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Avs to play MacKinnon with McGinn, Downie

nathanmackinnongetty

Colorado hasn’t even started training camp yet, but its lines are already taking shape.

Nathan MacKinnon, the first overall pick at the 2013 NHL Entry Draft, will open the year centering the club’s third line between wingers Jamie McGinn and Steve Downie, according to the Denver Post.

"[MacKinnon] looked exactly as we’ve seen him,” Avs assistant GM Craig Billington said after MacKinnon’s first practice with the club. “It’s exciting to see him on the ice. He’s just a great addition for us.”

Elsewhere, Matt Duchene -- fresh off signing a five-year, $30 million extension in July -- will skate alongside Ryan O’Reilly, who will move from center to wing, according to CBC’s Elliotte Friedman.

It’s expected that P.A. Parenteau will take up the other spot on what will be Colorado’s No. 1 line.

That means, by the powers of deductive logic, Colorado’s second line will be centered by Paul Stastny with Gabriel Landeskog and Alex Tanguay on the wings.

To recap, Colorado’s top three projected lines to open the season:

Parenteau-Duchene-O’Reilly
Landeskog-Stastny-Tanguay
Downie-MacKinnon-McGinn

Not too shabby.