avs forward group looks something like this now. They have until Monday to submit their final squad.

Drouin – MacKinnon – Rantanen
Kovalenko – Mittelstadt – Ritchie
Wood-Colton-O’Connor
Kelly – Ivan – Kiviranta

Tynan, Wagner, Pavel
Landeskog, Nichushkin, Lehkonen