SUNRISE, Fla. — Brandon Gormley needs time to develop, Avalanche coach Patrick Roy said, and the 23-year-old defenseman will return to watching games from afar for now.
Roy will scratch Gormley in favor of Nate Guenin in Tuesday night’s game against the Florida Panthers at the BB&T Center. Guenin will partner with Nick Holden on the third pairing.
Gormley, who got rave reviews after his club debut last Wednesday in a 1-0 overtime loss to Columbus, was minus-1 in 19:37 in Saturday’s 4-3 loss to the visiting Columbus Blue Jackets. Roy said Gormley needs more coaching from defensive specialist Dave Farrish.
Gormley was scratched in Colorado’s first five games.
Pick 6:
“He played really well the first game. Didn’t play well the second game,” Roy said from the BB&T Center. “I think he needs to work with Dave. We want more consistency from him. He’s a young defenseman and a nice project for Dave. I look forward to see him improve. He has great intention, works hard.”
Defenseman Tyson Barrie returns from a three-game suspension against the Panthers and Colorado’s other scratch will be defenseman Brad Stuart. All of the Avs’ 12 forwards will be in the lineup and goalie Reto Berra will start in net.
Mike Chambers: mchambers@denverpost.com or @mikechambers
