Avalanche of goals

[yave1964]

My take on the 2013-14 Colorado Avalanche

Nsthan Mackinnon was a brave pick with the first pick in the draft. Not sure I would have taken him over Jones in their shoes, but a great talent.

Last year the Avalanche had the worst defense in the game. Erik Johnson is an absolute bust, Greg Zanon may be the worst player in the game drawing a regular shift, either he or Shane O'Brien and the two of them played back their all year. The kids looked green and nowhere near ready. Hejda looks to be playing out the string.

They shipped out Zanon and O'Brien and all that they added was Sarich who is a human pylon. So kids like Elliot and Barrie have to step up now, and I don't see it. The number one stat that I took out of all of last season: THE AVALANCHE DEFENSE LAST YEAR SCORED FOUR GOALS ALL YEAR. And they did nothing to improve. A couple of their 'prospects' if you will are Hunwick and Wilson, who are 28 and 26 years old. They can go right from being perennial up and comers to a 30 and older league soon. Maybe they could trade Erik Johnson and a fourh line centre to, oh I don't know, maybe the Blues and get something like Shattenkirk and even Chris Stewart in return. Nah. Who would be that stupid?

Varlamov and Giguere both supposedly took a step back lat year but truth is a large part of goaltending is defense in front of them and this arson squad on the blue line ruined a ouple of capable goalies. Sadly, expect more of the same this year.

Offensively, if healthy these guys can ice three lines who can skate with anyone.

Tanguay Duchene Landeskog

Downie Stastny Parenteau

McGinn O'Reilly Mackinnon

Solid dangerous balanced scoring and young to boot. Really like their forwards a lot, I know Stastny has been rumored going everywhere for blue line help but teams are holding out for a cheaper or younger player like Duchene or O'Reilly. John Mitchell centres a very capable fourth line

Overall, this is a team I wouldn't want to play on any given night, no lead will be safe, and Varlamov and Giggy are still capable of stealing a game with their netminding if they don't have a complete nervous breakdown from facing 40 quality shots a night. Nowhere near a playoff team IMHO but tough to play nonetheless.

[Dgill]

Nathan MacKinnon wasn't a brave pick, he was the right pick and the best pick. MacKinnon has proven when given the proper opportunity his game elevates beyond others. Their defense was and still is terrible, but Carolina, Florida, Tampa Bay and Calgary were just as equally bad, if not worse. Tampa Bay and Florida each passed on Jones as well, two teams with more goals against then Colorado. You think one of those teams would have selected Jones for the "immediate" help he would provide, no?

Roy has already stated that MacKinnon will be centering the third line with Jamie McGinn and Steve Downie. MacKinnon playing anywheres but center is a complete waste of his skill and speed that he provides. O'Reilly will likely be centering the second line as Stastny will be shipped/has lost centering duties due to more talented players in the system.

[Polaris922]

I agree that MacKinnon HAD to be selected. He could prove to be that generational talent teams are always looking for. And he absolutely embarrassed Jones in the finals last year. Colorado would have been fools to skip MacKinnon for Jones. They should address defense via trade or free agency before passing on a guy like MacKinnon.

[yave1964]

Nathan MacKinnon wasn't a brave pick, he was the right pick and the best pick. MacKinnon has proven when given the proper opportunity his game elevates beyond others. Their defense was and still is terrible, but Carolina, Florida, Tampa Bay and Calgary were just as equally bad, if not worse. Tampa Bay and Florida each passed on Jones as well, two teams with more goals against then Colorado. You think one of those teams would have selected Jones for the "immediate" help he would provide, no?

Roy has already stated that MacKinnon will be centering the third line with Jamie McGinn and Steve Downie. MacKinnon playing anywheres but center is a complete waste of his skill and speed that he provides. O'Reilly will likely be centering the second line as Stastny will be shipped/has lost centering duties due to more talented players in the system.

Jamie McGinn is a personal favorite of mine. Hope he has a huge year.

When I threw the lines out there it was just random, showing that the Avalanche have nine quality forwards.

MacKinnon WAS a brave pick. Jones has ties to Denver, and campaigned to be the first pick, a month before the season it was a given that Jones was the man. Choosing Mac was a step in the right direction, drafting best available instead of for need.

Stastny has been rumored to be on the outs for a year or better but his contract makes him while not untradeable at least a lot less valuable than some of the other forwards.

Nobody had a worse or has a worse defense than the Avalanche. Some teams give up more goals but that is more a testament to Varlkamov and Giggy than anything else, two competent goalies who keep their team in the game in spite of a horrible blue line. They should be commended. The defense should be shot.

Overall, I love the forwards, really really like the goalies and hate the defense. Stastny wont bring much of a return, it may take trading one of the blue chip forwards to bring in a blue liner or two. But seriously, this organization is going the right way.

[yave1964]

@Dgill

Oh and welcome to the forum!! Fun bunch of guys in here.

[Polaris922]

@Dgill

Yeah what he said... welcome! LOL

[hf101]

@Dgill

Welcome.

Glad to have an active Aves member here. (not to take this off topic-- but Forsberg was one of my favorites and the main reason I started posting on a hockey forum back in '07 - not that anyone here will remember )

The Avalanche have been bitten by the injury bug the last few seasons, it is going to be an exciting season with MacKinnon in the lineup.

[jammer2]

@yave1964 "Jamie McGinn is a personal favorite of mine. Hope he has a huge year."

