Avalanche Goalie-Go-Round

by J. Scott Moore

Ever since the Avs went with Budaj/ Raycroft it’s been a joke. What you say? But Craig Anderson! Yes, yes. BUT. But, if you can be honest with yourself, that was a shot in the dark, a gamble, a roll of the dice. Ok, over doing the metaphors? It wasn’t a complete shot in the dark, maybe a shot in a dimly lit room.

Read the rest at Hockey Independent

 

Mission Impossible

Remember the way Mission Impossible always starts? With the secret message self-destructing? Well in this case Peter Forsberg is watching the Colorado Avalanche self-destruct and apparently, just like in Hollywood, he is going to take the impossible mission.

Injuries
The latest blow to the injury-wracked Avs is the season long loss of Tomas Fleischmann, diagnosed with pulmonary emboli or in English: a blood clot in each lung.
The Avalanche are up to 235 man games lost to injury. Obviously not satisfied with last year’s huge statistical loss of players to injury the Avs are on pace to blow that number out of the water this year.
And these aren’t just role players that are missing time. Chris Stewart went down for seven weeks when he was the leading goal-scorer on the team.
TJ Galiardi missed several weeks with a broken wrist. A guy that was depended on for top six work.
Kyle Quincey though not quite playing to expectations was slated for top four defensive duties: out for the season.
Let’s not forget that Peter Mueller, a top six forward has missed the entire regular season.
And then there is Craig Anderson, a workhorse last season, missing multiple stretches at a time.

Goaltending
And that brings us to the glaring issue this season. Inside the drama of Mission Impossible could be another classic: Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Budaj.
Is this the season like 2006-07 where Budaj salvages what he can of a Theodore-like season? I shudder to make such a comparison but at this point Budaj has played 23 games and Anderson is sitting at 28 games. Granted much of that is due to injuries but Anderson is not anywhere near his 2009-10 form. They have near identical stats and at this point Anderson’s are headed in the wrong direction.
And after another weak game Saturday, Peter Budaj is getting the call once again.
Arguments that Anderson’s defense isn’t giving him any help are only as valid as they were last season when Anderson faced a shooting gallery night after night and nonetheless stood on his head for this team.

PK and PP
Sure, sure. The Avs are up there in the power play but so are the Blackhawks and they just recently climbed into the top eight. And Peter Forsberg is sure to nudge that number up some more. But where the Avs really need to improve is on the horrific penalty killing. Currently the third worst team in the league. And Forsberg isn’t going to help that much. In fact he will likely challenge it as Foppa has never been short on PIMs.

Your mission Peter Forsberg, should you choose to accept it: play till the trade deadline and see how that ankle/foot performs at the NHL level. If everything goes well be prepared for the weight of a city’s expectations to be placed on your shoulders.

-From the Point

Team Wide Sophomore Slump?

The Colorado Avalanche are having a bit of a tough go at it this season. This time last year they were in and out of first place in the division. And while the Western Conference is ridiculously tight and teams shift in and out of playoff spots daily, one has to wonder if the Avs have what it takes to end up in the top eight come April. So far this season they have been highly inconsistent!

Part of what I think is a huge factor is experience. While the team is very young in average age they are also rather short on experience. Many of the players on this team have more experience listed on their NHL resume than I would like to give them credit for.

For example, Craig Anderson is listed with eight years of experience. But we all know those were years as a backup, not as the number one goalie. Expectations are different, work load is different, every thing is different. Last year Anderson was out to prove he could be the man. And as many discover following a superlative performance: it is often more challenging to match it than it is when you are coming out of no where and you are the underdog. Once the white hot spot light hits, the pressure is really on.

The way I see this team is a combination of games played or complete seasons played. And the Avs have a serious glut of sophomores. Here’s how I see the team structure right now, give or take a dozen or so games, either way

Rookies: Dupuis, Shattenkirk, Yip and Porter.
Sophomores: Duchene, Galiardi, Hunwick, Jones, O’Byrne, O’Reilly, Stewart, Wilson, Winnik and Craig Anderson.
Experienced: Fleischmann, McLeod, Stastny and Budaj. Though Budaj has little more games than Anderson I see him as an experienced backup where as Anderson is a sophomore as a starter.
Solid Vets: Foote, Hejduk, Liles.

