The Colorado Avalanche took their first small steps into the Jared Bednar era on Tuesday night with a preseason road victory over the Minnesota Wild.
As the Avalanche’s new head coach continues to get familiar with the roster, Bednar used his first preseason game as an evaluation tool, icing a very green roster filled with borderline players battling for NHL roster spots. The Avalanche dressed only three players (Eric Gelinas, Mikhail Grigorenko, and PTO Rene Bourque) with over 100 games of NHL experience. The Minnesota Wild iced a more veteran roster in their first home preseason game with 9 NHL players with over 100 games, including starting goalie Devan Dubnyk and free agent acquisition Eric Staal.