Long Weekend Brunch: How many 20 goal scorers will the Avalanche have?

The Avs

The Colorado Avalanche will be hosting their 6th annual Equipment drive next Saturday! “Event co-founders, Kroenke Sports Charities and A Precious Child, invite the community to support underprivileged children in their desire to participate in sports by donating new and gently-used sports equipment.” [Mile High Hockey]

Matt Duchene and the Colorado Avalanche need a fresh start and the fact that the team’s star center is still on the roster is “a bummer,” according the Greg Wyshynski of Puck Daddy Sports. “[Duchene] deserves better than skating into a hockey purgatory, waiting for his general manager to accept an ante from another team. Waiting for the next step in a career that needs a change in scenery.” [Puck Daddy]

The Avs have some young players with high end talent. How many of them will be able to hit 20+ goals? Have your say in our Bold Predictions post. “It will be a slow process getting the team and its offense back on track.” [Mile High Hockey]

The Prospects

The Tri-City Storm of the USHL have named Colorado Avalanche draft pick Nate Clurman to their preseason roster. The defenseman was a 6th round pick of the Avs in 2016.

The Game

One seven-year-old Calgarian refuses to put on a jersey featuring the Chicago Blackhawks logo on it calling it “discriminatory” to her Indigenous family. “It’s a decision that means, due to zoning restrictions for the league by Hockey Calgary, that she will miss what would have been her first season in competitive hockey.”

This is a discussion that has happened in the NFL with Washington’s team name. Will we see a team re-brand of an Original Six team from this? Time will tell. If they do, I hope they choose this logo, it looks fantastic. [Puck Daddy]

Anthony Duclair and the Arizona Coyotes agree to a one-year $1.2 million contract. Duclair is the final RFA that the Coyotes had to lock up. “Duclair had a very rough season last year playing 58 games for the Coyotes and only scoring 5 goals and 10 assists for 15 points. A massive under achievement from his rookie season of 81 games played with 20 goals and 24 assists for 44 points in 2015-16. Duclair’s shooting percentage was down from his first year to second year by more than ten percent, which could be why he struggled last season.” [Five for Howling]

Fun exercise for the comments: tell us how much you’re missing hockey right now!