Posts Tagged ‘Colorado Avalanche’

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Aaron Musick: Facepalm Joe Sacco

11, Mar 2010

Don’t care if Thomas Vokoun turns around and the deposits the puck straight into his own net, Avalanche Coach Joe Sacco is getting the facepalm tonight.

Craig Anderson is starting his 22nd game in a row tonight against the Florida Panthers.

There’s a point when the workload becomes too much and was probably reached about last week.

Anderson isn’t sharp in net. He’s not making good reads,…

Aaron Musick: Do the Avs learn or languish?

10, Mar 2010

Last night’s choke job by the Avs has brought them an opportunity to learn.

Last night, with the division on the line, the Avs came out fast and hard and knocked the Canucks down to the mat. Then, they them up.

They backed off, stopped forechecking and stopped using their speed. The result? A 6-4 loss and with it, the Northwest division probably slipped away. That is all done but now, do the…

Aaron Musick: Avs crumble, fall to Canucks

9, Mar 2010

The Avs blew two different three goal leads, falling to the Vancouver Canucks 6-4.

The Avs came out hard in the first period, got two goals from Matt Duchene and one by Chris Stewart but eased off after it, letting the Canucks back in the game.

Overall, the Avs couldn’t stop the Sedin line, as it accounted for four of the six goals. Kyle Quincey and Scott Hannan in particular were just awful…

Aaron Musick: Stewart named first star of the week

8, Mar 2010

The NHL announced this week that Chris Stewart has been named the first star of the week.

Stewart was amazing this week, scoring five goals and four assists, including his first career NHL hat trick.

Stewart is one of the most dangerous players in the entire league. Listed at 6′2″ 228 pounds, Stewart has a perfect combination of size, speed and skill. He can power to the front of the net, wo…

Aaron Musick: Avs blow out blues 7-3

6, Mar 2010

The day before the Avs charity brunch, they sure weren’t charitable to the St. Louis Blues, beating them 7-2.

Chris Stewart got a Hat Trick, leading the way for an Avs team that flat-out dominated most of this game.

Whenever the Blues would score, the Avs seemingly came back with two more of their own and, in a nice departure from the norm, they never let up, chasing Chris Mason and beating…

Darcy Tucker: Some Kind of Bad for the Colorado Avalanche

6, Mar 2010

It’s not rare to see a fall from grace as a professional athlete ages, but Darcy Tucker has taken things to a whole new level.

Tucker was signed by the Avalanche last summer to do what he had been doing for the past decade: score goals and be a pest.

Even though he was bought out by Toronto, he still had 18 goals and 100 penalty minutes his final seasons as a Leaf, so there was no reason for Avalanche management to believe he couldn’t provide a key third-line role.

Instead, the only team Tucker has been a pest for is the Avalanche.

After an appalling first season with the Avalanche, where Tucker only scored 16 points (8 goals) and was a minus-13 rating in 63 games, things have only gotten worse. In 56 games this year, Tucker only has five goals (one in his last 47 games), and (maybe worse) only 36 penalty minutes.

It’s possible injuries have caught up with him, as Tucker has only played all 82 games twice in 13 seasons, but at the same time hasn’t dealt with any major injuries.

And at 34, Tucker’s age isn’t a concern in an NHL that features numerous players over the age of 40.

Many Avalanche players have referenced Tucker as a good leader in the locker room, and the Tucker family has played host to rookie Ryan O’Reilly this season. But at what cost are those services?

If Tucker retires (which he should give strong consideration), the Avalanche should offer him a front office job; it keeps a good man employed, and keeps his positive influence around the young players of the Avalanche.

If Tucker wants to continue playing, it’s time to part ways. O’Reilly can bunk with Paul Stastny; there’s no salary small enough that is worth paying to a player who’s a clear liability every time he’s on the ice.

Read more NHL news on BleacherReport.com

Aaron Musick: The Avs’ cupboard

5, Mar 2010

Adrian Dater wrote a blog today about how the Avs’ prospects are now ranked third, as opposed to 18 by The Hockey News.

