|
'A's for Beauchemin, Duchene, MacKinnon; McLeod scratched |
|
|
Rick Sadowski
 Colorado Avalanche Blogger •Avalanche Insider • RSS
• Archive
• CONTACT
|
|
|
Call it the changing of the guard.
Avalanche coach Jared Bednar on Thursday announced that Francois Beauchemin will wear an 'A' as an assistant captain, and that Matt Duchene and Nathan MacKinnon will alternate as assistants. Duchene will wear an 'A' Saturday in the season opener against Dallas at the Pepsi Center. Gabriel Landeskog remains captain.
"We've had a lot of good conversations with the guys that have been around here -- coaching staff, management -- and we've come to a decision that obviously Gabe's our captain and we feel that Beauchemin is a guy we want to have a letter on all the time," Bednar said after practice. "He's a guy that all the guys, both old and young in our room, look to and lean on for advice. He's sort of that stabilizing presence in our room.
"We're going to alternate the other 'A' home and road between MacKinnon and Duchene. I think the best way to do that for us so that we're not changing jerseys every night, we'll probably do it month by month. Duchene will wear it at home to start for this month and MacKinnon on the road, and next month we'll just flip it, and so on through the course of the season.
"They're both guys that are anxious and eager to take their games to the next level. We're already relying on them heavily on a nightly basis to help us win, so the added responsibility is going to be good for them and for our team."
Not only has Cody McLeod lost his 'A,' he'll be scratched Saturday. (Jarome Iginla wore the other 'A' last season). As of now, Mikko Rantanen will be scratched because he's missed so much practice time while recovering from an ankle injury, but that could change once he has another visit with the doctor before Saturday. Defenseman Eric Gelinas also will be scratched. John Mitchell (hip) hasn't practiced this week.
Here's the expected lineup for Saturday:
FORWARDS
Gabriel Landeskog -- Nathan MacKinnon -- Jarome Iginla
Mikhail Grigorenko -- Carl Soderberg -- Matt Duchene
Gabriel Bourque -- Joe Colborne -- Rene Bourque
Andreas Martinsen -- Ben Smith -- Blake Comeau
DEFENSE
Nikita Zadorov -- Erik Johnson
Francois Beauchemin -- Tyson Barrie
Fedor Tyutin -- Patrick Wiercioch
GOALIES
Semyon Varlamov
Calvin Pickard
Scratched: Eric Gelinas, Cody McLeod, Mikko Rantanen
Injured: John Mitchell (hip)
Rene Bourque, who was wearing No. 24 in the preseason, has switched to No. 17.
We're going to have decisions to make with our lineup every night," Bednar said. "The guys that can help us win are going to be in the lineup. As of Saturday, Cody will be (scratched), but I think we plan on being team tough, I think we can be physical and compete hard on pucks. It's an area that we need to improve on, but I certainly think that we're capable in that regard."
Bednar said he isn't sure how long it will take before the 6-feet-4, 211-pound Rantanen is ready to play, but he sees him eventually playing a top-six role.
Rantanen, the Avalanche's first-round pick (No. 10) in the 2015 NHL draft, was AHL co-Rookie of the Year last season after he had 24 goals and 60 points in 52 games. He didn't have a point in nine games with Colorado.
"This was his second day with contact," Bednar said. "Things are going well and I believe he's going to see the doctor (before Saturday) to see what he has to say. Once he gets another skate or two under his belt, then we'll make a decision. He's been out for a long time and to jump in with two contact skates isn't very many.
"I see him as a guy who should play up in our lineup. After the year he had in the American Hockey League -- it's a tough league. To be able to do what he did in that league, he should be able to contribute to our power play and play up in our lineup. Is that fair to him, coming off a month-long injury where he hasn't had the system work?
"We need to put him in a position to succeed, and if that takes a little more time, then we should give it to him. When he comes in, we need to rely on him heavily. I believe he's a guy that can handle that."
Join the Discussion:
»