Those are the major players on the team. Two thirds of this team falls into my rookie or sophomore status. What’s more is these are guys that are being given large chunks of responsibility.

So while many guys, though not truly sophomores, they are experiencing their second year of full responsibility. Like Craig Anderson. Some of this is due to injuries but also a huge reliance on young players. When you have guys like Hunwick, O’Byrne, Shattenkirk and Wilson playing major minutes on defense, there will be growing pains. Scott Hannan was steady and easily falls into the established veteran category, but he was traded.

Despite Duchene and Stewart’s sophomore status, they are not in a slump (at least Stewart was not before the injury) when it comes to scoring. Thankfully, or this team would be in real trouble in the standings. Mainly it’s important to remember to temper our expectations of this team that is so young and inexperienced. They should only get better and better.

Game 5 - What was that?!?!?!?

               To be honest, I don’t even know where to begin with this.  I thought the Avs would come out flying tonight, or better yet, hoped they would.  Not so!  They only had two shots in the first period compared to the Sharks 12.  I don’t call that a good start to a game.  Although they did get 17 shots in the third period, a bit late in the game if you ask me.

                I won’t complain too much about the officiating although there are obviously some errors being made on calls.  I’m not saying the Avs don’t deserve some of these penalties but the whole melee with Hannan, Duchene and McGinn, that was pretty weak.  I get why Hannan got the penalty but why McGinn didn’t get more than two minutes blows my mind.  He obviously took a couple of swings at Duchene’s face; I don’t really call that roughing.  But... enough of that.

                

                My question is this “Where is the offense???".  The Avs have scored 9 goals in five games.  But 5 of those came in game 2 and one was technically scored by Boyle in his own net.  The top line of Stastny/Stewart/Galiardi has a combined point total of 1 in the last three games.  That’s only one assist by Stastny!!  When you’re the top line for a hockey team, they need you to be more productive.

                Maybe it’s time Sacco changed things up a little bit.  I know he put Tucker on the second line last night but I think that’s a lack of options more than anything.  I’m sure he’s scratching his head with the coaching staff today trying to find some way to revive this team.  Its do or die tomorrow night and something need to happen pretty darn fast.   Maybe put Duchene/Yip/Galiardi back together, they were pretty good when Sacco first put them together.

                One thing I did enjoy though, and I don’t really know why, is that the Sharks scored 5 goals and this is what the stats sheet looked like.

                Talk about not stepping up big Joe.  You had zero points when your team shows up and scored 5 and you only have 2 assists this whole series.  But than again, who could have seen this coming……..ehhh…..anyone from anywhere that’s followed hockey even a little bit in the past few years, that’s who!

                As for Anderson, you can’t be superman every night, you’re only human.  Shake it off and come back with a vengeance tomorrow night.

-Frenchy

Game 4 - Avalanche VS Sharks

               I had the opportunity to go the Game 4 last night.  Although I didn’t have the best seats in the house, didn’t matter, the place was packed and there was a lot of energy.  I hadn’t seen that place that packed since Joe Sakic retirement night.

                Overall, I thought the Avs played a pretty good game, a lot better than they did in Game 3.  They didn’t get out shot like last game which to me was a big thing.  When you only get 17 shots and you let the other team get over 50 shots, you’re just making winning the hockey game a whole lot harder.  And those 50 shots were the only the ones that actually made it to Anderson, the Sharks had over 30 shots blocked.

But, I do have a few negative things to say about the game.  Sacco decided to sit Wilson and put Salei instead.  I can’t say that I totally agree with that when Clark was available.  I’m not saying Salei played a bad game but when you have a team shooting like crazy at your goalie, you might considerer putting the guy that blocks a lot of shots ….and that’s Clark.

                Another thing I noticed was that the Avs seemed kind of slow compared to the Sharks.  The Avs are the younger team that and they’re supposed to have lots of speed.  What happened?!?!?  I thought Yip looked the slowest of all, maybe that was just me but every time he touched the puck, it seemed that he had Sharks players on him pretty quick.

