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Avs cut Glencross, work on offense |
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Rick Sadowski
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The Avalanche will announce their final roster moves Tuesday after reducing the camp roster to 25 players Monday by releasing forward Curtis Glencross, who was on a professional tryout.
"We didn't see enough in him, thinking that let's say the difference between him and (Borna) Rendulic or possibly (Dennis) Everberg. We didn't see enough there," coach Patrick Roy said after practice.
Glencross, 32, played in three preseason games with the Avalanche in his second attempt to hook up with an NHL team. Colorado signed him to a PTO after Toronto released him from a similar deal.
Another forward on a PTO, Jack Skille, practiced on the fourth line. He alternated with Everberg on a unit with Cody McLeod and John Mitchell. Skille is expected to make the team, but Roy wouldn't tip his hand.
"We're going to have to decide (Tuesday) what we're going to do," Roy said. "I wanted to see how Everberg was on the ice ... there's a lot of things that might happen in the course of from today to tomorrow."
Everberg had been hampered with a hip injury.
Skille, 28, said he hasn't been informed of the team's plans.
The Avalanche are expected to begin the season with 13 forwards and they still have 15 in camp, but that includes center Jesse Winchester, whose concussion symptoms returned two weeks ago. He'll likely be placed on injured reserve.
Roy likes to carry eight defensemen, and there are eight in camp: Tyson Barrie, Francois Beauchemin, Brandon Gormley, Nate Guenin, Nick Holden, Erik Johnson, Brad Stuart and Nikita Zadorov.
Assuming Skille is safe, that leaves Everberg, Rendulic and first-round draft pick Mikko Rantanen in the hunt for two roster spots. Roy has liked what he's seen of Rantanen, 18, a 6-feet-4, 211-pound power forward who has been skating with Nathan MacKinnon and Blake Comeau.
"We'll make a final decision (Tuesday)," Roy said of Rantanen. "But right now, I'll admit that it looks good."
The Avalanche have a couple of options with Rantanen if he doesn't start the season in Colorado. They can assign him to the San Antonio Rampage in the AHL or let him play another season with TPS Turku in the Finnish (professional) League.
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Johnson and MacKinnon didn't practice Monday, and captain Gabriel Landeskog took part while wearing a non-contact jersey. Roy would only say all three would be ready for Thursday's season opener against Minnesota.
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The Avalanche on Sunday traded center Freddie Hamilton to Calgary for a conditional seventh-round pick in the 2016 NHL draft. The Flames assigned him to Stockton (Calif.) in the AHL.
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As they did a year ago, the Avalanche played poorly -- especially on offense -- in the preseason and won one game. They were shut out in the final three games and in four of the last five, scoring one goal in that stretch on the way to a 1-4-1 record.
"It's not enough and we know that, but at the same time we have the quality of players out there," Roy said. "Is it a concern? Yes, it is, but I'd rather see that happening in the preseason than see it in the season. I'm not saying it's a wakeup call. We all know that we need to do better.
"I think we're trying maybe a little bit too many pretty plays. We know we have skills and sometimes it's tempting to try the little pass in-between the guys. We're going to have to simplify our game and put more pucks at the net and crashing the net."
The Avalanche talked plenty at the end of last season and at the beginning of this camp of the importance of having a good preseason and getting off to a good start in the regular season.
They opened last season with 5-0 and 3-0 losses to the Wild, won just four of the first 17 games and had to play catch-up the rest of the way in what was a futile attempt to make the playoffs after finishing first in the Central Division in 2013-14.
"It doesn't change anything in our preparation, that's all I can say," Roy said. "I'm still thinking we're doing all the right things. We talk a lot about our structure and the players know exactly how we want to play."
The Avalanche spent much of Monday working on 3-on-2 rushes, driving to the net and on the power play.
"We're going to do that all week, bring a lot of pucks to the net, driving the net," Roy said. "We're going to work at this because we need to be better in our battles, especially around the net. The only way to get better is practicing it."
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