Mikkel Boedker may be new to Colorado, but it’s safe to say that he’s excited for a fresh start.
Boedker’s former team, the Arizona Coyotes, is slowly seeing itself out of contention for a playoff spot. The fact that he is now on a team that is still in the race to make the playoffs is certainly a major factor in Boedker being content to be in Colorado.
“New rink, new dressing room, new everything, so a lot of excitement. It’s exciting to be in a playoff race and it’s exciting to be part of a team that’s really aiming high,” Boedker said Thursday after his first morning skate at Pepsi Center. “Hopefully we can beat out Minnesota for that last Wild Card spot.”
Along with the excitement of being in contention to reach the Stanley Cup playoffs, Boedker also enjoys the line head coach Patrick Roy has him on as of now. With Nathan MacKinnon in the middle and Gabe Landeskog on the opposite side, Boedker likes what they bring together.
Being a player that brings a lot of speed himself, Boedker says he’s never played with someone as fast as MacKinnon.
“He can really move when he gets going,” Boedker said. “Obviously he’s skilled, powerful and crafty so there’s a lot of excitement playing with him.
“With Gabe, he’s a hard-nose player, he goes in to the dirty areas. Last game we played well together, so hopefully we come out and we can do it again.”
And playing for Roy is a nice bonus, too.
“It’s fun. He is a what-you-see-is-what-you-get kind of deal. He plays a fun style of hockey. So far it’s been a pleasure and should be a lot of fun.”
With all of the excitement Mikkel Boedker brings, he also adds speed and power-play effectiveness. Of his 40 points so far this season, 19 of them have been on the power play. While the Avs power play hasn’t exactly been awful, it never hurts to add a scoring threat during the man advantage.
Coach Roy has already put Boedker on the first power-play unit, placing him in a “quarterback” role, setting up the power play from the right side half-wall. In his one game with the Avalanche, he already tallied a power-play assist on Jarome Iginla’s goal in the first period against Minnesota.
On the other side of the spectrum, Boedker’s statistics during five-on-five play have been heavily criticized throughout the year. At a minus-30 plus/minus rating this season, Boedker certainly has a part of his game in need of improvement. Perhaps a reenergized Boedker and all of his excitement surrounding the move and his new team can help him find an improved five-on-five game.
With 17 games remaining in the regular season, Mikkel Boedker has a short stretch to prove that the Avalanche did right in trading for him. As an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year, he will certainly have to earn the contract he’s asking for, whether it is with Colorado or elsewhere.
It’s reported that his unwillingness to sign in Arizona had a little to do with the offer amount, which was suspected to be about five-years at $5 million per year, but more so to do with being on a playoff contending team.
His excitement to be in Colorado seems more than just the common athlete’s response to media when joining a new team. He truly is excited to be on the Avalanche with a team that has a shot at making some noise. Boedker’s contributions and reenergized excitement could be just the thing to push the Avs over that playoff picture hump.
The Avalanche play four consecutive home games beginning Thursday night against the Florida Panthers. This will be followed by visits from the Nashville Predators, the Arizona Coyotes and the Anaheim Ducks. Colorado will then set off on a countering four-game road trip, all of which will be against Canadian teams.
They’ll need as many points as they can get in this tight playoff race.