                And Svatos, I don’t even know what to say.  I know he probably tries hard when he’s on the ice but I’m sorry, you’re no Hejduk.  I saw him make a bunch of mistakes which was hard to watch since he’s out there with someone as talented as Duchene.  To me, that second line of Duchene, Svatos and Yip just didn’t have any chemistry.  That’s where I think not having Hejduk/Duchene/Mueller really hurts.

                I wrote a post before the series started and mentioned that the Avs had a good chance of winning…..if the got/stayed healthy.  Mission failed!!!  Losing Hejduk is HUGE.  Now both Hejduk and Mueller aren’t making the trip to San Jose, two key pieces that the Avs could have used right about now.

                One thing that I do want to mention was the play of Darcy Tucker.  I thought he looked like his old self.  Let’s be honest, he doesn’t have the scoring touch from his Maple Leafs days ( he does actually have a few 20+ goal seasons)  but his intensity last night was awesome.  Tucker is not a big guy by any means but he’s out there hitting these bigger Sharks players.   Way to go Tucker!  Of course, Anderson looked good too.  And I have to say, when the starting line up was announced, when they said Anderson’s name, the crowd went nuts; they love him at the Pepsi Center.  He’s our number 1 goalie for sure!

                Game 5 tomorrow.  Let’s hope they can pull this together and come back here for the win.

-Frenchy

Focus Andy! FO-CUS on the GAME!!!

As you can see, 9:59 left in OT and it's time for the ice crew to work and Andy seems focused...ON THE WOMAN ON THE ICE CREW!!!!!

Just 23 seconds later the Sharks score to win the game.  Just sayin'.

After the disaster that was game #5 for the Avs, they need to keep this woman away from Andy.  It’s important to note that she is the ONLY female on the crew, so it would not be difficult to ensure that she is always working at the opposite end of the ice from Andy.  Home-ice advantage?

Another tip for the Avs in game #6.  Play some defense!  Still, on the bright side, no matter how bad the Avs looked, Jumbo Joe still looked like he was skating around with his head up his ass.  Glad I’m not a Sharks fan, though we do have a similar guy, Marek Svatos.  

-From the Point

Avs - Sharks Game 3 Photoblog

It starts and ends with Andy

Andy's name spelled wrong.

Playoff beard sighting!

O'Reilly dropped his breezers and got his shorts taped on, mid-game.

For the Boods fans!

Crowd rockin' it!

Picking up after the yard sale.

Tired penalty killers.

AN-DY! AN-DY! AN-DY!

-From the Point

NHL Playoffs!!!

                The NHL playoffs start tonight and this is what the teams have been playing for all season long.  Nothing else matters now, it’s all about getting to the next round and finally get a crack at the Lord Stanley.  One thing I always want to see every year is a 8^th seed team knocking off a number 1 seed team.  Now, do I think that the Canadians can actually win against the Capitals….no.  Do I think that the Avs can actually win against the Sharks…yes!

                The Avs have almost no pressure in these series.  They are not expected to win and they shouldn’t win.  Maybe this is the perfect situation for them.  They can go in there and play with ease and play the game they want.  All the pressure is on the Sharks.  Let’s not forget that the Sharks don’t have the best playoff streak going.  They haven’t gotten past the second round in over 4 years even though they were one of the top teams in the West every year.  If you ask me, the Sharks have one good line and that accounts for almost 40% of their goals.  If the Avs can contain that line, they’re going to do just fine.  Also, they split the series this season with the Sharks 2-2.

