‘It’s Honestly A Privilege’: Ross Colton Ready To Do It All For The Avalanche (+)

Ross Colton appears to be adjusting to life with the Colorado Avalanche, and most importantly, with his new teammates, just fine.

As I sat on the other side of his stall, asking exactly how the adjustment has gone after about a month in Colorado, a large smirk came to his face.

“Yeah, Tomas here has been great! Flying around!” Colton said with a laugh.

The Tomas he’s referring to is Tatar, his neighbor to the right in the locker room, and one of two linemates he’s been attached to since day one of training camp. Tatar couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Burgundy line!” Colton exclaimed.

Colton is set to center the third line for the Avalanche to start the year, flanked by Tatar and Miles Wood, but if all goes according to plan, his role won’t end there.

“Ross, I see, as a little bit of a J.T. Compher-like Swiss Army knife that can do a little bit of everything,” Jared Bednar said after practice on Wednesday. “He can add grit to the skill, and play with skill. He did in Tampa.”

Compher, of course, signed in Detroit over the summer, and needed to be replaced. The versatile center played in every situation for the Avalanche, logging heavy minutes for the team. The organization sees Colton replacing a lot of what Compher did, which means a lot of playing time.

Colton’s response?

Bring it on.