Will he or won't he? Will Matt Duchene report to the Pepsi Center on Thursday for medicals and physical testing when the Avalanche officially begin training camp for the 2017-18 season?
I actually thought he might show up and play Tuesday in the Avalanche's annual charity golf tournament at The Ridge at Castle Pines North.
Nope.
Duchene also was the only veteran under contract who didn't take part in the team's voluntary practices last week, so maybe his no-show Tuesday is a sign that he doesn't plan on reporting as scheduled, that he's just tired of all the trade talk and wants out.
General manager Joe Sakic is in San Jose and wasn't available. He's watching the rookies in the round-robin tournament with the Sharks, Coyotes and Ducks that was to end later Tuesday.
“He’s under contract and I expect him to (report) on the 14th,… Sakic told BSN Denver over the weekend. “He doesn’t have to be here ’til the 14th. Not everybody always come to camp early. It’s not for me to (say), but I assume on the 14th, he’ll be here.…
Players have been saying -- on the record, at least -- that the practices and the golf outing were optional, that they're basically taking a wait-and-see attitude.
"We don't have to report until Thursday, so ... nothing to say," Nathan MacKinnon said Tuesday morning. "I assume he will (report). Until he's not, there's nothing to say. I don’t know what’s going on.…
Defenseman Nikita Zadorov was another no-show Tuesday, but he's an unsigned restricted free agent. He could wind up in his native Russia playing in the Kontinental Hockey League.
*****
MacKinnon said the Avalanche should relish their status as underdogs following last season's disastrous 48-point finish.
"I'm really excited, actually," he said. "It's cool that we have a lot of young and hungry guys. Just watching them, they're very talented, these kids. Coming out of junior and college and the AHL, San Antonio, or wherever they played, they look great. They're working really hard.
"It's weird for me being older than some of the guys," said MacKinnon, who turned 22 on Sept. 1. "I've been the young guy for four years and it's nice to take on more of a leadership role. I was in their position just a couple of years ago and I know what it's like. Whatever advice I can pass along, I'll be glad to do so."
MacKinnon spent most of the offseason at his home in the Halifax, Nova Scotia, area. It's been customary for him to work out with Pittsburgh star Sidney Crosby, a trend that continued.
"We have the same trainer, so we see a lot of each other," he said. "We push each other good in the gym. It's obviously a treat working out with him."
Like his teammates, MacKinnon is coming off a down season and looking forward to making amends.
"I think it's going to be a good year for the team and myself," said MacKinnon, who had 16 goals and 53 points while playing in all 82 games. "I think we're going to surprise a lot of people. After a bad season, you always want to come back hungry.
"It's going to be better than last year. We're going to embrace the underdog role. It's good, there's no pressure on us. No one thinks we're going to do well. It's understandable after what we did last year, but we're out to prove to ourselves that we're a good hockey team, that we're good hockey players and to build toward something."