Avalanche Start Christmas Shopping Early?

Adrian Dater notes in a recent blog post that the Avalanche had scouts at a recent Penguins-Senators game. Cue the trade rumours! Actually, a Fleury-Theo trade rumour was brought up a while back by he who shall not be named so it's nothing terribly new.

This time, Dater is mentioning that Liles could be the bait since he's an upcoming UFA and the team has Cumiskey, a virtual Liles clone - minus the dashing good looks - showing signs of promise.

But how many offensive defensemen do the Penguins need? They've already got Whitney and Gonchar filling that role nicely at the moment. Sure, Gonchar is aging but he's not showing signs of slowing down his point production any time soon.

What the Penguins really need is some defensive help, both on the blueline and in goal. Does anyone really think the Avalanche have the players they need?