So what’s the reason for the jump?

First, the hard work of Craig Billington, drafting and honing these guys to a point where they can jump into the NHL and be a factor. His drafting, especially in the late rounds, since 2004 has been outstanding. He has really done a tremen…

Aaron Musick: Wolski downs Avs late

4, Mar 2010

In his first game against his old team, Wojtek Wolski scored the game-winning goal with 23 seconds left.

The Avs got a goal from John-Michael Liles but it wasn’t enough as the Coyotes downed the Avs.

What more is there to say? In a rough, physical game, Scott Hannan and Adam Foote both drifted to the puck while Shane Doan picked up a puck behind the net and fed Wolski.

This one hurts for…

Avalanche Shake-Up Roster at Deadline, But Questions Linger

3, Mar 2010

The dust has settled and the 2010 NHL trade deadline has passed.

In a year where players like Ray Whitney, Dan Hamhuis, and Thomas Vokoun were rumored to have been dealt, the biggest named shipped out today was arguably Colorado’s Wojtek Wolski, who was sent to Phoenix in exchange for forwards Peter Mueller and Kevin Porter.

And, in a last minute deal, the Avalanche acquired former player Stephane Yelle from the Carolina Hurricanes, along with forward Harrison Reed, in exchange for a sixth round draft pick and forward Cedric Lalonde-McNicoll.

Going into the deadline, there were clear short-term and long-term needs. The short term needs included adding another top six forward, preferably a left wing, and solving the log jam on defense; the long term need was finding a number one defenseman.

None of these needs were met.

Colorado did acquire another top six forward—Mueller—but also lost one in Wolski, who’s clearly having a better season. In addition, this trade further kills any kind of depth the Avalanche have at left wing, with the only remaining players at the position being Cody McLeod, David Koci, Chris Durno, Ryan Stoa, and T.J. Galiardi—who started the year as a center.

More problematic is the fact that not a single defenseman was traded away. Counting the disgruntled Tom Preissing who’s currently playing in the AHL, the Avalanche have nine defensemen who have either played over 40 games or make a salary of over $2 million.

Short term implications aside, this day will be remembered in one of two ways: either as the day the Avalanche acquired Peter Mueller, or the day they traded Wojtek Wolski away.

As frustrating as Wolski is to watch at times, he’s only 23 years old and was having a career year with 47 points in 61 games (62 point pace). Not only did the trade come completely out of the blue, but the return of Peter Mueller is very questionable.

Mueller, 21, has alot of potential, maybe even more so than Wolski, and did have an excellent rookie year a few seasons ago in which he scored 54 points, but currently is having about as grungy of a season as anyone this year, with only four goals in 54 games.

Acquisitions like that of 35 year old Stephane Yelle suggest Avalanche GM Greg Sherman intends on this team making the playoffs, but replacing Colorado’s second leading scorer with a player who’s ice cold will make a playoff birth an uphill battle.

Read more NHL news on BleacherReport.com

Colorado Avalanche Send Wojtek Wolski To Phoenix For Mueller, Porter

3, Mar 2010

In a surprising move, the Colorado Avalanche have dealt forward Wojtek Wolski to the Phoenix Coyotes in exchange for forwards Peter Mueller and Kevin Porter.

It comes as a shock that the Avalanche would trade Wolski, in the midst of a career year with 47 points in 62 games, to a team they’re competing with for a playoff spot.

Maybe more shocking is the return for the Avalanche. Mueller, a former eight overall draft pick by Phoenix, has struggled heavily since his rookie season, and only has 17 points in the 54 of Phoenix’s games he’s participated in. Porter has spent most of the season in the AHL, scoring 40 points in 52 games with San Antonio.

Both Wolski and Mueller are restricted free agents at the end of the year, and it’s likely Avalanche management didn’t want to give Wolski a long term deal after his recent string of inconsistent play, instead opting to give a player with upside like Mueller a smaller deal.

Read more NHL news on BleacherReport.com

Aaron Musick: Are Wolski’s days numbered?

