As of Thursday morning, most members of the Avalanche were back on the ice – and newly acquired goaltender Jose Theodore still was in Montreal, waiting for his girlfriend, Stephanie Cloutier, to give birth to a daughter.
Because the 29-year-old is on the injured list with a fractured heel, and because the team leaves Saturday for a three-game California trip, getting Theodore to Denver or perhaps to meet the team on the road isn’t a priority.
“He’ll be here quickly, or soon,” Avalanche coach Joel Quenneville said after Thursday’s practice at the Family Sports Center. “Hopefully, he’ll have the baby and get to meet his new teammates and get acclimated to the town here. We’ve been following his rehab, and we’re looking forward to getting to see him.”
Quenneville added that “as soon as he gets out here, he’ll be evaluated by our doctors and we’ll have a clear idea of exactly when he’ll be returning to the ice.”
(After doctors determined that Cloutier wouldn’t give birth for perhaps as long as another week, Theodore traveled to Denver and met with his new teammates and the Avalanche staff and doctors Friday. He quickly returned to Montreal.)
In the meantime, Peter Budaj is the interim starter, and if he continues to play well, that would complicate the issue.
“We welcome those challenging decisions,” Quenneville said. “That’s a good decision. We hope that’s the scenario.”
The Avalanche will end up having five “dark” nights before it faces the Sharks on Sunday in San Jose. Colorado moves on to play the Kings on Monday in Los Angeles and the surging Mighty Ducks on Wednesday in Anaheim.
The Sharks were nine points behind the Avalanche and five points out of the last playoff spot going into their Thursday night home game against St. Louis, and they are home Saturday afternoon against Dallas before facing Colorado on Sunday night.
By the time the Avs arrive in Southern California, both the Kings and Ducks could be on Colorado’s heels in the Western Conference race. And the Avalanche still could end up making the playoffs as the No. 3 seed as Northwest Division champion, or miss the playoffs altogether.
“When we get out on the road there, we’re going to have to take care of our own business and help ourselves,” Quenneville said.
On Thursday, though Colorado skated after not being on the ice Tuesday and Wednesday, Quenneville gave Olympians Joe Sakic, Milan Hejduk and Rob Blake another day off.
“We talked about that early in the season, and then when they returned (from Turin),” Quenneville said. “We felt that this was the perfect time to get them some rest and get them re-energized. I think at this stage of their careers, with how much they play, it’s good for them.”
U.S. Olympian John-Michael Liles and Finnish silver medalist Antti Laaksonen were among those who practiced.
“You look at those guys (who had the day off), and the number of minutes they play,” Liles said. “You look at Blake’s minutes every night, and it’s something like 24.
“Joey’s out there against the other team’s top lines every night, and I think those guys definitely deserve a rest.”
Terry Frei can be reached at 303-820-1895 or tfrei@denverpost.com.
