Avs lock up Duchene for five more years

The Colorado Avalanche shored up centre ice by signing Matt Duchene to a five-year contract extension.

Duchene, 22, has 82 goals and 111 assists in 266 games with the Avalanche.

Colorado selected centre Nathan MacKinnon with the first pick in last month’s draft and also has Paul Stastny signed for one more season with a cap hit of $6.6 million US.

Ryan O’Reilly is expected to move to wing given the Avalanche’s depth down the middle. That depth could last a while with Duchesne signed through 2018-19.

NHL schedule

held up

The NHL schedule is still awaiting the completion of an agreement to send players to the Olympics, deputy commissioner Bill Daly confirmed.

Once a deal is done for NHL representation in Sochi in 2014, the league will be able to release the full schedule for the 2013-14 season.

While it’s considered a formality that players will be at the Olympics for the fifth straight time, nothing has been finalized.

The NHL has been nego- tiating with the Players’ Association, International Ice Hockey Federation and International Olympic Committee for months.

The NHL schedule is dependent on an Olympic deal being official because an extended break is built in for the month of February.

The men’s ice hockey tournament is set to take place Feb. 12-23 in Sochi, Russia.

Grebeshkov joins Oilers

The Edmonton Oilers have signed defenceman Denis Grebeshkov to a one-year contract.

Grebeshkov played parts of three seasons with the Oilers from 2007 through 2010 before being traded to the Nashville Predators.

He spent the three previous years in Russia’s Kontinental Hockey League.

The 29-year-old blueliner is a veteran of 227 NHL games.

Grebeshkov was the 18th overall pick of the Los Angeles Kings in 2002.

He played for the New York Islanders before going to the Oilers the f irst time.