Loyalty is one of the great illusions in pro sports, where the love between team and player is always conditional, forever tenuous and never perfect.
For example: Barely 48 hours after failing to ship Tyson Jost out of Colorado at the trade deadline, Avalanche coach Jared Bednar had him skating on the second line alongside J.T. Compher and Joonas Donskoi.
Jost responded to his opportunity with a nitty-gritty assist on a goal by Compher that allowed Colorado to beat Buffalo 3-2 on Wednesday night. A lesser man might’ve given up, gone home and cried in his pillow.