Avalanche veteran John Mitchell has the IQ to play center in the NHL, and he clearly understands the breakout system new coach Jared Bednar is trying to establish. Mitchell likened it to football, with the defensemen serving as quarterbacks and the forwards as the receivers.
A setup D-to-D pass is the only time Bednar wants the puck moving sideways on the breakout.
“He wants us on routes — like football to a certain extent,” Mitchell said of Bednar after the first day of training camp Friday. “He’s like, ‘When we go D-to-D, I want everybody going this way.