Paul Stastny’s Time

from Adrian Dater of the Denver Post, He’s just a kid to some, but Stastny is the Avs’ highest-paid player and the one the Avs will most rely on in the 2009-10 season, which starts Thursday. That’s OK. Stastny is used to growing up fast. “It comes with the territory. I know what’s expected of me here, but I expect as much or more from myself,” he said. “We’ve got a younger team now, and I know I need to be an example to some of the younger guys. But I’m excited about it. I got to learn from some great players before me, so I hope to do some of the same things to other guys.” Stastny will start the first year of a five-year, $33 million contract this season. He is eager to prove he’s worth the money and to make people forget about last season. Injuries limited him to 45 games, and he had the worst point production (11 goals, 36 points) of his three-year career. “I think everyone wants to kind of throw away last year, but at the same time remember how bad it was and use it as a reminder we don’t want it to be that way again,” he said. “I learned a lot last year, even though I didn’t play much.” more