During his Media Day press conference, while saying that Gabriel Landeskog would remain captain, Colorado Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar stated that who would serve as alternate captains would be evaluated, implying that changes may be coming. On Thursday, those changes did indeed come.
The Avalanche announced on Thursday that Francois Beauchemin, Matt Duchene and Nathan MacKinnon will serve as alternate captains for the upcoming campaign. Beauchemin will serve full-time. Duchene and MacKinnon will rotate, with Duchene wearing the “A” for the season opener on Saturday.
Entering his second season with the Avalanche, Beauchemin has previously served as an alternate captain for both the Anaheim Ducks and Toronto Maple Leafs. A veteran of 755 NHL games, the 36-year-old blueliner is one of two Avalanche players to have won a Stanley Cup (Ben Smith is the other).
Duchene and MacKinnon will both be new to the gig. Entering his eighth NHL season, the 25-year-old Duchene led the Avalanche in scoring last year, with 30 goals and 59 points. The 21-year-old MacKinnon is entering his fourth NHL campaign, after being selected first overall in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft.
The trio will inherit the official leadership roles from Cody McLeod (who is the longest-tenured Avalanche) and Jarome Iginla (who has the most NHL experience on the team).