No one took the Game 7 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 13 minutes in a 4-2 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 3:56 remaining.
“A long time,” Drury said Thursday when asked 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. 3 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 player for the Avs last season as the No. 4 center after arriving from Carolina in the trade that sent Mikko Rantanen on his way.
“Definitely,” Drury said when asked 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 game to, but I just have to focus on my responsibilities.”
Drury, 25, 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 said. “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 player that’s been mentioned as a potential 3C so far is Ross Colton, who handled the role for much of the 2023-24 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 said 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 said. “What I can control is being the best player I can be. I know I can be a lot better than I’ve been.”
This is also a contract year for Drury. If he proves to be a capable No. 3 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 27 points two years ago. Those numbers will need to improve if he’s going to both be Colorado’s No. 3 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 said. “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 some of his wingers finish off a few more of those chances.”