New Avalanche defenseman
Greg Pateryn wasn’t expecting a trade Tuesday, but he couldn’t be much happier about the destination.
“When I heard I was going to Colorado, I was really excited,” he said Wednesday after practicing with his new teammates. “I mean, I think there’s a lot of people who would want to be in that situation, to be able to come here and have a chance with a really good team. That’s all you can really ask for.”
The Avalanche traded defenseman
Ian Cole to Minnesota on Tuesday afternoon for Pateryn, who is in his seventh NHL season.
(On a personal note, sorry to see Cole leave. He's a good guy and I hope he does well in Minnesota.)
Here’s the
GAME RECAP for the Avalanche’s 3-2 win on Tuesday.
Coach
Jared Bednar said the team didn’t have any 5-on-5 play in practice, but that wouldn’t necessarily prevent Pateryn from playing against the Kings on Thursday.
“He didn’t have the reps, but he’s a veteran guy,” Bednar said. “There’s a lot of similarities to the way he played with both Minnesota and Dallas, so he’s a guy who’s an option for us tomorrow.”
Pateryn was in Anaheim, where the Wild play Wednesday, when the trade was made. Cole is expected to make his Minnesota debut Wednesday. The teams didn’t break any league COVID-19 protocols as the NHL signed off on an approved car service to get the players to their new teams.
Pateryn arrived at the Staples Center in time to watch the Avalanche play.
“It’s really exciting to watch some of these guys play,” he said. “I’m really looking forward to getting out there with them. A lot of guys play with a lot of pace and it’s really fun to watch and it should be exciting to get in there.”
Pateryn said the trade surprised him.
“Any time you get a call like that, there’s a lot going through your head,” he said. “You’re never really expecting it. I think it was unexpected on both sides, but that’s the business we’re in and you just got to be ready to move on to whatever is thrown at you next. I’m just really excited to have this opportunity for that and to be able to play with these guys.”
Bednar said he wants to get defenseman
Bowen Byram, the No. 4 pick in the 2019 NHL draft, into the lineup later this week. “We’re just trying to pick the right day,” he said.
The Avalanche play in Anaheim on Friday and Sunday.
Forward
Andre Burakovsky (upper-body injury) and goalie
Pavel Francouz (lower-body injury) didn’t practice after sitting out Tuesday’s game.
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