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He Wanted to Be Here: Jaden Schwartz Is Already Making His Mark in Colorado
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- He Wanted to Be Here: Jaden Schwartz Is Already Making His Mark in Colorado
DENVER —It's only been one game, but Jaden Schwartz already seems to be fitting in quite well with the Colorado Avalanche.
Schwartz collected two assists in Wednesday night's season opener, helping the Avalanche to an 8-4 win over the Los Angeles Kings at Ball Arena. The production is certainly encouraging, but some of the most important parts of Schwartz's game have nothing to do with the stat sheet.
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It's the things behind the scenes — the way he carries himself, the relationships he builds with teammates, and the kind of person he is away from the rink.
Nathan MacKinnon following Wednesday's season-opening win.
That was part of what made Schwartz's decision to come to Colorado so meaningful to the Avalanche.
Schwartz signed a three-year, $9.75 million contract with the Avalanche this offseason, carrying a $3.25 million average annual value. But according to Nathan MacKinnon, Schwartz had other offers that would have provided more financial incentive.
He chose Colorado anyway.
"All he wanted to do was come and play here," MacKinnon said during the Avalanche's season-opening media availability at Ball Arena. "So that was really cool. It's always good to have guys that really, really want to come."
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For Schwartz, the decision wasn't simply about where he could make the most money. He wanted another opportunity to compete for a Stanley Cup.
Schwartz got his first taste of championship glory in 2019 with the St. Louis Blues. Now, he's hoping to do it again with the Avalanche.
There's also a familiarity with Colorado. Schwartz and his older brother, Rylan, both played college hockey at Colorado College, giving him an existing connection to the state.
With MacKinnon revealing that Schwartz had turned down more lucrative offers, The Hockey News asked Nelson what that decision said about Schwartz's character and the kind of teammate he would be in Colorado.
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"Schwartz is a great guy," Nelson said. "He kind of comes in with a great attitude and great skills on the ice, too. I think he's feeling pretty comfortable, obviously, in the environment."
Nelson said Schwartz has had a few familiar connections help make the transition easier, whether through mutual friends or summer training.
"He knows a few guys, whether it's mutual friends or guys he's trained with in the summer, different things like that," Nelson said. "That kind of eases things a little bit. But he made a big impact for us right away. I think we kind of expected that."
Nelson also spoke directly to Schwartz's character.
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"He's a high-character guy," Nelson said. "Like I said, he's a great guy off the ice. If you don't know him, I feel like he's pretty easy to get along with. You can have a conversation with him and it kind of feels like you're friends right away, even without having interacted with him before."
That reputation seems to carry over to the way Schwartz plays, too.
"He just goes about his business, works extremely hard, and I think he's a guy that wants to win and competes really hard, too," Nelson said. "I think all of that is kind of similar to what you see in his game, too. He's tenacious out there. He's smart, has a good stick, and he's a competitor."
Nelson already had some familiarity with Schwartz from their time in the St. Louis organization. Schwartz was there when Nelson was coming through, giving Nelson a firsthand look at the player he would eventually join in Colorado.
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"I kind of knew him pretty well from being in the St. Louis organization," Nelson said. "He was there at the time as a young leader, and now he has a ton of experience."
That experience was part of what made Schwartz an appealing addition for Colorado.
"When you watch experienced guys on video and you're trying to identify guys that can come in and help you, you're pretty aware of what guys bring to the table — strengths, weaknesses, where they're at, what their goals are," Nelson said.
And Schwartz didn't need long to show what he could bring.
He had two assists in his Avalanche debut, but Nelson pointed to the parts of Schwartz's game that might not immediately jump off the scoresheet.
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"Like I said after the game the other night, he made some big contributions, and they might not always be flashy or whatever, but he's really good in certain areas of the game," Nelson said. "One of them is at the front of the net. One of them is along the walls, just making the smart play, the safe play, and then having the ability to play with skilled players and help produce offense."
That versatility is part of how Colorado plans to use him.
"That's how we deployed him, and he made a big difference in that game," Nelson said. "I don't expect it to change."
There is, however, one obvious question surrounding Schwartz — his health.
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Schwartz spent the last five seasons with the Seattle Kraken, and during that stretch, he missed 109 games, roughly 27% of the games Seattle played. More broadly, in his 15 seasons as a full-time NHL player, Schwartz has played a full 82-game schedule just twice.
Last season, Schwartz appeared in 50 games, recording 11 goals and 15 assists for 26 points. The season before, he stayed healthy enough to play 81 games and produced 26 goals and 23 assists for 49 points.
It's something Jared Bednar is aware of, but the Avalanche head coach said Schwartz is feeling good entering the season.
"Health has been an issue for him over the last few years," Bednar said. "Getting a full 80 games in every year has been difficult for him, but he's feeling good."
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Bednar also likes what he has seen from Schwartz in his new surroundings.
"I like the way he fits in," Bednar said. "He seems to like the group and how he fits in as well, and they're settling into Denver. So I think as he gets a little bit more comfortable, we'll see better and better things from him."
That availability will be something to monitor in Colorado, but if Schwartz can stay healthy, there's reason to believe he could put together another productive season at 34 years old.
In fact, playing alongside the talent the Avalanche have around him, it's not unreasonable to wonder whether Schwartz could reach the 30-goal mark for the first time in his career.
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One game is obviously far too small a sample to know exactly what Schwartz's impact will be over the course of a full season. But his first impression in Colorado has been difficult to miss.
He wanted to be here.
And his new teammates are already getting a glimpse of why.
