Avalanche encounters COVID-19 concerns to begin on-ice training camp

Avalanche free-agent extent signings Stefan Matteau and Roland McKeown are successful COVID-19 protocol and did not enactment successful Thursday’s archetypal time of on-ice grooming camp, which ended with timed end-to-end conditioning drills astatine Family Sports Center.

Following the 2 greeting sessions, Avs manager Jared Bednar said Matteau, a forward, and McKeown, a defenseman, some tested affirmative but are adjacent the extremity of their recovery.

“I don’t similar losing those guys, adjacent for a time oregon 2 of grooming camp, but Matteau is cleared but helium hasn’t done thing for 7 days truthful we’re conscionable moving him out,” said Bednar, who noted Wednesday that the full campy roster volition yet beryllium vaccinated. “We’ll get him connected the crystal and get him up to speed. I hatred to enactment him successful the first-day skate similar that aft 7 days disconnected and person him propulsion something. So that’s much precautionary. McKeown is simply a mates days down him.”

Matteau and McKeown some signed humble one-year, two-way contracts successful July to assistance implicit the Colorado Eagles’ AHL roster and supply extent options for the Avs.

Top brace successful red. Devon Toews and Cale Makar, the Avs’ top-pair defensemen past season, were some successful reddish non-contact sweaters Thursday. Toews, who underwent offseason enarthrosis surgery, skated with a skills manager portion Makar, a 2021 Norris Trophy finalist, partnered with Sam Girard successful the afloat 26-man archetypal session.

Bednar said Makar “had a procedure” to his precocious assemblage precocious but is not expected to miss immoderate signifier oregon his appointed preseason games.

“He truly doesn’t person thing that’s ailing him astatine this point, I conscionable don’t privation to get him successful interaction drills wherever he’s getting deed and everything. Just excessively early,” Bednar said. “There’s a batch of guys retired determination that are going to effort and propulsion to get noticed. We don’t privation guys moving into him awkwardly.”

O.C.’s three-year extension. Right winger Logan O’Connor, who is nether declaration astatine a $725,000 headdress deed this season, signed a three-year hold worthy $3.15 cardinal Wednesday. The erstwhile University of Denver standout mightiness person got much wealth arsenic a restricted escaped cause adjacent summer. But the 25-year-old went for the disposable term, locking him up done 2024-25.

“The information happening is massive,” O’Connor said Thursday. “I’ve been fortunate capable to telephone Denver location for my seventh twelvemonth now, betwixt DU, the Eagles and here. And the fans and the metropolis I love, it’s my location distant from location now, truthful that’s a large portion of it. And past the different broadside of things, we got a bully squad and a accidental to vie present successful the adjacent future. So those 2 things were decidedly the biggest factors successful deciding to fastener it down for (three) years.”

Footnotes. Veteran defenseman Erik Johnson, who played successful conscionable 4 games past play due to the fact that of caput and limb injuries, skated with a tinted visor — often utilized by those recovering from a concussion. Johnson, 33, partnered with rookie Bo Byram, 20. They could go the oldest and youngest players connected the opening-night roster, though determination are older and younger players successful camp. … The Avs added Gabriel Fontaine to the campy roster successful a nonrecreational tryout contract. Fontaine, 24, is simply a fifth-year pro from the New York Rangers organization.