Colorado forward Ross Colton said he's trying not to think too much about facing his former team at Amalie Arena for the first time.

Ross Colton has fit in nicely and succeeded with the Avalanche after being traded from the Tampa Bay Lightning this past off-season for a 2024 second-round draft pick. Thursday night, he will face off against his former team for the first time at Amalie Arena. 

When Colton faced the Lightning on Nov. 27, 2023, he remained neutrally emotional and said it was "just another game." He responded in the typical way most players do about their former team — they appreciated their time there but look forward to their future with their new team. 

The New Jersey native stuck with the same "it's just another game" response at Amalie Arena on Thursday and said he didn't want to think too much about it. 

When asked how it was playing against the Lightning after the Avalanche earned a 4-1 victory at Ball Arena back in November, Colton said it was a tough game. No doubt there were some mixed emotions since the Bolts drafted him in 2016 and he spent his last seven seasons in the Tampa Bay organization before coming to the Avs. 

"It's always weird, again you play with them for a while — you have some good friends, good memories and stuff so it's tough being on the other side," Colton said after morning skate. "But again, not trying to think too much about it, just get the first shift out of the way and go from there." 

Colton's linemate, locker room neighbor and seemingly best bud Miles Wood, chirped in on his interview calling him a "hometown hero." Wood went through the same situation last week in his first return to New Jersey after being with the Devils his entire career. 

Jonathan Drouin, who was drafted by the Lightning in 2013 and played three seasons with the team before being traded to the Montreal Canadiens after the 2016-17 season, could relate to Colton's mixed feelings for his first return to a former team. 

"I think the first time's always the one you get out of the way," the 28-year-old forward said. "I'm not really nervous coming back to Tampa but first time after being traded to Montreal was so nerve-racking a little bit — you don't know what to expect, everything is a little weird. I'm sure Colt's (Colton) never been in this dressing room before so it's a little new." 

Most notably, Colton scored the game-winning/Stanley Cup Final series-winning goal for the Lightning against the Canadiens in 2021. As the goal for any NHL player is to win a Stanley Cup, Colton's new team has been highly favored to achieve that — giving him a good chance to win another one. 

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