Every week during the offseason, Denver Gazette beat writer Kyle Fredrickson will take you around the NHL and inside the Avalanche:

WHAT THEY SAID

“After the crash, a lot of NHL players, coaches and management came to Humboldt. We got together. Obviously, there are similarities to the way we grew up. And it was very similar to those kids that were on that bus and the families that were involved in that crash. It could have happened to anyone. It was devastating to see. The strength and the support the community was given — not just from the NHL, but from around the world — was really positive. I admire those people and what they’ve gone through, the strength and resiliency they’ve shown.”

—Avalanche coach Jared Bednar last April when asked about the anniversary of Humboldt Broncos bus crash

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WHAT I’M THINKING

—Jared Bednar has a big heart. It’s on display every summer. Like on Saturday, when the sixth annual Humboldt Broncos Memorial Golf Tournament took place in Saskatchewan. It’s a charity event Bednar helped establish after the tragic 2018 Humboldt Broncos junior hockey bus crash. Sixteen team members were killed. The golf tournament raises “funds for scholarship and charitable works, continuing the 2017-18 Broncos’ legacy.” This year’s event was a sellout.

—Bednar grew up in Saskatchewan and played for the Humboldt Broncos. It’s why he’s so connected to the victims, survivors and their families. In 2022, after delivering a Stanley Cup title with the Avalanche, he brought the trophy to Humboldt as part of the charity event. Bednar told local Saskatchewan media: “To be able to share it with them and see the smiling faces of everyone taking pictures with it and looking at it has been amazing for me.”

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WHAT I’M READING

—Ryan Boulding of NHL.com breaks down the top prospects in Colorado’s farm system. Coming in at No. 1: goaltender Justus Annunen.

—Altitude-Comcast context: Several major broadcast networks are in discussions with professional sports leagues, including the NHL, to broadcast games on over-the-air TV as regional sports networks struggle (per CNBC).

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WHAT’S HAPPENING

—The Erik Karlsson trade is finally done. Pittsburgh acquired the reigning Norris Trophy winner from San Jose in a three-team deal with Montreal. Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas unloaded two big contracts (Mikael Granlund and Jeff Petry) in the process. On paper, looks like a great move.

—The Arizona Coyotes have purchased land in northwest Mesa, a city east of Phoenix, to potentially build a long-awaited new arena, per ESPN. Tempe voters turned down a previous proposal and the Coyotes currently play in a college arena (Arizona State).

—Two notable unrestricted NHL free agents found new homes. Defenseman Matt Dumba landed in Arizona after 10 years in Minnesota. Goalie Martin Jones signed with the Maple Leafs after helping Seattle reach the playoffs last season.

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NHL INSIDER

The roots of Troy Terry’s NHL All-Star ascension grew in Colorado youth hockey soil.

Angelo Ricci remembers all of it like it were yesterday: a 15-year-old Terry in his first midget practice with the Colorado Thunderbirds; the skeptical looks from teammates: Man, he’s small; Ricci, the longtime Thunderbirds executive director, chirping back: Just watch.

“In those days, he was so tiny,” Ricci told The Denver Gazette. “His smarts, ability to shift, create, get out of pressure and just handle himself. Eventually, he won everyone over, and his game just took off.”

Terry grew up in Highlands Ranch, won an NCAA hockey title with the University of Denver and ranks among an elite class of NHL forwards. Last week, Terry signed a seven-year, $49-million contract extension after posting consecutive 60-point seasons. He’s a back-to-back NHL All-Star selection. Not bad for a fifth-round draft pick.

“He’s super gifted. The game is tailored to him nowadays in terms of being super skilled. He can skate (and has) vision and the hockey sense,” Ricci said. “His skillset is really going to shine.”

Terry, 25, is among several NHL players with Colorado ties, including Avalanche/DU forward Logan O’Connor, who train and skate together at Magness Arena during the offseason, Ricci said. Terry spoke with The Denver Gazette’s Tyler King in January when the Ducks visited Ball Arena. He said being at DU “molded me into the player I am on the ice and the player I am off the ice.”

Terry is proud of his Colorado roots.

“We skate at DU like two or three times a week right now. We have a pro group of guys. (Terry) was out there (last week) with me at our skate. He’s special,” Ricci said. “He takes great pride in DU. He had a great career here. He deserves everything he gets, because he’s worked his tail off.

“He’s so confident with the puck. The way he goes through guys’ triangles, and if he does lose the puck, he gets it back. He’s got such good stick-playing in those tight areas. I just think his confidence has grown.”

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THE LIST

The University of Denver’s 10-member freshmen class for the upcoming 2023-24 NCAA hockey season:

• Cale Ashcroft / D / Alberta / 5-10, 185 / Tri-City Storm (USHL)
• Garrett Brown / D / San Jose, Calif. / 6-4, 195 / Waterloo Black Hawks (USHL)
• Boston Buckberger / D / Saskatchewan / 5-11, 172 / Lincoln Stars (USHL)
• Zeev Buium / D / San Diego, Calif. / 6-0, 182 / U.S. Under-18 Team (NTDP)
• Kieran Cebrian / F / Denver / 6-2, 194 / Tri-City Storm (USHL)
• Freddie Halyk / G / Alberta / 6-6, 220 / Camrose Kodiaks (AJHL)
• Sam Harris / F / San Diego, Calif. / 6-0, 190 / Sioux Falls Stampede (USHL)
• Peter Lajoy / F / Evergreen / 5-7, 165 / Danbury Jr. Hat Tricks (NAHL)
• Miko Matikka / F / Finland / 6-3, 201 / Waterloo Black Hawks (USHL)
• Alex Weiermair / F / Los Angeles, Calif. / 6-1, 197 / U.S. Under-18 Team (NTDP)