Avalanche defenseman is coming off two off-season hip surgeries and was originally not expected to return to the lineup until December. But he’s surprisingly a candidate to play Thursday against Boston at the .
Cole, 30, was officially cleared Wednesday and met the media for the first time this season after practice.
“The motivation is certainly there,” Cole said of getting back. “My job this summer — since (May) 20, when I got the first (surgery) — my whole summer for the past five months was to rehab and get back healthy as quickly as possible. It wasn’t to go on vacations, go to the beach and enjoy the summer. It was to rehab and get better as quickly as possible. That was my sole goal this summer and I think you’re seeing kind of the results of that.”
Avs coach will choose between Cole or fellow veteran to slide into the lineup and partner with on the third pairing against Boston. Graves played the first two games with rookie , who was reassigned to the Colorado Eagles of the American Hockey League on Monday.
“We’ve got tough decisions every night, as to who’s playing and who’s not going to play, especially early in the year here when the bulk of our players are healthy or getting healthy,” Bednar said.
Cole believes he’s ready but also realizes Barberio is a good option. To begin this week, the Avs said Cole was doubtful for Thursday. Cole says his movement has drastically improved since playing with two bad hips last season.
“Way more range of motion,” Cole said. “Way better — and hopefully way better for a very long period of time.”
Footnotes. Third-line center will not play Thursday because of a lower-body injury. Bednar said Compher hasn’t skated for four days. He will be replaced by , who had been playing left wing on the second line. Jost will skate with and , the latter of whom was a healthy scratch in the first two games. … Second-line center will face the Bruins for the first time since Game 2 of the first-round playoff series last spring in which Kadri, who was playing for the , was suspended for the rest of the series for cross-checking Boston’s Jake DeBrusk in the face.
