Avalanche coach
Jared Bednar on Monday said he’ll use a “young group” against Vegas on Tuesday at the Pepsi Center in the first preseason game.
“I’ve got a good idea (on the lineup), I’m still making a few decisions there,” Bednar said, adding that the priority in the early going will be evaluating players.
“A hundred percent, especially early on,” he said. “We have a group going that’s young, it’s rewarding guys for coming to camp in good condition, for playing well in rookie camp. I think there’s some guys that have earned the opportunity to get a look in the exhibition games and get a taste for it.”
Bednar plans to play several young defensemen, including first-round pick
Bowen Byram, 2017 second-round pick
Conor Timmins, and
Calle Rosen in several preseason games. Rosen, 25, was acquired with
Nazem Kadri from Toronto in the trade that sent
Tyson Barrie and
Alexander Kerfoot to the Maple Leafs.
“It’s pretty exciting, kind of my first taste of NHL-type atmosphere, I guess,” said Byram, who's been paired quite a bit with Rosen. “Definitely something I’ve been looking forward to for a long time and something I should be excited about.”
Byram, the No. 4 pick in the draft, made it clear that his goal is to make the opening-night roster.
“If you’re coming here in training camp not wanting to make the team, you might as well not show up,” he said. “It’s definitely my goal, but I feel like I just got to keep working hard every day, take it day by day and see how it goes.
“It’s been tough, the first time skating in an NHL camp, so it’s been a transitional period for me, but I feel like I’m holding my own. I’m just trying to take it day by day and get better as I go along. The first day there’s a lot of nerves and after that I kind of settled in a bit and I feel like I’ve started to play better. It’s tough, but it’s a process. I just have to make sure I’m putting the proper steps in and working hard.”
Bednar has been impressed with the 6-feet-1, 190-pound Byram, who last season had 71 points (26 goals, 45 assists) in 67 games with the Vancouver Giants of the Western Hockey League.
“Byram, going back to rookie camp, he was dominant in Game 1 of that camp,” Bednar said. “I thought he was the best player on the ice for either team. He had a pretty good showing in some of his other games as well. Since joining the group (with a) faster pace, he doesn’t look out of place. He’s a good puck mover, he’s a smart guy.
“I think his pace of play can come up a little bit, which is normal for all our young guys coming in. They get used to playing at one pace and then things start to ramp up a little bit with all the pros that are on the ice, and the smart players start to elevate and look comfortable and get better as the camp goes on. I think he’s starting to elevate his game.”
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Defenseman
Nikita Zadorov wasn’t on the ice Monday after leaving drills Sunday.
“Tweaked something in his lower body, so he’s day to day,” Bednar said. “We’ll see when he’s able to join the group again.”
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The Avalanche reassigned six players, reducing the roster to 51 players.
Defenseman
Josh Anderson, left wing
Travis Barron, and centers
Josh Dickinson, Brandon Saigeon and
Igor Shvyrev were assigned to the Colorado Eagles of the AHL. Goalie
Trent Miner was returned to Vancouver of the WHL.
Colorado Avalanche Blogger •Avalanche Insider • 
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