Deen's Daily
Deen’s Daily: Bellemare is Captain France; Red Wings Youth Injection
One of the Avs’ more popular former teammates gets to don the ‘C’ in Italy. Also, the Red Wings need to commit to a youth injection this season, and one prospect could be a savvy addition if all goes well at training camp.
All that and more on this edition of Deen’s Daily — August 8.
Colorado Hockey Now
The Avalanche know that they’ll at least have Cale Makar, Nathan MacKinnon, Gabe Landeskog, and Martin Necas representing them at the upcoming Winter Olympics. There’s a huge chance that Landeskog will captain Team Sweden.
You can also expect Artturi Lehkonen and Devon Toews to be there. Outside shot for Mackenzie Blackwood. If Russia was participating, Valeri Nichushkin would be a staple on their forward group.
But one other former Avs center will also be there. Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, who participated in Colorado’s training camp last September, is leading Team France to its first Winter Olympics appearance in 24 years.
And he gets to do it as team captain.
READ MORE: Former Avs Center Achieves Life-Long Dream — Awarded Captaincy for Winter Olympics
Check out the second half of my early August mailbag. Are Jared Bednar and Chris MacFarland facing pressure heading into the 2025-26 season?
Around The NHL
Detroit Hockey Now: The Red Wings need a youth injection like it’s nobodies business. And they’re probably going to get that this year with Todd McLellan leading the way at training camp.
Last year, McLellan elevated the role of Marco Kasper and he took off. The Red Wings have a bevy of high-profile prospects and draft picks that can make an impact at the NHL level at some point. How many will get a shot this year? More importantly, is their 2024 first-round draft pick a dark horse to make the opening night roster?
Philly Hockey Now: The Flyers didn’t trade Rasmus Ristolainen last season. They still have Travis Sanheim locked up, Jamie Drysdale in a full-time role and other young blueliners vying for minutes. Is their defense good enough to compete?
Florida Hockey Now: The Stanley Cup celebration tour continues for the Florida Panthers. And this time, it’s an appearance for two of their veterans on Good Morning America.