                Now, I’m saying they can win if, and only if, the players get and stay healthy.  Matt Duchene said he’s going to play tonight, I hope that if he’s not 100%, that he’s pretty close.  They really need his scoring touch, Stewart and Hedjuk can’t score all the goals.  He had really good chemistry with Hedjuk and Mueller so hopefully thing will stay the same.  Speaking of Mueller, he has been a more than welcomed surprise since joining the team. He’s been great on the power play with Liles so losing him is huge at this point.  When you talk about an injury like a concussion, it’s always a bit tricky.  He didn’t make the trip to San Jose which already has me worried a little bit but I really hope that he'll make an appearance when they come back to play in Denver.  David Jones has been skating, it would be good if he could play and contribute but over 5 months off the ice is a long time.  I hope Sacco knows exactly when to use him. As for the top line, they need to keep playing the way they have been, no excuses.  At last of all, Anderson needs to bring his A game.  We need the Anderson that showed up at the start of the season.  

                The Avs have a chance to reach the second round; I’m just hoping they make it happen.  For a team that every body had finishing dead last in the West, getting to the second round would be quite the accomplishment.

-Frenchy.

That’s Why They Play the Games

The Colorado Avalanche aren’t the only ones that have had an erratic week or two. The fans that live and die with this team have had a rough time as well. There’s been everything from declaring the Avs “done” to rationalizing that it would be a good thing to miss the playoffs.

Even Avs beat writer and reverse jinx extraordinaire Adrian Dater predicted after the Flames loss that the Avs would not win another game the rest of the season.

“…I don’t see them winning even one game the rest of the way. That’s right, I said not one game.”

That sort of nincompoop hyperbole is what makes Dater such a beloved writer guy in this town.  The Avs played the Sharks Sunday night like they DO want to make the playoffs. Where Dater got it right in the article is that the Avs have become victims of the chaos in front of Craig Anderson.

I think there is little doubt that Anderson is a true number one goalie. But the Avalanche have become too dependent on Anderson saving their butt game in and game out. This team needs to clear out that space in front of the net. They need to own it and stop renting it out to the opposition. It’s killing them.

Not everyone was beating the drum of doom. The faithful at Mile High Hockey still believe. And why shouldn’t we? As it turns out the “four-point” game against the Flames WASN’T the end of the world as we know it, though the clichés nearly reached critical mass.

The Avalanche can clinch a playoff spot tonight by winning the game and a regulation loss by the Flames.

Simple as that.

Well, it SOUNDS simple. The surprisingly potent Peter Mueller has been declared unfit for duty for the foreseeable future. Uh-oh. The fact that Mueller has been anything but a bust since he got here makes his absence all the more difficult at this crucial point in the playoff push.

Nonetheless, the ‘Nucks have not preemptively been declared the winners of tonight’s match.

There’s still a game to play.

Avs New Years Resolutions

Did you see Attitude doing those lame locker room interviews before the Wings game? Asking the guys what their New Year’s resolutions are? I mean, you gotta have some connections, like me, to get straight answers outa these guys. So I sat down for a beer with each and every one of the guys, all in one night, so I might not remember all this correctly, but here we go;

Stats said he is gonna give up the wooden twig – the highest paid guy on the team is playing with the cheapest stick. So maybe Dad’s advice isn’t always gospel.

Svats said he is gonna fight more often, if he ever gets back in a game.

Budaj resolves to play no more games for the Avs this season, thereby making him the highest paid player-per-game for the Avs.

David Koci gave Boods a look on that and said, Whatever, I’ll still be the highest paid player-per-minute! Koci’s reso is to find time to read more books.

Milan Hejduk: I recall he told the Altitude crew last year that he didn’t think he had any personal improvements to make, therefore no resolutions! That’s some funny stuff Milan. Ok, I agree, you have been one of the most consistently producing Avs for a long time, don’t change! I really have no idea what he told me, I was pretty drunk by then and he is pretty tough to understand sober!

WW said he is going to live up to your expectations no matter how unreasonable they are!  And he reminded me that he dated her,  so how is that for a start?

Liles said he is going to stop growing that pathetic looking beard until the Avs make the playoffs.

Dater is going to give the attendance issues a break till next season, wait, how did that get in here???

David Jones said he is gonna stop getting hurt so much…then promptly slipped in my vomit. If it wasn’t for bad luck, he wouldn’t have any luck at all.

McLeod said he is gonna throw more octopi, more punches and more pucks at the net.

