Postgame Avs Notebook: Dan Renouf making a name for himself

Hey, I’ll admit it: I didn’t really know who the heck Dan Renouf was when the Avalanche signed him to a free-agent, two-way contract in 2019 and what I knew about him even as little as two weeks ago could have been put in a thimble and would have rattled around noisily if shaken. I’m sure I’m not alone here.

For nine games now, however, I’ve gotten to see Dan Renouf play, and darned if he hasn’t made a good impression. I’m sure I’m not alone there either in thinking that.

When Cale Makar and Bo Byram both went down to injury, in the past 2-3 weeks, the 26-year-old from Pickering, Ontario, was given a chance to show his stuff. It’s never an easy thing, though; you’re a guy plucked from the minors, with little to no experience, and you’re expected to make a good impression just playing a few minutes a game. Renouf, though, has done a great job and now, for the first time – save for a one-game stint with the Detroit Red Wings nearly five seasons ago – he has something of a real NHL resume, an actual body of work to show others.