Deen's Daily
Deen’s Daily: Reflecting on Avalanche’s Road Trip; MacFarland Has Flexibility; Saad Suddenly Available

Should Chris MacFarland be trusted following the Mikko Rantanen deal? Brandon Saad is suddenly available after agreeing to walk away from millions. Also, a reflection of the Avalanche’s road trip.
All that and more on this edition of Deen’s Daily — January 30.
Colorado Hockey Now
After having several days to sit down and really take in the Rantanen trade, I finally had a chance to collect my thoughts on what it all means. Two things could be true: Rantanen will be missed. He’s a superstar in the league and someone who probably should’ve remained in Colorado for his entire career. And, the gutsy move was one that also made sense in several ways for the Avs.
My thoughts on this are aplenty. In fact, it’s more than 1400 words worth of thoughts on where the Avalanche go from here. You can read it all below, behind the CHN+ paywall.
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Rantanen Deal Signals Change: Why MacFarland Should Be Rewarded With Patience (+)
Also, a former Avalanche winger agreed to terminate his contract with hopes of finding a better fit on a Stanley Cup contender. Should the Avs bring him back?
Catch my reflection piece on the three-game road trip that concluded on Tuesday. The Avs played well all throughout but returned home with only two of a possible six points.
Around the NHL
Pittsburgh Hockey Now: Utah Hockey Club is the latest franchise to play victim to the greatness that is Sidney Crosby.
Montreal Hockey Now: Habs prospect Ivan Demidov is making history.
Philadelphia Hockey Now: Philly got whooped by the Devils and Samuel Ersson was pulled on the same day he was announced as Jacob Markstrom’s replacement for Team Sweden at the 4 Nations Faceoff.
New Jersey Hockey Now: Solid performance by Jake Allen. Who, obviously has taken over the crease given the injury to Markstrom.