Avalanche fourth-line center Pierre-Edouard Bellemare had a goal and a fight in Thursday’s preseason game against the Dallas Stars.
This was not was he was hired to do.
Bellemare, 34, signed a two-year, $3.6 million contract July 1 to win faceoffs, play good defense and provide leadership. What the Avs got Thursday in his preseason debut was a bonus.
“I really liked the way he played last night,” Avs coach Jared Bednar said Friday after a two-group practice.
Bellemare, who is from Le Blanc-Mesnil, France, and prefers to be called Belly, amassed just six goals and 15 points in 76 games for the Vegas Golden Knights last season.