Farewell Faithful Friends

As I sit here waiting for a Michael Jackson disc to burn before my roadtrip (what, you don't dance while driving?), I remembered one thing I wanted to do and that's bid farewell to some of our departed Avalanche players.

In a shocking development, it appears that the following players will be walking away from the Avs and - hopefully - to another team some time before October:
Marek Svatos
Brett Clark
Ruslan Salei
Stephane Yelle
Chris Durno
Darcy Tucker

Marek Svatos
It was all over for him once Pierre Turgeon was out of town. After a shocking 32 goal rookie season, Svatos ended up with just 62 goals over the next four seasons, including a dismal seven goal effort last season.

I have a soft spot for the little players in the game and will always miss seeing the solid checks Svatos could throw when necessary. It was rare to see Svatos get knocked down without seeing him get back up and lay a shoulder into somebody.

I hope he lands somewhere where he can find a similar fit as he had with Turgeon.

Brett Clark
Many feel that Brett Clark's only redemption is his shot blocking statistics. In light of that, they also felt his salary was a vast overpayment. Of course, it could very well be these same people that are looking to sign Anton Volchenkov at a UFA-inflated salary because...he blocks a lot of shots.

But the fact remains that Clark is a 2nd-pair defenseman at best who is prone to flopping as opposed to actually playing defense. I'm not sad to see him go though it does reduce the Saskatchewan connections for the Avalanche down to zero. At least until they re-sign Tyler Weiman (come on, it's totally gonna happen....)

I'm sure he'll find a team looking to fill out their depth chart and hopefully it's not at Jeff Finger money so he doesn't become a potential pariah.

Ruslan Salei
He was a beast right after the trade that brought him to the Avalanche but after his castration, his play really dropped off.

He is getting up there in age but I'd be surprised if some team didn't take a flyer on him as a depth defenseman. It might not be until injuries start piling up during the season though.

Stephane Yelle
Ol' Yeller had a short go-round this time with the team but it was great seeing him in an Avalanche jersey again. He may be old but he still had fire in his eyes when he was on the ice.

It might be time for Yelle to hang 'em up and join the Avalanche in a coaching or development capacity. One can hope anyways.

Chris Durno
Next.

Darcy Tucker
Bye.

Trade deadline - What should the Avalanche do?

I wrote the following piece for Illegal Curve but the folks there generously agreed to let me cross-post it here at Avs Talk.

Once it's up at Illegal Curve, I'll add a link to their Trade Deadline feature so you can read thoughts on all the other teams trade deadline dilemmas.

The Avalanche are currently out of the playoff picture and they have slim to little hope of making it at this point.

And even if they were to make the playoffs, all it would bring is a little more cash to the team's bottom line, not a Stanley Cup.

It's simply not worth it for the franchise to be buyer's at the trade deadline.

Francois Giguere needs to look past a first-round playoff loss and set his sights on selling some assets.

So what do the Avalanche have to offer?

Marek Svatos
The Svats machine has languished on the third and fourth lines for the most part this season and that's simply not his game.

He is an opportunistic goal scorer and does best when gobbling up rebounds in the slot created by his linemates.

He's an extremely sneaky player, has a nose for open spots and knows how to finish.

For a squad looking to add extra offense for a playoff push, Svatos could be their man.

Ruslan Salei
I was torn over whether to list Brett Clark or Ruslan Salei in this slot.

In the end, I chose Ruslan Salei.

Though I'd prefer to see Clark go at this point, I think Salei is more marketable.

He has Cup final experience, can put up some points and possesses a mean streak which has been stifled by the defensive system of the Avalanche.

Currently on pace for 25 points, he would add defensive depth to any team.

Ian Laperriere
I can hear the collective cries of Avalanche fans everywhere.

To be clear, in no way do I want to see Ian Laperriere traded. But it's hard to argue that he isn't one of Colorado's top pieces of trade bait.

He is the epitome of a hockey warrior. He can fight, he can score, he can kill penalties and for my money, he's the best character guy in the league.

