Paul Stastny really is a rookie with no previous NHL experience. Still, it is tempting for all who see him play to want to refer to the 21-year-old Avalanche center as a “savvy” veteran.
“Each and every game, you just watch the things that he does, and it’s pretty amazing,” Avalanche coach Joel Quenneville said. “That a young kid has that sense, with and without the puck, and his positioning is pretty amazing.”
Stastny, whose team takes on the Minnesota Wild tonight at the Pepsi Center, was supposed to have broken down by now. This is the point in the season, critics said, when coming from college, hockey would grind him down, when he would hit the rookie wall.
Instead, Stastny might have had his best game of the season Tuesday (two goals and an assist) against Calgary in a 4-3 victory that kept Colorado’s slim playoff hopes alive.
“The one thing we’re guarding against is: Is he going to tire out?” Quenneville said. “Is that college schedule to our schedule going to be a problem? But you look at the meaning of the last 15, 20 games, and he’s playing more minutes, and he’s making a bigger impact. It’s a great sign that he can handle the workload and the grueling schedule.”
Stastny is one point behind Los Angeles’ Anze Kopitar for second place in the NHL rookie scoring race, with 53 points. Catching Evgeni Malkin of Pittsburgh (67 points) probably is out of the question, but the fact Stastny is being mentioned in the same Calder Trophy discussions is an unexpected testament to his season.
“Paul’s been just great for us this year,” Avs captain Joe Sakic said. “He deserves some consideration for (rookie of the year). He’s just a smart hockey player, a talented hockey player.”
Wolski still out
Fellow Avs rookie Wojtek Wolski (concussion) will miss his third consecutive game.
Quenneville said Wolski is improving from the injury, which he suffered Saturday in a collision with Calgary’s Craig Conroy.
LTI for Leopold?
If, as expected, injured defenseman Jordan Leopold (broken right wrist) is out for 24 consecutive calendar days and 10 consecutive games, the team can apply for Long Term Injury relief to its salary cap.
Under that scenario, the Avs could acquire a player making at or near Leopold’s salary. The Avs would have to apply to the league for such relief, which the team had not decided or done as of Wednesday. Leopold’s salary cap number is $1.25 million.
If the Avs acquire a player to fill in for Leopold and he returns before the end of the regular season, the Avs likely would have to make a move to get back under the cap. If a player returns for just the playoffs, his salary cap number wouldn’t matter, because the cap doesn’t apply in the playoffs.
Adrian Dater can be reached at 303-954-1360 or adater@denverpost.com.
