My Tuesday skate was switched from South Suburban Ice Arena to sister Family Sports Center and, although I was late, I ran into exhausted University of Denver sophomore goalie Evan Cowley. The Evergreen product had just finished skating with Avalanche forwards Matt Duchene and Nathan MacKinnon and defenseman Tyson Barrie, plus Philadelphia Flyers forward Brayden Schenn. The NHLers are training to compete for Team Canada at the Czech Republic-hosted World Championship beginning May 1, along with Avs forward Ryan O’Reilly.
Good to know MacKinnon, who missed the last five weeks of the NHL season with a fractured foot, is still skating after beginning his on-ice recovery a day before the season finale.
Don’t read too much into Schenn’s participation — the 23-year-old is under contract next season at $2.75 million, before becoming a possible restricted free agent. Schenn does have some history with Avalanche players. He was a Saskatoon Blades teammate with Avalanche D-prospects Stefan Elliott and Duncan Siemens in 2010-11, after being traded from the the Brandon Wheat Kings. Schenn was selected No. 5 overall by Los Angeles in the 2009 NHL draft, two spots behind Duchene, and was part of that big 2012 trade with Philly that sent Mike Richards and Jeff Carter to the Kings.
Meanwhile, a TSN story says sending the . Duchene, O’Reilly, MacKinnon and Barrie are certainly hoping a deal is struck.