If Giguere does make the tough decision to trade Laperriere, he needs to get enough in return that he won't alienate an already jittery fan base.

But what do the Avalanche need in return?

Draft Picks
This is a deep draft and having a top-10 pick would be great.

The Avs are already headed down that road but adding one more to the repertoire wouldn't hurt.

And when you have a stock of draft picks, teams will come calling on draft day.

It's win-win.

Goaltending
No, it's not a cure-all, but it certainly is a cure-many.

I was on board the Peter Budaj train when the season started but I got off around mid-December.

I never boarded the Andrew Raycroft train, regardless of his win-loss record.

But if the Avalanche truly want a return to former glories, they need a solid number one goaltender. Not spectacular, just solid. But spectacular would be fine.

Manny Fernandez will not be that guy. Pascal Leclaire will not be that guy.

You either find a young up-and-coming goaltender to develop him into a number one, or you go out and acquire a proven number one.

Either way, action needs to be taken as I don't believe the Avalanche have any aces in the hole with their current prospects.

Role Players
Many people - from blogger to beat writer to beat boxer - were disappointed that Francois Giguere ignored a player like Stephane Yelle during the offseason.

And for good reason.

Stephane Yelle is the definition of a role player.

He never takes a shift off, he blocks shots, he wins faceoffs, he kills penalties and he can even sub in as a defenseman if the situation calls for it.

He signed with the Bruins for $750,000 this season.

I don't want to say he's the reason the Bruins are atop the league but he's one of the reasons the Bruins are atop the league.

If the Avalanche continue to sign players like Darcy Tucker for $2.5M as opposed to players like Stephane Yelle for $750,000, they can have all the skilled forwards they want, but they won't grind out a Cup win.

Final Thoughts
None of this will matter if the Avalanche don't make the biggest change necessary and re-tool their coaching staff to remove the "Old Boys Club" mentality that permeates the front office.

Just because Tony Granato is a good guy doesn't mean he's suitable for the head coaching position.

Just because Jacques Cloutier has been with the team since 1996 doesn’t mean he’s still cut out to run the defense.

Just because Francois Giguere is a number-crunching wizard doesn't mean he's cut out to assemble a Cup winning roster.

If this organization wants to win - and win consistently - they need to go out and get the best people for those respective positions.

Not the people who are closest to Stan Kroenke or Pierre Lacroix.

Related Links
Krieger: Avs' tough call: buy or sell
Buyers and sellers?

Avalanche vs Red Wings, Game Preview

The holiday season has come and gone.

The presents are unwrapped. The chocolates have been eaten. The turkey has been stuffed and devoured.

But one thing hasn't changed.

Joe Sakic and Paul Stastny will be absent from the Avalanche lineup for the foreseeable future.

One man's loss is another man's gain
Oh, one more thing has changed.

Tyler Arnason is the new #1 center.

If that doesn't strike fear into the hearts and minds of Avalanche opponents, I don't know what will.

Did I say opponents? Sorry, I meant fans.

I didn't get much for Christmas. I didn't ask for much either. I must have suspected I would need a more important gift.

And now I want to cash it in.

Santa, if you're still around please help Tyler Arnason rise to the occasion and make us all not unproud.

Hensick also slides up
Along with the Arnason promotion, T.J. Hensick has moved up from a fourth-line winger position to become the second-line center.

Based on practice reports, he will center a line with David Jones and Wojtek Wolski.

Svatos and Salei slide back in
Marek Svatos and Ruslan Salei will make their returns tonight.

Svatos really needs to step up and provide some offensive support. It will be tough sledding as he will likely find himself on the third line tonight but he needs to find a way to get it done.

Third line pickle
Cody McCormick sat last game and may sit again while the Avs give Chris Stewart more time to showcase his skills.

If Stewart stays in he would likely play on a line with Ian Laperriere and the returning Marek Svatos which would leave Darcy Tucker on the fourth line with Ben Guite and Cody Mcleod.

If Stewart draws out, Granato would likely renew the McLappy line leaving a Tucker and Svatos to play on a line centered by Guite.

