The Avalanche will begin training camp nearly 100 percent healthy, coach Patrick Roy said Thursday. At the same press conference a year ago, Roy had a laundry-list sized injury list, and Colorado went on to establish a single-season club-record of injuries.
Defenseman Erik Johnson and forwards Nathan MacKinnon, Jesse Winchester, Patrick Bordeleau and Borna Rendulic finished last season on injured reserve, but Roy said all will be nearly 100 percent when the two-day training camp begins Friday.
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Winchester, who missed his entire first season in Colorado with a head injury, is expected to be cleared for camp Thursday.
The only banged-up player scheduled to participate in training camp is defenseman prospect Kyle Wood, 19, who would have returned to his junior team anyway. Wood has a wrist injury and Roy said he will not compete in camp.
Coupled with the lack of injuries, Roy said the Avs’ depth is undoubtedly the best he’s had in Colorado. Roy, who is beginning his third season coaching the Avs, said 23-year-olds Calvin Pickard, a goalie, and defenseman Brandon Gormley will compete for opening-night spots, along with a handful of young forwards and other defensemen.
“I like our depth,” Roy said. “I think we’re going to have more depth than we’ve probably ever had, especially in (my) first two years.”
Pickard, who led the NHL in save percentage for parts of last season when he was brought up from the minors to replace injured starter Semyon Varlamov, will battle against Reto Berra to serve as Varlamov’s backup. This means Colorado is willing to take a financial hit by keeping Pickard, who is on a two-way contract and does not have to clear waivers to report to the minors.
Berra is under contract at $1.45 million this season and next.
“Reto is going to have to have a good training camp,” Roy said. “Calvin is right there. He had a great year for us and we’re certainly going to use the training to evaluate both of them. We’ll see after the camp which one we’re going to keep, but it’s open.”
Mikko Rantanen has size, skill to play in NHL this season.
Roy said rookie Mikko Rantanen, 18, the team’s first-round draft pick in June, has the size and skill to play in the NHL this season. “We’ve been an organization that gives our young guys a chance to make the team and crack the lineup. It won’t any different in this situation. If he proves to us that he’s ready, then we’ll certainly going to look seriously at it.”
Roy said contract extension negotiations with Johnson, the team’s only All-Star last season, have been going well, although he’s not directly involved.
MacKinnon, sporting a new bearded-look with a wide mohawk-like haircut, said he’s gained 10 pounds and is 1/4-inch taller. The 20-year-old still listed at 6-0, 195 on the training camp roster, but says he’s about 6-1, 210.
Mike Chambers: mchambers@denverpost.com or
