Ilya Solovyov was searching for the right word in English, and he was a little annoyed that it wasn’t coming to him.

Then Zakhar Bardakov walked by and broke his concentration with some locker room banter in Russian.

“Shut up, buddy,” Solovyov said.

The word Solovyov was looking for? Opportunity.

He’s only been with the Colorado Avalanche for two weeks, but Solovyov is already seizing this second chance and settling in well with his new NHL club.

Avalanche Journal: Five thoughts on Colorado’s fast, drama-free start

"I feel pretty comfortable here," Solovyov said. "The teammates are so nice. They try to help me everywhere. It's different system, different locker room, different cultures, like all different. A huge change for me, and the first time I was in this situation in North Amer

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