Andy said he is gonna be the #1 star at home more often so he can give those great interviews that the crowd loves.

Stewie said he is going to get more Gordie Howe hat tricks Trivia, how many Gordie Howe Hat Tricks did Gordie have? Leave a comment with your answer!

-From the Point

What's in Your Stocking St. Patty?

We've got 1st place in ours! Woohoo!
See who's home for Xmas and who isn't on my new post over at HockeyIndepedent.com
Thanks for taking a look, and HAPPY HOCKEYDAYS to all!

The Avs D needs to get tougher

The Colorado Avalanche have starting goalie, Craig Anderson back in net after missing four games due to a neck injury inflicted by goalie killer, Keith Ballard. With the recent report by Puck Daddy that former NHL goalie Martin Gerber suffered a neck injury while playing in the Kontinental Hockey League, maybe the league should reconsider their deafening silence on players that keep running goalies. If players continue to run Craig Anderson then I think it’s time a message was sent to the league. And I don’t mean the front office.

As the Avs take on their opponents this month I think they need to keep in mind that if anyone so much as looks at Andy cross-eyed, he needs to be pummeled by the Avalanche. Now part of the challenge here for the Avs is their lack of fighting toughness on the backline. Not that a forward can’t take on this roll, but I would like to see at least one Avalanche defenseman take on the role of being Andy’s personal bodyguard.

Adam Foote has dropped the gloves in the past, he’s getting a bit long in the tooth to keep doing that and he really hasn’t dropped ‘em much in the last few years. Footer has only three fights since the lockout and no fights in nearly two years. But if you think he isn’t up to the job, take a look at his last fight with Jordin Tootoo.

I like the captain showing the team what needs to be done, but I would also like to see one of the other guys take on this responsibility. So who else might take on this role? Well here is the last fight (only NHL fight) John-Michael Liles was in.

So I don’t think he is our guy. Way to protect the face pretty-boy.

How about Hannan, Clark, or Quincey? Combined, they average less than a fight per year since the lockout.

That leaves Ryan Wilson, who has shown a real penchant for putting the hurt on guys with his checks. Let’s watch this recent video of Wilson leveling Ethan Moreau and fighting Zach Stortini.

Now Wilson didn’t fare so well in that fight but looking at his 100+ PIMs in his last couple years in the OHL, it’s obvious that Wilson has done a little fighting. He could be the man for this job.

If the league isn’t going to protect our goalie, then things need to be handled by the Avs, on the ice. I don’t care who commits the infraction, someone needs to address it. Craig Anderson is clearly a key component to the winning ways of this new and improved Colorado Avalanche. Last I checked the league doesn’t have a skirt-rule for goalies and I’m not calling for one either. I’m calling for the Avs to stand up for one of the guys that have made this team a winner again.


-From the Point

A version of this article was originally published on HockeyIndependent.com

Avs Eastern Conference Road Trip

The Colorado Avalanche took a three game run through the Eastern conference picking up three points out of a possible six. Not bad, not great. The Avs took it to the Lightning in the first game and Matt Duchene caught fire, seemingly appearing out of nowhere with 7 points in the last 5 games. Chris Stewart shares the same stat and not coincidentally has been playing on the same line of late. Perhaps some, if not all of Duchene’s success is due to the space that Stewart creates on the ice for Duchene. As I pointed out in my blog post, “Does Duchene need a Marty McSorley?” I think Matt Duchene has been a target and needed a little toughness on his line to open up the ice. Looks like its working, Avs win 3-0.

Despite a day off, the Avs skated like zombies through a game against the Florida Panthers, trailing the entire game. In the last minute of the game the Avs scored two goals to tie it up to send the game to overtime. With approximately 40 seconds remaining in the OT period, THE Keith Ballard was flying down the wing and recklessly crashed the net, stunning goalie Craig Anderson. Ballard’s most recent example of “careless stupidity” was still a hot topic when he got careless and stupid again, running Anderson’s head into the post and putting him on day-to-day status with a neck injury. Nope, no need to suspend idiots. Avs lose this one in the shootout that a cold Peter Budaj was forced to finish due to Anderson’s injury.

