Just as anyone would have expected, Gavin Prout will be at the Pepsi Center on Saturday night for the Colorado Mammoth’s home opener against the Edmonton Rush.

What fans wearing the No. 9 jersey of the former captain and team’s all-time leading scorer might not like so much is that Prout will be playing for Edmonton, not Colorado. Prout, of course, was dealt to Rochester (and subsequently sent to Edmonton) in the offseason as part of the deal that netted Mammoth rookie extraordinaire Ilija Gajic.

But while Mammoth officials have painted the deal as mutual and a business decision, Prout doesn’t sound like a player who was a go-with-the-flow, willing participant.

“The trade to me was a bit of a shock,” Prout said this week. “I know we struggled last year both offensively and defensively, but I thought (general manager Steve Govett) had made some good draft decisions to help out with what we were missing up front and I was really looking forward to playing with the new prospects.

“I never wanted to leave Colorado. It was my home for the past (six seasons) and the organization, players, and especially the fans, were great. I have said it before and I’ll say it again – I wanted to end my playing career in Colorado but that will not be the case anymore.”

Mammoth coach Bob McMahon said this week that Prout’s departure was expedited by the status of forward Dan Carey, who is out indefinitely because of post-concussion syndrome. With Carey’s absence leaving the Mammoth thin among lefties up front, obtaining Gajic became a must.

Prout, who lives in Toronto, will endure less travel time playing for Edmonton and appears upbeat entering the season with a new team (the Rush’s season opens tonight against Washington). But while it seems to be an unwritten rule for athletes returning to play against a former team to say “it’s just another game,” Prout was much more candid in assessing his return.

“It will definitely be emotional for me to return to the Pepsi Center,” Prout said. “It was my home (from 2004-2009) and the fans were fantastic. With so much history there it would be tough not to get excited about coming back. Not to mention my old teammates, family, which I will be excited to see again.”

McMahon, whose Mammoth is looking to get back on track after losing its opener 17-8 to Washington last week, understands that it could be an emotional situation for both sides.

“A little part of Gavin probably wants to prove to management that they made the wrong decision by trading him,” McMahon said. “But I also know Gavin and know he’ll be mostly focused on trying to get a win for his team.”

While Prout is somewhat miffed about the trade, it didn’t spoil for him a tenure with the Mammoth in which he compiled 172 goals and 345 assists and was named the Champion’s Cup MVP in 2006 after Colorado’s lone title.

“So far, Colorado has been the best organization I have played with in my lacrosse career,” Prout said. “It’s extremely tough to compare anything to it. It has all the ingredients of a successful organization from the deep pockets to being treated professionally, down to its passionate fans.”

Those passionate fans now will see him as the enemy.