NEW YORK -- Joe Sakic has given Nathan MacKinnon another endorsement to be the first pick in the NHL draft, though the Colorado Avalanche are still listening to trade offers. Speaking after the board of governors meeting, Colorados executive vice president of hockey operations explained why the team preferred MacKinnon to defenceman Seth Jones, who has ties to Denver. "We believe Seth, hes going to be a good player, as well, a very good defenceman in this league," Sakic said. "When youre picking No. 1, you want to be able to pick what you believe is going to be the best player in the draft. That was why we made that decision." Sakic and head coach/vice president of hockey operations Patrick Roy have repeatedly singled out MacKinnon as their choice at No. 1. Sakic originally told the Denver Post that the Avalanche would pass on Jones in favour of a forward, either MacKinnon, Halifax teammate Jonathan Drouin or Finnish centre Aleksander Barkov. Sakic called this a "deep draft" but said the Avalanche have targeted the player theyre taking. He was then asked about MacKinnon. "I think when you watch Nathan play, hes definitely a skilled guy but hes a powerful skater," Sakic said. "He can play a skill game, but he loves going to the net. He loves going to the hard areas, and hes just a tremendous player." The Avalanche front office being so up-front with the stance of MacKinnon over Jones has raised skepticism about possibly trying to drum up a trade. The Florida Panthers pick second and the Tampa Bay Lightning third. Sakic wouldnt say how Colorados approach is affecting trade talks, if at all. "Obviously when you get closer to draft time, you might receive more calls. Im not too sure," he said. "Were very happy and content with picking first, but if we get some calls, obviously well listen. Right now were excited about making the first selection." Manny Pina Jersey . Duchene scored two goals and had an assist, helping the Colorado Avalanche beat the Carolina Hurricanes 4-2 on Friday night to match the best 10-game start in team history. Hank Aaron Jersey . Burris threw two TD passes, including a key 15-yard fourth-quarter strike to Bakari Grant that effectively countered a Toronto comeback bid and led Hamilton to a 33-19 victory. https://www.cheapbrewers.com/1999y-robin-yount-jersey-brewers.html . Badenhop was 2-3 with a 3.47 ERA in 63 relief appearances for Milwaukee this season. He is 18-20 in his career with three saves and a 3. Fake Brewers Jerseys .Y. -- Syracuse has turned up the defence at the right time all season, and when High Point threatened to pull off a monumental upset the second-ranked Orange did what they do best with their quick hands and savvy play. Junior Guerra Brewers Jersey . -- The St. Johns IceCaps weathered a wild first period with the help of goaltender Jussi Olkinuora, before finding offensive inroads in the second.GP2 returns to action this weekend in Spain as the next generation of F1 stars do battle across 22 races at 11 different venues. 24 drivers will be on the grid in Barcelona, all driving identical Dallara-built cars, fitted with normally-aspirated 4.0 litre V8 engines. Having a spec-car makes the series more about the driver, while DRS and Pirelli tyres help prepare each competitor for a potential future in F1. Britains Alex Lynn - Williams F1 development driver - is one of the title favourites as he embarks on his second season in the series with DAMS and joined us to preview the new season, explain what fans can expect and who he sees as his main title rivals.Other drivers on the grid with F1 ties include Renaults Sergey Sirotkin who takes over at ART from 2015 champion Stoffel Vandoorne. Fellow Renault junior Olivier Rowland will drive for MP Motorsport.Red Bull protege Pierre Gasly will race for new entry Prema Racing, with Manors Jordan King at Raacing Engineering.ddddddddddddHonda junior and McLaren development driver Nobuharu Matsushita will race for ART.You can see every GP2 race live on Sky Sports F1 during the 2016 season.GP2 race calendar(All supporting F1)14-15 May - Circuit de Catalunya27-28 May - Monaco18-19 June - Baku2-3 July - Red Bull Ring9-10 July - Silverstone23-24 July - Hungaroring30-31 July - Hockenheim27-28 August - Spa3-4 September - Monza1-2 October - Sepang26-27 November - Yas Marina Every race live in 2016 Sky Sports F1 brings you every race live in 2016. Fast and easy online upgrade - click here. Also See: When to see the GP2 action from Spain on Sky F1s young drivers ' ' '