So no matter how you dice it, the third line will be quite the interesting mix.

UPDATE: AD informs us that McCormick is out.

Budaj back in net
Peter Budaj gets the start in goal and will presumably go up against Ty Conklin as Chris Osgood is still recovering from a busted vagina.

Lidstrom possibly out
Nik Lidstrom took a puck to the ankle last night and will be a gametime decision tonight.

The sweats have already started over there.

The Avs will need every advantage they can get tonight so pray to Vishnu that Lidstrom's foot is swollen bigger than [go ahead and finish this one off in your head while I keep things PG-13 ;)]

UPDATE: AD informs us that Nik Lidstrom is out for tonight's game.

Game time
The puck drops at 9:00 ET at the Pepsi Center. Denver natives, get down there and support your team!

Related Links
Avalanche report: Arnason, Hensick take center stage against Red Wings
Avs promote Arnason to first line with Sakic, Stastny out
Arnie the new #1 center
Scouting the Avs

Avalanche @ Canucks, Game 15 Thoughts

Here's a few more thoughts from last night, in no particular order.

Ruslan Salei played his best game of the season last night. I watched him more closely than any other defender as I was getting tired of seeing him underperform. Early in the first it was apparent his positioning was much better. He wasn't allowing players to skate past him while he brushed them on their side with a "check". Tonight, he was stepping in front of them and preventing them from going around him. His head was moving much better tonight as well and he always seemed to be aware of where the nearest Canucks players were.

The McLappy line had a new ingredient last night as Darcy Tucker joined the line while Cody Mcleod found himself on the third line with Tyler Arnason. Tucker ended up spending some time with Hensick including a shift during OT. The weird chemistry those two had in their past two games may be wearing off a bit. It never made much sense to begin with frankly.

If T.J. Hensick gets sent down, everybody sharpen up your pitchforks. Though he didn't get any points tonight - tough to get any in a one-goal game - he still looked good out there. Coach Granato agreed as he played him for 18 minutes which could be a career high for Hensick. Contrast that with the 8:20 Arnason played tonight in his triumphant return after being a healthy scratch.

Ryan Smyth continues to do a great job fighting in the corners and being a pain in the ass for the opposing team. He's currently on pace for a 23 goal, 53 point season which is not spectacular. Someone could certainly argue it's not worth over $7M/season. But his work along the boards is invaluable and if Granato keeps sticking him in front of the net on the PP, more points will come. He did make one bonehead behind-the-back pass in his own zone but I'll forgive him. Just this once.

Early in the first period while the Avs were shelling Roberto Luongo, Ray Ferraro said "This is what a great goalie can do for you when you struggle" Amen, Ray. We saw it from both sides tonight and it was exciting as hell to watch.

Marek Svatos has been awarded the game-tying goal that originally went to Paul Stastny. In the first view I saw, I was elated as it looked like Svatos had scored. But from the "in the net" view, it looked like Svatos had wiffed on it and Stastny put it in. I'll take this decision as I've got Svatos in my pool and he's been underwhelming so far to say the least.

Chris Cuthbert mentioned itsallaboutlappy.com on the air. Now go buy a shirt and support Ronald Macdonald House!

Now, for my main beef with the game tonight. And it's been a beef of mine since the season started. The Avalanche are running a "wide open" offensive style, right? Then why in the world do they do they try and hold hands through the neutral zone?

There were half a dozen occasions where on a breakout, the player on the opposite side of the ice would skate over and actually get in the puck carriers way. What is the deal with that? Are they trying to use the flying V?

I'm getting frustrated watching the puck carrier try to manoeuvre the puck through his teammates skates while heading into the zone so I can't imaging how the puck carrier feels. It makes negative sense to me.

Related Links
Wolski, Svatos deliver in shootout for Avalanche
Avalanche cracks Luongo in shootout

Avalanche vs Flyers, Game 5 Thoughts

(Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)

Cody Mcleod is making me eat my words. He has looked great in the first four games. He's got two goals on the season and has only taken one penalty, the fighting major as he defended Ryan Smyth's honor against Steve Staios.

