Camp begins Monday

The Avalanche has announced its training camp without fans for the upcoming 24-team Stanley Cup playoffs at Edmonton (Western Conference) and Toronto (Eastern Conference).

The Avs will begin camp 9:30 a.m. Monday at the Pepsi Center, where they will train before departing for a prepared bubble environment in Edmonton on July 26. Normally, Colorado conducts its training camps before fans at its double ice-sheet practice facility in Centennial, but Pepsi Center is more conducive to creating a closed-off environment.

At this point, all Avs players are expected to report Monday — although any player may decline to play without punishment. Calgary defenseman Travis Hamonic became the first NHL player to opt-out of the return-to-play plan Friday night.

Dallas defenseman Roman Polak and Vancouver forward Sven Baertschi opted-out Saturday.

Colorado will not allow fans in Pepsi Center or to have contact with players coming into the building or leaving. Limited media will be allowed to cover the team in the building after temperature checks but with strict rules as to where they can go. Those media members will also have no direct contact with players.