2, Mar 2010

Bob McKenzie reported this from his twitter this afternoon:

Colorado’s Wojtek Wolski is in play and the Phoenix Coyotes are one team that has shown some interest.

Now McKenzie is kind of like a Jedi Knight around this time. He understands how everything works, can get the infomation and use his own intuition to fill the gaps. Also, if you cross him, he’ll probably choke you from across the…

Aaron Musick: Avs fall to Wings 3-2

2, Mar 2010

A little over 24 hours after team Canada claimed Gold in the Olympics, another Red and White team, the Detroit Red Wings, beat the Red (Burgundy), White and Blue team, the Colorado Avalanche.

Detroit got goals from Avalanche killer Johan Franzen, Tomas Holmstrom and Nicklas Lidstrom while the Avs got goals from TJ Galiardi and Chris Stewart.

On the whole, the Avs looked like a team that had…

Big Trades Not Likely for Colorado Avalanche

1, Mar 2010

With the NHL’s trade deadline rapidly approaching, it’s unlikely the Avalanche make any earth-shattering changes to their roster. The Avs roster is by no means perfect, but the holes are not gaping enough that a playoff berth is in danger because of them.

However, there are a handful of veterans Avalanche general manager Greg Sherman may try to pawn off.

First on the list is Marek Svatos . A 30-goal scorer once upon a time, the Avalanche held onto Svatos far too long and his value has since withered.

Only playing in 43 of Colorado’s 61 games this season, Svatos has only recorded 10 points, and has been a healthy scratch on numerous occasions.

The only teams likely to have any interest would be teams with limited assets looking for an inexpensive scoring option, or another team looking to rid themselves of a has-been.

Pittsburgh, who’s had trouble finding scoring wingers to play with captain Sidney Crosby, might take a chance on Svatos.

Next on the list is defenseman Ruslan Salei . In the final year of a contract he signed with Florida, Salei has missed all but three games this year due to back surgery.

Having played 50 career playoff games, including a trip to the Stanley Cup finals in 2003, Salei could have value to a team like the New Jersey Devils, who are dealing with injuries on their blue line.

The final, and perhaps most valuable, trading chip the Avalanche have is defenseman John-Michael Liles . Considered one of the better-puck moving defensemen as recently as last season, Liles has struggled in the defensive zone and also in the goal-scoring department this season (four in 41 games).

The biggest problem with trading Liles is his hefty contract, which sees him being paid nearly $9 million the next two years. Seeing as he’s been a healthy scratch numerous times this season, teams aren’t exactly lining up with offers.

As far as players the Avalanche might be interested in, the list is likely short. Their biggest need is a No. 1 puck-moving defenseman, but acquiring one now would cause too much of a shake-up, so it’ll likely they’ll explore options this off-season.

A need in the short term is a top six left winger. The best options available are Ray Whitney of the Carolina Hurricanes and Alexei Ponikarovsky of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

However, the asking price of these players may be a little too rich for managements blood, but less sought after options exist, like Paul Kariya of the St. Louis Blues and Slava Kozlov of the Atlanta Thrashers.

Another short term area that may be addressed is a gritty winger with scoring touch, a job Darcy Tucker has failed to fill.

Raffi Torres of the Columbus Blue Jackets and Colby Armstrong of the Atlanta Thrashers, both believed to be available, would fit nicely on a line with Ryan O’Reilly.

 

Past Deadlines for the Avalanche

2009: With the playoffs out of reach, the Avalanche traded defenseman Jordan Leopold to Calgary for a 2009 second round pick, and defensemen Ryan Wilson and Lawrence Nycholat.

2008: Gearing up for the playoffs, the Avalanche traded for defensemen Adam Foote and Ruslan Salei, and also signed former all-star Peter Forsberg.

2007: Sitting ninth in the Western Conference, the Avalanche were quiet; their only move of the day came when they traded Brad May to the Anaheim Ducks for AHL goaltender Michael Wall.

2006: Concerned with the spotty goaltending of David Aebischer, the Avalanche tried to double dip in Montreal by trading Aebischer for struggling star goaltender Jose Theodore.

