The midseason waiver wire pick-up was as disliked by fans for the contract spot he occupied as his level of play.
When Andrew Bodnarchuk was claimed by the Colorado Avalanche on waivers on January 5th, 2016, general manager Joe Sakic was in a bit of a bind. Top defenseman Erik Johnson had just gone down with another knee injury, top defensive prospects Nikita Zadorov and Chris Bigras were deemed not-yet-ready-for-prime-time, and backup options Brandon Gormley and Zach Redmond were not performing well in reserve roles.