After the Carl Hiaasen-like Double Whammy trip to Florida the Avs only had to face the Defending Cup champs the very next night. No problem!

Their best game so far on this trip could arguably be the one against the Pittsburgh Penguins who were well rested while the Avs were playing their 3rd game in four days. Though Milan Hejduk was back (and looking a bit rusty) goalie Craig Anderson was out and back up Peter Budaj played against a very hot Pens team. No, the Avs didn’t win the game but they were obviously up for the challenge of this juggernaut of a team, losing this one 4-1. However, two of those goals were empty netters in the last minute of the game and the Avs were also the victim of another “intent to blow” call that looked like it should have been a goal. But Avs fans don’t cry over that like Detroit Red Wings fans.

Saturday the Avs will visit Columbus and Adam Foote will no doubt be welcomed back with boos and derisive signs. As I recall, Puck Daddy had no problem finding jersey fouls such as this one. You can’t blame a guy for being that cranked about the captain of his team up and leaving so quickly. Based on Avs blogger Jibblescribbits’ “Official guide to buying an Avs sweater” a fan should be able to assign a tier to a player and therefore judge the risk involved in buying said sweater. In Columbus, Foote was a tier one guy. So it’s no wonder the kid is so angry.

The Avs need to continue to believe in themselves and play the opposition tough. They will wrap up the road trip in St. Louis and despite their record it should be noted that the Central Division is much tougher than it once was when Detroit ruled the roost and every other team in the division was a lock to be on the golf course in the spring. If the Avs can get a couple more points out of this road trip they may well be on their way to recovering from a poor November.

This story was originally posted at HockeyIndependent.com, check it out!

-From the Point

Keith Ballard takes out yet another goalie

Colorado Avalanche at the halfway mark in division

The Colorado Avalanche wrapped up the back-to-back against the Minnesota Wild this weekend in poor fashion. Limping away with a mere one point, the Avs aren’t the only ones limping. David Jones, second on the team in goals is effectively done for the season with a torn ACL. The winger has been struggling with injuries since the Avs tapped him to be Andrew Brunette’s replacement in 2008.
Off to a great start this season, Avs fans have been hoping that Jones would finally pan out to be the power forward that the team is in desperate need of , especially after trading away Ryan Smyth over the summer.
The back-to-back with Minnesota wasn’t really any different that the rest of the month of November for the Avalanche. Let me list the ways;

...please go the HockeyIndepenedent.com the read the rest of this post.

An Avalanche Memo

I just received this hastily copied memo from an anonymous source.
I think the memo says it all. Just click it for a larger image.

-From the Point

Cool Beans! Avs beat the Bruins

This is a penalty...

...but this isn't? Ouch!

Andy stuck his leg out because he was out of position and was going to get beat on the wrap-around. Got that Norm Jones? Sheesh, I like Anderson too, but let's back off the love fest, not EVERYTHING he does is perfect, calm, collected, etcetera. Nonetheless, this team is looking, among other things, like a team. Did I see Clark high-five Andy after a bit of chaos in front of the net? Is it my imagination that these guys are doing the post goal-scoring hug with a lot more enthusiasm than I've seen in a long time? It's like real live camaraderie!

As a result, I think we are all seeing a team that is much more resilient than the team we saw last season. The Bruins, more than once, were comin' hard and knockin' on the doorstep. The Avs weathered the storms and stepped up their own game.

Some quick thoughts about the game today;

I like Foote as capt. but dude you aren't looking real stellar out there

Anyone want to start a pool for Duchie's first goal?

Stewart scratch...yeah, had to be done, but I still have faith in this kid

Galiardi will have an ache and pain for every good play he made, what a tough day!

Quincey and Tucker still looking good!

