I'm out of town helping our daughter get moved into her college apartment, but the Denver Post's Mike Chambers reported that Matt Duchene wasn't among the group of Avalanche players who took part in an unofficial on-ice workout at the team practice facility on Tuesday.
Veterans aren't required to report for training camp until Sept. 14, when they undergo medical and physical tests before hitting the ice with the coaches the following day.
Nathan MacKinnon and Nikita Zadorov also were absent. MacKinnon is in New York representing the Avalanche at the NHL's annual media tour. Zadorov is a restricted free agent and remains unsigned.
The never-ending topic is whether Duchene, who attended a wedding in Vail, Colo., on Saturday, will be traded before camp opens. “I talked a little bit with Dutchy," Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog told the paper. "He’s not here, that’s not a secret. But we’ll have to wait and see. As of right now, he’s a part of the Avalanche organization and we all expect him to be here when training camp starts. I don’t really know what else to tell you right now.
"Nobody has to be here, but it’s a tradition that everybody gets in early, shows up and is excited to get going. For whatever reason, he's not here. But I know everybody that’s here right now, we’re all excited to be part of this team and we’re all excited to get going with the season."
The Avalanche finished with a league-worst 48 points last season and have missed the playoffs three consecutive years.
Goalie Semyon Varlamov, who is coming off hip and groin surgeries, and new backup Jonathan Bernier practiced.
Aside from Landeskog, the forwards who practiced were Sven Andrighetto, Joe Colborne, Blake Comeau, J.T. Compher, Rocco Grimaldi, Tyson Jost, Matt Nieto, Mikko Rantanen, Carl Soderberg, Colin Wilson and Nail Yakupov.
The defensemen were Mark Barberio, Tyson Barrie, Chris Bigras, Jared Cowen, Mason Geertsen, Erik Johnson, Duncan Siemens and David Warsofsky.