Deen's Daily
Deen’s Daily: Avs’ Olausson Cut; P.K. Subban Is Angry
Oskar Olausson has never had a better chance to make the Avalanche’s roster full-time. And instead of taking advantage of it, the 21-year-old let a giant opportunity slip.
The Avs’ 2021 first-round pick was among five roster cuts on Sunday. Colorado is still carrying 40 skaters, and for him to be cut this early speaks volumes of what the organization feels about his development.
Careers aren’t often linear, and some first-round picks take longer to find their stride. But it’s hard to see a reality where Olausson gets another chance with the Avs as big as this — not with Calum Ritchie looking like he belongs at 19 years old.
And even if Ritchie doesn’t make the team and plays another season in the OHL, head coach Jared Bednar will probably rely on some of his more experienced AHL options to fill out roles at the bottom of the lineup. Call-ups don’t usually play offensive roles for the Avs, so a T.J. Tynan might make more sense when Colorado needs a last-minute forward.
This was probably Olausson’s chance. At least for this season.
Around The NHL
Montreal Canadiens: Patrik Laine suffered a brutal injury in Saturday’s preseason contest against the Toronto Maple Leafs. The star forward, who’s looking to reset his career with the Habs, was knocked out of the game early in the first period after a knee-on-knee hit from Cedric Pare. The play was met with frustration from former Montreal superstar P.K. Subban.
“Cedric Pare, I didn’t go to the game last night to watch him play. I paid admission to go watch Patrik Laine play,” Subban said.
Pittsburgh Hockey Now: Erik Karlsson did not skate this past weekend after suffering an injury in preseason action. Head coach Mike Sullivan was asked for an update on the veteran defenseman’s status.
Philadelphia Hockey Now: Checking in on the Flyers, who are one of the more fun teams to watch in preseason. Yes, the team coached by John Tortorella. And you can thank young Matvei Michkov for that.
New Jersey Hockey Now: It’s crazy to think that the New Jersey Devils and Buffalo Sabres are playing regular season hockey on Friday. The two teams are headed to Prague for the NHL Global Series, which means their training camp roster cuts came quicker than the rest of the league.
Seamus Casey, 20, is among the 27 players on the Devils’ opening night roster. The former Michigan Wolverines star had a strong training camp.
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Artturi Lehkonen Not Expected Back for Several Weeks
Notebook: Is the Avalanche’s Front Office Running Low on Patience?
Avalanche Roster Cut to 30: Final Battles Remain
Avalanche Cut Oskar Olausson, 4 Others on Sunday
Deen’s Daily: Avs’ Olausson Cut; P.K. Subban Is Angry
Avalanche release Pierre Edouard Bellemare from his PTO
Preseason Observations: Avalanche Adjust Lines as Mittelstadt Debuts, Injuries Challenge Depth
Hopefully Laine’s injury is not as bad as it looked. I understand Subban’s anger, but it is misplaced. The NHL does not respect superstars. It respects the hitting. If Subban thinks Pare’s hit was illegal, then he should focus his anger at NHL Player Safety for not punishing him. The only punishment was on Xhekaj for $3,385, for beating up on Pare.
Not here to defend DoPS at all. I think PK’s point is that guys like Pare, the 173 pick in the 2017 draft, who are trying to get noticed with big hits and aggressive play are dangerous for stars to be around. DoPS can’t deter that very much for guys desperate to make the team or get a call up later in the season. I’d like to see a change that allows teams to dress more players than the usual 20 for preseason games. Teams can then rotate players between periods allowing top guys to get some game speed action… Read more »
Kind of hilarious that a player as dirty as PK Subban would be complaining about the hit. I remember him blatantly elbowing MacKinnon in the head in a playoff game because he was having a good game.
Can’t hardly stand to listen to an intermission of a NHL game that PK is doing commentary for. The guy is a jack ass