Avalanche executive vice president of hockey operations Joe Sakic and coach Patrick Roy, who's also VP of hockey operations, aren't sounding like the team will make much of a splash before Wednesday's NHL trading deadline.
"Chemistry is great on this team," Sakic said. "It's a great dressing room. And for us, what we'll do -- if we do nothing, we'll be happy. If we can improve our team and have that vision where whatever move we do is going to be good here in the next two-three years, we'll try to make our team better. If it's status quo, we'll be happy with that as well."
Roy earlier told a local radio station that he expected the team to stand pat and he reiterated that stance after practice Thursday. "I feel really comfortable with our team," he said.
As an aside, the trade embargo involving forward Ryan O'Reilly expires Friday, but it's likely he'll be signing a new deal over the summer. O'Reilly signed a two-year, $10 million offer sheet tendered by Calgary last Feb. 28 and the Avalanche matched it. Players in that situation can't be traded for one calendar year. O'Reilly has scored a career-high 22 goals and is tied with rookie Nathan MacKinnon for the team lead in that department.
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Fourth-line center and penalty killer Marc-Andre Cliche has signed a two-year, $1.4 million contract extension through the 2015-16 season. Not bad for a waiver pickup who spent all but one NHL game in the minors the previous six seasons with the Los Angeles organization. He has one goal and five assists in 53 games.
"It's unreal," Cliche said. "We got a call during the break from Joe. He called my agent and we got what happened (Wednesday). I'm so excited. It felt really good and everybody is happy back home."
Defenseman Nate Guenin, who was signed as a free agent and was expected to start the year in the minors, made the team from the start and on Jan. 7 signed a two-year, $1.6 million extension through 2015-16. He has five assists in 47 games and has blocked 99 shots, second on the Avalanche behind Jan Hejda's 104 blocks.
"We're happy with these two guys," Roy said. "You need depth players like these guys. They're important players on our team."
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Congratulations to forward Max Talbot and his fiancee Cynthia Phaneuf, who early Thursday morning gave birth to a boy, the couple's first child. Talbot will return to the lineup Friday against Phoenix. He didn't play Wednesday in the Avalanche's 6-4 loss to the Kings and was excused from practice Thursday.
Center John Mitchell (groin) didn't practice but is expected to play against the Coyotes.
Semyon Varlamov will start in goal.
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PA Parenteau used the Olympics break to rest his knee and recharge for the final 6 1-2 weeks of the regular season and playoffs. He also spent time in The Bahamas with his family, along with Jean-Sebastien Giguere and his family.
"With all the (trade) rumors and all the stuff that was going on, it was good for me to go away for a bit and regroup and come back stronger," Parenteau said Thursday. "I feel a lot better in my mind. It's totally positive for me."
Parenteau, who is in the second year of a four-year, $16 million contract, has 11 goals and 18 assists in 47 games after collecting a team-high 18 goals in 48 games last season. He and Matt Duchene led the Avalanche in scoring with 43 points.
Parenteau missed 10 games with a knee injury he sustained Dec. 29 in a game against Winnipeg and returned earlier than expected Jan. 21 against Toronto. He had one assist in three games, was scratched for the next two games, and had a goal and two assists in the final five games before the break while trade rumors made the rounds.
"My knee is 100 percent now," he said. "It wasn't when I came back, but I wanted to play. I got cleared by the doctor and maybe I forced things a little bit. Now I'm good to go and it's fine. A guy like me not being used in the top six (forwards) and not having the season I'm supposed to have or I want to have, (rumors are) going to happen. But I want to stay here. I love it here. We are going to have a great team for years and I want to be a part of it. I feel like I'm going to have a real good last 23 (games). I want to prove I belong on the top line."
Playing on a line with O'Reilly and Duchene on Wednesday, Parenteau scored a first-period goal off a nice pass from Duchene and finished with three shots in 18:03 of ice time.
"It's nice to be back on a top line," he said. "That's where I'm most comfortable and where I've played all my life. Hopefully it's going to stay like that. For me it's a new start after the break. It's not the season I wanted so far. I'm going to try and make the best of it in the next 23 games and playoffs. I think we can be really dangerous, that line."
Roy's critique of Parenteau: "I was happy with his play. I thought he scored a nice goal and went to the net. That's what we've been asking him to do. I think he just needs a little more confidence. In the third period he had a good chance -- a one-timer and bang, it should have been gone and he probably would have scored. Instead he held onto the puck and it was blocked. Once he starts putting those in, he'll get more confidence."