New Avalanche forward Jordan Caron is hoping to revive his NHL career following Monday's trade from Boston. The Avalanche acquired Caron, 24, and a 2016 sixth-round draft pick from the Bruins for Max Talbot and Paul Carey.

Caron, who is 6-feet-3 and 204 pounds, skated at left wing in practice Tuesday with Matt Duchene and Jarome Iginla. That's where he'll be Wednesday when the Avalanche play Pittsburgh at the Pepsi Center.

"It hasn't always been the way I wanted it in Boston, so I'm excited for a new start and to prove people wrong and show what I can do in the NHL," he said.

Caron, who was the Bruins' first-round pick (24th overall) in 2009, had 12 goals and 16 assists in 134 games with them. He had nine goals and 10 assists in 23 games this season with Providence in the AHL and no points in 11 games with Boston.

"I don't know, it just didn't work out, I guess," he said. "I never felt really confident there. I wish I had maybe more offensive opportunity, but I don't regret anything. I had five good years there, it was awesome."

Caron ended his junior career in 2009-10 with the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies in the QMJHL, where current Avalanche assistant coach Andre Tourigny was GM/coach.

"It was pretty special, we had a good connection together," Caron said. "Hopefully we'll keep it going."

Caron also is looking forward to playing on a line with Duchene and Iginla.

"It's fun playing with offensive players like this," he said. "It's good for the confidence. I think it'll be a good line to play with. I think I'm a good two-way forward, I'm good around the net and creating space in the corner, battling around the net. I'm going to try to bring that to this team. I talked to Matt and Iggy a little and said let me do the dirty work around the net and we can have good chemistry together."

Coach Patrick Roy said he won't put any pressure on Caron.

"We got a young player, a former first-round pick," he said. "We're very happy. I think he's a good fit for us. We're excited to give him a second chance. Things probably didn't work the way he wanted in Boston and it's nice to give him an opportunity here. We'll give him a few games with Jarome and Dutchie and we'll go from there.

"I said to him we'll do video making sure he plays the way we want. I liked what I saw this morning. He was driving the net hard. Let's give him some time. I'm not going to try to have some expectation, just let him enjoy his time, play the best he can and we'll see from there."

*****

Nathan MacKinnon has returned to a line with Gabriel Landeskog and Ryan O'Reilly after a two-game absence that included being benched late in last Friday's game in Dallas.

"He's a very important player for us," Roy said. "We just want him to be a leader on and off the ice, that's what he's learning. He knows how much respect I have for him, how important he is to our team. He has to every night play at a high level. That's what you expect from your premier players."

MacKinnon, 19, lost his live-in family when Talbot was traded. Talbot left for Boston on Tuesday morning with his wife and their infant son.

"Home alone," MacKinnon said. "I don't know what's going to happen. I'm sure in a few days we'll figure something out. There's not a whole lot of the season left and I'll be OK if I have to be on my own. My parents will be in for a little bit too. I have to make the transition eventually."

MacKinnon said Talbot never expected to be traded.

"Very surprised," MacKinnon said. "He had no idea, he was pretty sad. He was kind of in shock. It was a weird vibe in the house. It sucks to see him go. I think he's going to do very well in Boston, it looks like they'll make the playoffs. I know it's tight, but I think they'll find a way to get in."

*****

Joey Hishon, the Avalanche's first-round pick (17th overall) in 2010, was recalled Monday from Lake Erie, where he had 14 goals and 18 assists in 50 games this season.

"I was a little nervous when I got the call," he said. "I thought I might have been traded. I'm lucky enough to come up here and hopefully I can contribute. I think when I first went down at the start of the year my mind wasn't where it should be. I wasn't doing the things I needed to do to be able to get called up here.

"The last month, two months, I've really been working hard realizing what it takes to be a pro and I'm just trying to build on that. I thought I had a good summer of training and did everything I could to stay here. Unfortunately it didn't work out. That's behind me now and I have to make the most of my opportunity."

Said Roy: "We'll give him a fair chance this time and it'll be up to him to take advantage of it. I want him to compete, to be strong on pucks. He said I promise you I will hit somebody. I said I don't ask you to hit guys, I'm asking you to be solid on your one-on-one, play well defensively and protect your puck and make some plays."

Hishon shared time with Daniel Briere on the fourth line Tuesday with Cody McLeod and Marc-Andre Cliche. Roy said he would decide which player sits out after the morning skate Wednesday.

*****

The NHL fined McLeod $3,091.40 and Landeskog $5,000 for their actions in the final seconds of Saturday's game against Minnesota. The fines were the maximum allowed under terms of the collective bargaining agreement and tied to their respective salaries.

The league said McLeod entered the game "on a legal line change for the purpose of starting an altercation with 8.1 seconds remaining in regulation. Directly off a faceoff at center ice, McLeod launched into a body check against Minnesota center Mikael Granlund and then engaged in a fight with Wild forward Charlie Coyle. McLeod was assessed a minor penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct, a major penalty for fighting and a misconduct penalty."

Landeskog was given a misconduct penalty for "throwing a punch at Minnesota forward Mikko Koivu while both players were on their respective benches with 3.3 seconds remaining in regulation," the league said.

Roy said he was "surprised in some ways," adding: "But I think it's an automatic rule with Cody. Cody was playing with the first line all night long. And then they put Charlie Coyle on the ice. Why not him there? I thought it was more important and it was more Coyle going after him than anything else."

Roy said he didn't see Landeskog's punch. He joked: "Five grand, he should have hit him, make it worth it at least."



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