Sacco's post-game comments about O'Reilly...he's here to stay

David Jones looking good but lets wait a bit before promoting him to the first line

-From the Point

Avs Hit the Road...Road hits Back

So much for going 82-0. Of course we knew that wasn’t going to happen, right? Riiight? There has been a lot of Avalanche Kool-aid drinking after those first two games. The Colorado Avalanche has the honor of being the visiting team for two club’s opening nights in a row! Nashville and now Chicago. That can make things tougher than they already are.
And how tough is it to make 35 saves a night? Just ask Craig Anderson. You just can’t expect a guy to make 35 save every freakin’ game. You’ve got to help him out. Tonight we found out that Anderson IS human! Hornqvist completely faked him out but Andy got lucky that the puck hit his skate AND that the refs made a distinct mistake on the no-goal call. Arnott did NOT make a distinct kicking motion, sure, he knew what he was doing, but I didn’t see the kick, did you? That should have been a goal. And I know it’s only three games in but, what’s up with Duchie? Is he starting to grip? He’s getting 2-3 good chances a game, great chances, getting a ton of ice time…this kid needs a goal.
I think Kyle Quincey is looking good and making me look bad, (I said he looked lazy in camp, well he did!!) it’s cool. If he keeps sending great outlet passes up the ice...yeah, it’s cool! The Avs haven’t really had that guy in a long time.
Defense, defense, defense. What’s with Foote giving it away up the middle!?!?!?! At least twice, whew…
McLeod getting more ice time that Wolski, not a good sign.
Stewart was invisible.
O’Reilly looking lost.
Rusty was rusty.
But…
Kyle Cumiskey is so fast and looking better defensively.
Tucker is in the house!
The Duke still has those magic hands. Lookin’ pretty good on the PP.

-From the Point

Photos: AP

Free Agency – Day One

The Colorado Avalanche remained relatively quiet on day one. That is both a good thing and a bad. With rumors again surfacing that Smyth, Hannan and even Foote are up for trade, the fact that they are still here is good. Complain all you want about those deals, at least it isn’t a 12 year deal (see Hossa), that is just crazy.

At the same time, Avs fans are looking for management to do SOMETHING to help this team improve. So far they have signed a goalie and shown more than a hand full of guys the door. Not that that is a bad thing considering some of those guys were less than successful here. But of course Lappy being one of them is not sitting well with most of us. Even Ryan is upset!

So Lappy goes the Philly for about what he was making here in Colorado. Though he signs for three years, and that was probably the sticking point. Good luck Lappy!!!

To “replace” Lappy’s toughness, the Avs signed David Koci for $575K for one year. Just by comparing PIM, I would assume that is the plan. This is not what I had in mind for today. At least sign someone that can kill penalties…or skate… Maybe he is just going straight to Erie.

So far Arnason and Raycroft are still sitting by their phones…no surprise.

Goalies and Five-Holes
Dater reported today that Ty Conklin got 3 offers! But the Avs were not one of them. That’s fine by me, the Anderson signing looks ok. But really? Three offers? The decent, but affordable goalies were snatched up pretty quickly! Biron is still sitting out there. And no one picked up Belfour? Shocking! And Khabibulin ends up getting pretty good money, $15M / 4 years.

Let the Battle of the Avalanche Goalies Begin!
Craig Anderson has signed with the Avs. I don’t see Anderson as a clear starter for the Avs, though I’m sure management sees it differently. I believe the #1 position will be Anderson’s to lose. Not what I would call a real solid move for a true starter. But, he has been playing behind some pretty good goalies, so it may be his time. I’ve thought that Biron would be a solid signing, but I’m sure Anderson was cheaper. The other interesting battle will be for the #31. They both wear the same number, and have their entire NHL career. This is going to cost someone some money or pride…or both.

Speaking of cheap, after spending very little today, what can we infer that means? Well, good luck, do you have some Tarot cards to read? It could confirm the reports that the Avs are trimming salary. Or it could mean the Avs are leaving room for both Joe Sakic and Matt Duchene to be on the roster this season. I like the second option, frankly.


Non-Avs News

Is Marian Hossa a mercenary, or what? The Wings should be glad they lost out on him, the guy is just in it for the money.

The Rangers, in a rare moment of clarity, hosed the Habs and unloaded that Gomez contract. Correction! Spoke too soon. Gaborik for $7.5M a year??? Hahahahaha! What idiots!

Posted by: From the Point