Ryan Smyth has been absolutely rocking on the forecheck in the first four games. He's got one goal and two assists in those four games but that doesn't do justice to the energy he's brought in the offensive zone.

David Jones is on the cusp of breaking out. Again. He was driving the net hard and has deceptive speed and strength. On one drive, he got past the Flyers D and then gave a little shrug to knock him down along the way. It was exactly what you want to see from a power forward. He got his first assist of the night and I think his first goal is only a couple games away. And that first assist was a beauty threaded through two Flyers defenders.

Ruslan Salei led the squad in ice-time and a large part of that is due to the extra PP time. He manned the point on the second unit - and at least once on the first unit for a total of 4:05 on the PP. He seems to be settling into a groove and could still make me look like a genious after predicting he would be the Avs best defenseman.

Joe Sakic's post ringer in the second period woke up sleeping polar bears in the Arctic. He made up for that miss with three assists as he keeps inching closer to #10 on the all-time list.

The penalty shot call made on Liles on the Gagne break was the worst penalty shot call I can remember. It didn't look like much on the initial rush but on the replay, it looked like Liles maybe sneezed on him. His stick hardly made contact with Gagne and Gagne seemed to have no problem getting a shot off. Not getting a shot off isn't the only determining factor in awarding a penalty shot but I think an actual penalty has to occur first. I'm pretty sure.

The Avs were 3-for-11 on the PP (27%) while only allowing the one PK goal on seven shorthanded situations (85%). Putting Wojtek Wolski on the point in place of Sakic a couple times paid dividends. Wolsk did a great job at feeding the puck to open players and came away with one powerplay assist. Of course, as soon as Wolski gives up a shortie, I'll be preaching from the rafters that forwards should not play the point on the powerplay. Ah hell, I'll keep doing it anyways.

The big question coming out of tonight is whether the lineup stays the same, leaving Ben Guite in the press box. It was surprising to see Cody McCormick still in the lineup but he made a hell of a case for himself against Calgary as well as tonight.

The only goals against Raycroft, playing in his 200th game, were on a penalty shot and on a 5-on-3. Not too shabby. But we'll see the Buddah back in net on Saturday against the Stars. This is not the goalie controversy you're looking for.

Oh, and Brett Clark was representing Saskatchewan tonight with a nice goal. Good job, Brett.

Related Links

Power Play Propels Avs Past Flyers

NHL.com Event Summary

Raycroft secures Avs first win (makes it sound like Raycroft stood on his head, eh? yeesh)

Andrew Raycroft Post-game Video

Milan Hejduk Post-game Video

Avalanche Fall 5-4 to Bruins in Season Opener

(AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

The Avalanche were downed 5-4 by the Boston Bruins last night as the 2008/09 season kicked off.

I won't break down every goal as I'm not feeling well today and need to get back to watching TV on the couch. Howevere there is one word to sum up a lot of the Bruins goals: flukey.

The Bruins were catching a lot of odd bounces including their third goal which was a shot from the point that appeared to bounce off Ian Laperierre, Adam Foote and Marc Savard within the span of 10 microseconds.

The Avs lived up to Granato's promise of a more up-tempo style of play. In fact they dominated the play for stretches at a time. The only times they looked confused was defensively in their own zone and on the few occasions they reverted to dump-and-chase hockey.

Peter Budaj didn't have a great game but it's certainly not time to throw him under the bus, though a .750 save percentage might say otherwise. He'll settle into the starting role but it looks like it might take him a game or two. He looked a bit too tight out there tonight and needs some time to loosen up.

Joe Sakic looked like a new man last night. During the offseason, I mentioned to a co-worker that I was concerned he had lost a bit off his shot. Well, last night he proved me completely wrong as he fired off six shots and everyone of them was a lightning quick release. 

Zdeno Chara boarded David Jones early in the second, immediately causing me to curse myself for jinxing him. Thankfully Jones only sat out a shift or two and was back on the ice looking no worse for the wear. Jones had a relatively strong game even though he was working against the giant tree for most of the night.

