Matt Duchene wasn’t in attendance when Colorado Avalanche players began pre-training camp captain’s practices on Tuesday, according to the Denver Post.
Duchene, who has been linked to trade rumours since last season, attended a wedding in Vail, Colo., over the weekend.
“I talked a little bit with Dutchy. He’s not here. That’s not a secret,” Avalanche captain Gabe Landeskog said to Mike Chambers of The Denver Post. “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.”
Centre Nathan MacKinnon along with defenceman Nikita Zadorov also weren’t in attendance. Zadorov is currently an unsigned restricted free agent.
Rookie camp begins on Friday and veterans aren’t mandated to report to camp until Sept. 14. Approximately 22 players were in attendance on Tuesday.
“Nobody has to be here, but it’s a tradition that everybody gets in early, shows up (for captain’s skates) and is excited to get going,” Landeskog said. “For whatever reason, (Duchene is) 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. Ultimately, we all want to figure out a solution to this problem — that’s what we’re really excited about, and what we’re looking to do.”
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