Avalanche Wrap: Bellemare Returns; Limited Lehkonen

DENVER – Avalanche hockey officially returned last week. Yeah, maybe it’s just the rookies, but it’s better than nothing. This week, the veterans will report to camp on Thursday, with media day taking place on Wednesday. Until then, here’s a look back at the most relevant stories from last week.

Monday

I didn’t need to tell you to look for Calum Ritchie in the rookie tournament, is there was no point in mentioning his name. Beyond him, Ivan Ivan is a guy to keep an eye on.

Tuesday

Time to be optimistic. Later in the week, we looked at major concerns heading into the season, but on Tuesday, we looked at some things to look forward to, including a full season with Casey Mittelstadt.

If you’re going to be at Ball Arena on opening night, be prepared to celebrate the season that was from Nathan MacKinnon.

Wednesday

4C isn’t the most important position on the team, but the Avalanche were certainly missing one heading into camp. Did they find one with a PTO for Pierre-Edouard Bellemare?

Now for the negativity. It’s not all rainbows and sunshine, but here were three concerns heading into the season, with an obvious one – goaltending.

Thursday

Once an Avalanche, always an Avalanche, and the organization is certainly happy that Dan Hinote is back.

Nathan MacKinnon is great on the ice, but Nikolai Kovalenko revealed he was surprised at his demeanor off the ice after everything he had heard.

Friday

Yes, he’s still skating, and no, I don’t know exactly what it means. When camp opens on Thursday, what will be the situation with Gabriel Landeskog?

MacKinnon spilled the beans at the NHL Media Tour, but the Avalanche might be opening the regular season without Artturi Lehkonen. At the very least, we know he’ll be limited when camp opens.

Saturday

All the players you wanted to show up on the scoresheet did just that in Colorado’s first rookie game, and then they got a night off in game two, including Calum Ritchie.