Congratulations to Avalanche forward Matt Duchene, who was selected on Wednesday to play in the Jan. 31 NHL All-Star Game in Nashville. He's happy, of course, but for now is more concerned about getting a win against St. Louis tonight at the Pepsi Center.
"We need to take care of business tonight," he said.
His All-Star Game comments are below.
In an unexpected move, coach Patrick Roy said after the morning skate that defenseman Andrew Bodnarchuk, who was claimed off waivers Tuesday from Columbus, will be paired with Francois Beauchemin against the Blues.
How long it lasts is anyone's guess.
Bodnarchuk, who has two assists in 21 career NHL games, is replacing Erik Johnson, who is expected to miss between five and 12 days with the lower-body injury he sustained Monday against Los Angeles. Bodnarchuk took part in the morning skate Wednesday.
"I'm excited," said Bodnarchuk, who would have been assigned to the Cleveland-based Lake Erie Monsters if he hadn't been claimed. "With the amount of bodies they had in Columbus and one-way contracts and stuff of that nature I was really happy to be up in the NHL, so I was really disappointed when I knew I was getting sent back to the AHL to get some games under my belt there.
"At the end of the day, I want to play in the NHL. I'm excited and I was fortunate to be here in Denver. They're giving me an opportunity and that's all you really want. I know a couple guys are banged up now, so there's an opportunity for me to get into the lineup and play and show what I can do. The rest is up to me."
The 5-foot-11, 196-pound Bodnarchuk, 27, had two assists in 16 games with the Blue Jackets this season, with two goals and six assists in 14 games with Lake Erie. He was at the airport Tuesday getting ready to board a flight to Milwaukee to join the Monsters when he learned that an NHL team had put in a claim for him.
"My bags and sticks were checked and I was going through security when I found out from my agent," Bodnarchuk said. "He said a team was going to pick me up, but he didn't know who. I was able to get my stuff off the plane."
Roy said Tuesday that Avalanche scouts recommended Bodnarchuk with Johnson and Brad Stuart (back) out with injuries. He also said it's best for young prospects like Chris Bigras and Duncan Siemens to stay with the San Antonio Rampage and gain experience rather than to call them up and play sparingly.
"We'll see how it goes," Roy said. "Playing with Beauchemin is going to help him a lot. He's going to talk to him and make him comfortable. We'll go from there and we'll see. I have no expectations. I just want him to play hard for us. We're all curious to see what he's going to bring to our team. It's for depth and I think he's going to help us."
Bodnarchuk, in his ninth season as a pro, believes he's capable of playing in the NHL after spending time in the Boston and Los Angeles systems before signing with Columbus as a free agent last summer.
"It was definitely a longer wait than (for) most people and I'm definitely glad I hung around North America (rather than going to Europe)," he said. "I'm going to keep it simple. I'm a smaller guy, but I compete really hard. I'm strong for my size, I'm physical and I like to engage. Skating is definitely my biggest asset and I'll try to use that to get the puck to the forwards' hands as quick as possible. I'm a puck-moving guy with good skating. Hopefully I can show that here."
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Duchene will be making his second All-Star Game appearance, having been selected in 2011 for the game in Raleigh when he was 19.
"It's always an honor," said Duchene, who has 18 goals and 15 assists in 40 games. "We have a lot of guys on this team who easily could have been named as well. It's an honor to represent my teammates and the organization."
This year's game will be a 3-on-3 format with teams from each of the four divisions.
"I'm excited for it," Duchene said. "I think it makes it more like a game than 5-on-5 would have been. I think it's going to be a good time."
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Roy said the Avalanche isn't planning to bring up power forward Mikko Rantanen from San Antonio this season, as well as he's been playing with 10 goals and 16 assists in 22 games.
Rantanen, 19, was the team's first-round pick (No. 10) in 2015 and captained Finland, which defeated Russia for the gold medal in the World Junior Championships.
"I'm not saying there's no chance he will be called up here and there, but I'd be very surprised if he came in and played regularly for us," Roy said. "Right now we have our guys and I'm comfortable with our lineup. I believe he needs a year in the minors to learn our style of play, smaller ice, and I think he'll benefit a lot from it."