The Avalanche ended their preseason on Saturday. One of their former defensemen was waived with four years remaining on his contract. Also, the Tampa Bay Lightning and Florida Panthers had another fight-filled preseason game.
All that and more on this edition of Deen’s Daily — October 5.
Colorado Hockey Now
The preseason ended for Colorado on Saturday, falling 3-2 to the Dallas Stars in a game where most of the top guys did not dress in preparation for Tuesday’s season opener.
Now that it’s all over, here’s my projected lineup for that game against the Los Angeles Kings. We’ll get one more practice date on Monday before the team boards a flight.
READ MORE: Preseason is Over. Here’s My Projected Avalanche Opening Night Lineup
In the preseason finale, Sean Behrens appeared to suffer an injury. It would be a tough break for him given how last season went.
READ MORE: Sean Behrens Leaves Avalanche Preseason Finale Early
Around The NHL
Pittsburgh Hockey Now:Â Speaking of Behrens, did you know he was drafted with the second-round draft pick the Avalanche received for Ryan Graves in a trade with New Jersey?
Graves is now on the Penguins and is two years into a six-year deal paying him $4.5 million per season. Things have gone terribly for him since joining the Pens. Now, he’s on waivers after getting cut by a team that’s primed for a lottery pick.
Florida Hockey Now: It was fight night in Florida again between the cross-state rivals. I know there was a lot of carry over from the AJ Greer and Brandon Hagel stuff from the other day. But, why in the world are Jon Cooper and Paul Maurice allowing this to happen again in a preseason game? Sure, they’re both resting their top players, but even guys like Niko Mikkola and Carter Verhaeghe are in the middle of this mess, and those are guys you cannot afford to see get injured before the regular season begins if you’re Florida.
Boston Hockey Now: I’ve been following Boston’s roster all camp because I’m constantly blown away by how different that team looks from years past.