I'm hoping for good things from the defensive pairing of Ruslan Salei and Jordan Leopold, but tonight they looked a bit awkward with each other. They hugged too close to each other early in the game and then appeared to get a bit too far away as the game wore on, leaving too much space for the Bruins in both cases.

The new rule tweaks look like they are going to take a second to kick in to the players heads. With just over two minutes left in the game, John-Michael Liles was tripped coming out of the Avs zone and the refs arm immediately went up. Liles held on to the puck, tried breaking into the Bruins zone and finally just dumped it into the corner, allowing the Bruins to touch up. What he should have done was give the puck to the Bruins right away as all penalties are followed by a faceoff in the penalized teams zone. The Avs lost 20 seconds of powerplay time right there.

I'd say more but I'm nodding off as I type this. The Avalanche's next game isn't until Sunday at 8:00pm ET against the Oilers. It should be an exciting game as the Oil should be a high-flying team this year as well.

And who figured the Canucks would score six goals in their home opener?

Colorado Avalanche 2008/09 Season Predictions

The Avalanche roundtable is winding down as Jibbles is hosting the last question today on expecations. And do you know what that means? It means the season is starting tomorrow!

I'm not going to find time to do a full breakdown of the team before the pucks drops so I decided to do a quick post with a few predictions for the season. If every one of them comes true, you all owe me $5.

Paul Stastny will be top 10 in points
In Stastny's first pro season he put up 78 points in 82 games, good enough for a .95 PPG rate. In a shortened season Stastny put up 71 points in 66 games, a 12% increase to 1.07 PPG. If he stayed healthy all season and scored at that rate, he would have been tied for 10th in the league.

If we take that 12% increase and extrapolate over an 82 game season, that puts him at 98 points this season which would have been good enough for 3rd in the league.

The top 10 is on Stastny's radar and, if he has a healthy season, he should hit it no problem.

Joe Sakic moves into 7th place all-time in assists
Sakic currently sits in 11th place on the all-time assists leaderboard with 1006 assists. He is 28 shy of taking sole possession of the #10 slot, currently occupied by Mario Lemieux. Once he hits 1034 - that's right, once, not if - he will be a mere 16 assists from passing both Marcel Dionne and Gordie Howe to climb into the #8 spot.

But he won't stop there. He'll need a measly 14 more assists to leapfrog Steve Yzerman to #7 all-time. And he will do it this year.

It's only 58 assists and Sakic is just one injury shortened season removed from a 64-assist season. Time knows no boundaries and neither does Joe Sakic.

Ruslan Salei will be the Avs best defenseman
Salei is an extremely versatile defenseman. He puts up points, he plays the PP and PK, he lays out solid hits, he can put up 20+ minutes a game and I heard a rumor that he is coming up with a plan to fix the economy. No joke.

Jordan Leopold and Marek Svatos will be injury free
The Shane law says "The more things stay the same, the more likely they are to change". Ok, somebody much smarter than me probably came up with that before but I'll claim it as my own. 

As we're all painfully aware, it's been a long streak of injuries for Svatos and Leopold and it's time for that to change. I'm not saying one of them won't come down with the flu but there will be no more ACL tears, no more serrated thighs and no more broken bones.

David Jones scores 30 goals
I'll say it. I've got a mancrush on David Jones. As I've said before, he's big, fast and if he finds his scoring touch, he'll be gold.

Is 30 a stretch? Damn straight it is. But I'll look like a friggin genious if it comes true.

Ben Guite grows out the fu before the Christmas break
This one isn't even close to a stretch. The Fu will be back.

Peter Forsberg doesn't return
Last season I didn't think Forsberg was coming back. We all know how that worked out. So this year, I'm flip-flopping and waiting for him to prove me wrong again.

Hejduk has a bounceback year
The last time Hejduk had a 50-point season, he came back the next year and put up 35 goals and 70 points. In fact, since 2001 Hejduk has been consistently inconsistent as he alternated between 50 and 70-point seasons. History will repeat itself this year.