Read more NHL news on BleacherReport.com

Aaron Musick: Possible players the Avs might target

24, Feb 2010

While the Colorado Avalanche figure to be quiet on the Trade Deadline, there are a few players that they could possibly look into.

Ray Whitney

The Avs lack depth in one specific position: Left wing. After Wojtek Wolski, they have TJ Galiard, who is a natural center moved to left wing, Cody McLeod and Chris Durno, who also occasionally plays center. The Avs could possible dip into the trade w…

Aaron Musick: Pre trade deadline poll

23, Feb 2010

Since it is eight days until the trade deadline, the time is ripe to do a blog to poll everyone’s thoughts.

Team questions

1) Which team(s) do you cheer for?

2) What do you think your team(s) need?

3) What pieces are you willing to part with to make a deal?

4) Who on your team is untouchable?

Front office questions

5) Are there any management changes you want to see happen?…

Aaron Musick: Stats don’t describe Stastny

22, Feb 2010

Maybe it’s because he’s not flashy or maybe it’s because of the ginormous contract he signed but lately people have been hating on Paul Stastny for “not showing up.”

Now, some of this is merited given he’s the first line center on both the Colorado Avalanche and Team USA but there’s a lot to Stastny’s game that doesn’t appear on the stat sheet.

Looking at just his stats, he seems to be quite…

Aaron Musick: Is the Price right for Colorado?

19, Feb 2010

Is Price the right guy for Colorado?

Eklund posted an interesting blog today about the similarities between Carey Price and certain other Canadien goatender back in 1995. Then he posed the question: Could Price be headed to Colorado?

Could he do the same as Patrick Roy and pack his bags for the Mile High City?

I love ya Ek, but I doubt it for a few reasons.

1) Getting Price might just…

Aaron Musick: Inch by inch, row by row, gonna let this team grow

18, Feb 2010

As the Avs continue their rebuild, they will be looking to their previous draft picks to help the Avs become Stanley Cup contenders once again. Here’s a look at some of the highlights of their system:

College

Colby Cohen (Boston University)- A junior at BU is second behind Nick Bonino (ANA) in points with 23 (12 of them goals.) Cohen is usually the shooter of Kevin Shattenkirk’s passes.

B…

A Victim of Circumstances: Salei’s Days Numbered with Avalanche

17, Feb 2010

With the NHL’s trade deadline looming, the Avalanche will likely look to move one of the eight defensemen currently on the roster.

Logic says Salei is the odd man out.

The Avalanche acquired Salei at the 2008 NHL trade deadline, and he exceeded expectations, particularly in the offensive zone where he registered five points in 10 playoff games. In the 2008-2009 NHL season, Salei had a quietly good year, scoring 21 points in 70 games. His minus-four rating is notable given the next lowest rating of defensemen who played 70-plus games was Brett Clark’s minus-16.

Due to an back injury, Salei has participated in only two of the Avalanche’s 61 games this season. Colorado’s last game before the Olympic break, a 2-0 loss to the LA Kings, was Salei’s first game since October. The Avalanche team fell flat on it’s face, but Salei logged over 19 minutes of ice time, and had a team-high five shots.

Currently captaining Belarus’s squad at the 2010 Winter Olympics—a team not expected to medal—it’s likely Salei’s performance will do nothing more than gauge his value on the trade market.

At 35-years old, plus the fact that he’s a free agent this summer, the list of teams who may be interested in his services are limited to teams in the playoff hunt. Teams who may be looking to add defensive depth at the trade deadline include Ottawa, Anaheim, Buffalo, and Phoenix.

Read more NHL news on BleacherReport.com

Aaron Musick: The rebuild isn’t over yet

17, Feb 2010

Last year, the internet was rife with comments like this, when it came to the Colorado Avalanche:

Cost Cutting mode A.D.? What is that? How about trading some salary and replacing these BUM players with some real talent FREE AGENTS that are out there this year! This team is a JOKE and always will be from now on!! Joe Sacco is the best they could go out and get, come on! And Sherman is the G.M…


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