While Game 7 pain will “fuel the fire” this season, Avalanche’s Jack Drury is ready to fill expanded role

No one took the Contest loss in Dallas harder than Jack Drury There were plenty of glassy-eyed thousand-yard stares in the visitors locker room at American Airlines Center after the Colorado Avalanche yielded a two-goal lead in the final minutes in a - loss to the rival Stars Players were visibly stunned by what had just happened Drury sitting at his stall was overcome by an avalanche of emotions Several teammates shuffled over to console him The loss was far from Drury s fault but he was in the penalty box when Wyatt Johnston scored the series-winning goal with remaining A long time Drury declared Thursday when inquired how long that feeling stuck with him I think for at least a week or so I kind of felt physically sick in my stomach I d never really felt like that before It sucks But it s kind of part of sports You re going to fail sometimes You ve got to learn from it and use it as motivation I think it s going to fuel the fire for this season Four-and-a-half months later Drury is one of the key players to watch during Avalanche training camp There is one obvious opening in the Colorado lineup No center after Charlie Coyle was sent to Columbus along with Miles Wood in a salary-cap savings move There is an obvious candidate to claim the role It s Drury who proved to be a vital depth contestant for the Avs last season as the No center after arriving from Carolina in the transaction that sent Mikko Rantanen on his way Definitely Drury stated when required about handling the role I don t want to be too worried about spots in the lineup just go out and play my best I think I ve got another level I can take my meeting to but I just have to focus on my responsibilities Drury drew almost immediate praise from Avs coach Jared Bednar after joining the club for his attention to details work ethic and compete level on the ice He is the type of depth player that almost feels like he came from Bednar s own personal laboratory His line with Parker Kelly and Logan O Connor flanking him had a huge series against the Stars consistently tilting the ice in Colorado s favor Now Drury has a new challenge in front of him I love the way Jack plays I think he has underrated skill Bednar commented We ll see It will come down to chemistry He s a good player I have no question that he can go in and play third-line center for us He was an elite fourth-line center for us last year in my opinion If he can find chemistry with a couple of other guys we re going to use on the third line then he s going to get a good look The only performer that s been mentioned as a prospective C so far is Ross Colton who handled the role for much of the - season before shifting back to wing last year Colton could be one of Drury s wings on a new-look third line Late-summer free agent addition Victor Olofsson joined them on a line during the first day of camp but Bednar also suggested that one of the club s top-four wings like Artturi Lehkonen could end up in that spot to help balance out the lineup as well Drury announced his approach wouldn t change based on his spot on the depth chart but he could have to adapt to playing with a different set of teammates That stuff is out of my control Drury noted What I can control is being the best contestant I can be I know I can be a lot better than I ve been Related Articles Renck One more Cup Avs coach Jared Bednar faces must-win season for his job legacy What we learned at Avalanche media day Martin Necas contract Gabe Landeskog s plan and more It s been a long road but Chase Bradley sees opportunity with Avalanche With new contract settled family Brock Nelson sees bright Avalanche future Feels like a special group in a special place For new Avalanche prospect Gavin Brindley self-belief and hard work are never an issue This is also a contract year for Drury If he proves to be a capable No center his next deal should be more lucrative than it might have been had he already signed He s also more settled now in Denver Like nearly half the roster last year Drury arrived during the regular season and figured out everything on the fly He spent part of the offseason here working with members of the Avs training staff Drury had eight goals each of the past two seasons and a career-high points two years ago Those numbers will need to improve if he s going to both be Colorado s No center and keep the job but he s going to get more help in that department if he does I don t want him to play differently Bednar mentioned The hope is that you get him up and he plays the same way He keeps making the same type of plays same type of work ethic and competitiveness Then maybe chosen of his wingers finish off a limited more of those chances Want more Avalanche news Sign up for the Avalanche Insider to get all our NHL analysis