There you have it folks, eight predictions which have now been completely jinxed by me and will not come true. So you know who to blame when Jones only gets 29 goals.

Related Links

In-Depth Look at Season Opener

Deadline Done; Avs Make Two Trades

The deadline is past, the deals are done and it's time to reminisce on what happened. The Avalanche finished the day with two tough defencemen coming over in Ruslan Salei and Adam Foote. To gain these two players, they gave up some draft picks and one player, Karlis Skrastins, who was falling more and more out of favor with coach and fans alike.

Colorado receives:
Ruslan Salei
Adam Foote

Colorado gives up:
Karlis Skrastins
3rd round pick
1st round pick in 08 or 09
conditional pick

The defence just got a lot tougher with that additions of Foote and Salei. Those two may not be spring chickens anymore but they still bring a huge infusion of physicality to a soft squad and that's definitely something the team has been missing. Unfortunately, it will cost the team a first round pick in the draft this summer or next, a 3rd round pick in this years draft and a conditional pick based on Foote re-signing.

The big question to answer is: Will Adam Foote be worth that first-round pick? We'll only be able to truly tell in hindsight but it will be tough not having a 1st round pick in this years deep draft. Of course you can view that on the flip side and say that since this draft is so talented, the 2nd round picks are damn near like late first round picks in most years.

I'm certainly not happy giving up picks, especially first rounders, for aging veterans but I'm happy that our defense won't be so damn weak. I want to seem some bodies crunched against the glass when they break down the wing, not given a little stiff arm shove they just bounce right off of. I want people to fear breaking to the front of the net. I want opposing players to know they need to have their head up at all times or they'll pay for it.

And with the toughening up of the defense, it's now or nothing time for coach Q. As DD writes, he's got 19 games left and no excuses. The "eSSeS" are back, Foote and Salei solidify the D, a weak link has been removed from the chain and Peter Forsberg might help out as well. There is now no reason that this team can't make up those 4 points and at the very least, go down fighting in the playoffs.

When you can form your top line from names like Smyth, Sakic, Stastny, Hejduk, Forsberg and Svatos with enough left over for a second line rivaling many teams first line, you are as far away from problems as you can be. But will Q make anything of this or will the organization eventually cough up some draft picks while missing the playoffs for the second year in a row?

I'm cautiously optimistic.

It's a bit late on this post but I'm going to start adding more polls to the site. The first one is basic but just wait for the one after the game tonight. It'll be tough to make a choice!



Related Links
Who sits?

Avalanche Acquire Ruslan Salei

(abcnews.com)

The Avalanche have acquired Ruslan Salei in exchange for Karlis Skrastins and a 3rd round pick.

At 6'1", 212lbs and Salei should bring in a tough veteran presence which the Avalanche blueline is sorely lacking. He leads the Panthers, and now the Avalanche, with 122 hits and has always played a pretty hard-nosed game.

He's also picked up his point production in recent years and could hit 30 points again this season. He arrives with the Avalanche in a tie with John-Michael Liles for points by a defenseman with 23.

Salei brings a cap hit of $3M and is signed through the 09/10 season. So he's a bit more expensive than Skrastins but brings more to the table than Skrastins did.

Karlis Skrastins has been a shell of his former self when he was part of the #1 line with Brett Clark. It goes to show that one solid run doesn't mean an average player has broken out of his shell. It just means they had an above average run and are set to return to form. I'm actually happier to see Skrastins gone than I am to see Forsberg back.

James Duthie just chatted with Peter McNabb live from Calgary. McNab said that really nobody saw the Forsberg signing coming (you think!) and that it was a quick deal and may have been influenced by Sundin's decision to go with his heart and stay with Toronto. He also made a good point that the Avalanche now have only 5 healthy defenceman for the game tonight.

From Jay Onrait's TradeCenter blog:

Keith Jones cracks everyone up by suggesting that the Ruslan Salei/Karlis Skrastins deal would have been announced earlier but it took both players too long to get off the ice in practice because neither can skate anymore.

Zing!