Defenseman
Samuel Girard and center
Vladislav Kamenev, two of the players acquired in the three-team trade that sent
Matt Duchene to Ottawa, will be in the lineup Thursday when the Avalanche play Washington in their first game at the Pepsi Center since Nov. 2.
Girard, 19, who played both games in Stockholm and had an assist in the opener, will be on the top pairing with
Erik Johnson. He now occupies Duchene's old locker stall at the Family Sports Center practice facility.
Kamenev, 21, was recalled Tuesday from San Antonio and will center the fourth line with
Sven Andrighetto and fellow Russian
Nail Yakupov.
The Avalanche on Tuesday reassigned forwards
A.J. Greer and
Rocco Grimaldi to San Antonio.
Forward
Tyson Jost, who has been limited to six games because of lower-body injuries, took part in the full practice but coach
Jared Bednar said he needs more work before returning to the lineup. Defenseman
Tyson Barrie has an undisclosed injury, practiced briefly in a non-contact jersey and left to skate on his own.
Center
Carl Soderberg missed the trip to his native Sweden to be with his wife,
Caroline, who gave birth to a boy.
Yakupov served as an interpreter for Kamenev after practice, the Avalanche's first since their 4-3 loss to Ottawa in Sweden on Saturday.
“The trade’s better for him,” Yakupov said, relaying Kamenev’s comments. “It’s a good opportunity for him to be here with the young guys and he’s looking forward to being here.”
Kamenev, who is 6-feet-2 and 194 pounds, had four assists in four games with the Rampage following his acquisition from Nashville, which received center
Kyle Turris from the Senators and also sent Girard and its 2018 second-round draft pick to the Avalanche.
Kamenev had eight points (three goals, five assists) in 10 games with the Milwaukee Admirals, the Predators' AHL affiliate, before the trade and 51 points (21 goals, 30 assists) in 70 games last season.
"I don't know a whole bunch about him," Bednar said. "I coached against him a little bit (in 2015-16) for part of the season. I saw him for a handful of games there. I know that he's a trusted defensive player, but he's got a great skill set. He's got good hands, good feet, a smart player, committed on the defensive side of the puck.
"In the American League he's put up pretty good numbers, so he does have that ability to score. We'll work with him with that and try to drag a little more offense out of him here. It's one of his first kicks at the can at this level, so there'll be an adjustment period. From all indications he's a guy that's on the verge of being ready to play and we'll take a good look at him and see how he does."
Kamenev, who was Nashville's second-round pick (No. 42) in 2014, played two NHL games last season.
The 5-10, 162-pound Girard still has junior eligibility and could be returned to the Shawinigan Cataractes of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, where in three seasons he piled up 192 points (24 goals, 168 assists) in 190 games.
A slick skater, Girard has played in seven NHL games this season -- five with Nashville with a goal and two assists -- and his three-year, entry-level contract would begin once he plays in 10. The Avalanche will have to make a decision after his ninth NHL game, which will be Saturday against his former team in Nashville.
Bednar sounded like Girard is here to stay.
“It’s not my decision,” he said. “There’s a little bit of time left on the clock, but based on what we’re seeing, I don’t see that being an option.”
Johnson has been so impressed with Girard that he compared him to Los Angeles star defenseman
Drew Doughty at the same age.
"(Girard) looks outstanding," Johnson said. "It's really tough for a young D to come in and play the way he has. He looks great. The hardest thing at this level is to be consistent. It's been a small sample size, but he looks terrific. It doesn't happen too often when you see a young guy step in right away. He has spent some time in the minors, but he looks like a pretty special player."
Girard, who was Nashville's second-round pick (No. 47) in 2016, said he's determined to stay with the Avalanche.
"We're young and it'll be good to grow up together, so I'm pretty excited to be here," he said. "I think it’s great for me. Nashville had a lot of good defensemen, and I think it’s good for me to come here and have more ice time. I did pretty well my first seven (NHL) games and I want to continue that way to make sure that I'm ready, and they will make a decision in a couple days probably.
"The first two games I was playing with Barrie. He's not the biggest defenseman, but we can move the puck well, bring some offense and we were playing some good defense. It was pretty good to play with him, but now I think I'm going to play with Johnson. He's a big defenseman and is pretty good offensively and defensively. It will be great for me to play with him."
Bednar described Girard as a "tenacious little guy" who looked comfortable against the Senators.
“He’s impressive in a lot of ways,” Bednar said. “He brings us what we need, another guy to help drive us offensively and move the puck in and out of our zone. When you kind of put the whole package together, he doesn’t look to me like he’s overwhelmed out there at all. It looks like he’s a real confident guy. You can tell because he’s not scared to handle the puck, to make plays in pressure or when he’s got open ice. You kind of watch him play and say, yeah, he belongs.”
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