A fav of mine also. Loads of potential coming from this kid. Terrific skater, hard nosed, loves to go to the tough areas to score. Just seeing the tip of the iceberg from this kid. One thing for sure, no matter which of top centers he plays with, one of them will get him the puck on a regular basis. I see 40 goal potential from McGinn if he develops properly and has a regular set of linemates.

[Dgill]

Thanks for the welcome all. I used to follow Sakic, Forsberg, Blake, Roy, Foote all religiously. To have a new young crop in Duchene, O'Reilly, Lando, and MacKinnon makes me very excited. Especially since I am a Halifax Moosehead Season Ticket Holder and MacKinnon went to Colorado.

[jammer2]

@Dgill Welcome to the board! WOW, a Moosehead STH that doubles as a Ave's fan. That draft must have kept you up at night! Must be thrilling to see a hometown hero go to your NHL team. The equivalent for me would be Taylor Hall going to my Flyers....could not even imagine how pumped I would be for that. Betcha can't wait for the NHL season to start, huh?

Is Frk eligible for another year of jr, or is he done....think he might have an overage year left, not sure.

[goalnut3133]

My take on the 2013-14 Colorado Avalanche

Nsthan Mackinnon was a brave pick with the first pick in the draft. Not sure I would have taken him over Jones in their shoes, but a great talent.

Last year the Avalanche had the worst defense in the game. Erik Johnson is an absolute bust, Greg Zanon may be the worst player in the game drawing a regular shift, either he or Shane O'Brien and the two of them played back their all year. The kids looked green and nowhere near ready. Hejda looks to be playing out the string.

They shipped out Zanon and O'Brien and all that they added was Sarich who is a human pylon. So kids like Elliot and Barrie have to step up now, and I don't see it. The number one stat that I took out of all of last season: THE AVALANCHE DEFENSE LAST YEAR SCORED FOUR GOALS ALL YEAR. And they did nothing to improve. A couple of their 'prospects' if you will are Hunwick and Wilson, who are 28 and 26 years old. They can go right from being perennial up and comers to a 30 and older league soon. Maybe they could trade Erik Johnson and a fourh line centre to, oh I don't know, maybe the Blues and get something like Shattenkirk and even Chris Stewart in return. Nah. Who would be that stupid?

Varlamov and Giguere both supposedly took a step back lat year but truth is a large part of goaltending is defense in front of them and this arson squad on the blue line ruined a ouple of capable goalies. Sadly, expect more of the same this year.

Offensively, if healthy these guys can ice three lines who can skate with anyone.

Tanguay Duchene Landeskog

Downie Stastny Parenteau

McGinn O'Reilly Mackinnon

Solid dangerous balanced scoring and young to boot. Really like their forwards a lot, I know Stastny has been rumored going everywhere for blue line help but teams are holding out for a cheaper or younger player like Duchene or O'Reilly. John Mitchell centres a very capable fourth line

Overall, this is a team I wouldn't want to play on any given night, no lead will be safe, and Varlamov and Giggy are still capable of stealing a game with their netminding if they don't have a complete nervous breakdown from facing 40 quality shots a night. Nowhere near a playoff team IMHO but tough to play nonetheless.

Wow this assessment actually makes the 'Nucks sound like a GOOD team this coming year...LOL

[yave1964]

Wow this assessment actually makes the 'Nucks sound like a GOOD team this coming year...LOL

They need to rename the city they play in Enver because they have no 'D' that is what is going to kill them

[goalnut3133]

@yave1964 Now that is a good one...lol. However, what's worse, no D or no (sob ) G?! If (gulp) Lu doesn't return, or returns without his head in the game, Eddie Lack is not going to be ready imo, & Joacim Eriksson has no NHL experience. Talk about screwed. And....Bryz is still available....wouldn't that be the cherry on top??!

[yave1964]

@yave1964 Now that is a good one...lol. However, what's worse, no D or no (sob :(/> ) G?! If (gulp) Lu doesn't return, or returns without his head in the game, Eddie Lack is not going to be ready imo, & Joacim Eriksson has no NHL experience. Talk about screwed. And....Bryz is still available....wouldn't that be the cherry on top??!

gotta think Bobby Lu has no choice but to come back, just way too much money still on the table for him not to. He is a lot like a Kia Optima I helped my daughter buy a few years ago and now she is trying to resell, NO RESALE VALUE. That is ol' Bobby in a nutshell, a used car being sold as is with zero resale value when it is time to try to trade him in.

[Dgill]

@jammer2 Frk has an overage season left but is expected to make Grand Rapids. He has been nothing short of impressive in the development camp.

Red Wings management was in constant contact with him all last season and even took him aside to get his head out of his ass and to start playing hockey. Between that and his father visiting Frk completely turned his season around and hasn't looked back since. The guy has been a stud since he arrived in Halifax. Had he not have received that concussion in his draft year he would have been draft much, much higher.

[J0e Th0rnton]

Nathan MacKinnon wasn't a brave pick, he was the right pick and the best pick. MacKinnon has proven when given the proper opportunity his game elevates beyond others. Their defense was and still is terrible, but Carolina, Florida, Tampa Bay and Calgary were just as equally bad, if not worse. Tampa Bay and Florida each passed on Jones as well, two teams with more goals against then Colorado. You think one of those teams would have selected Jones for the "immediate" help he would provide, no?

Roy has already stated that MacKinnon will be centering the third line with Jamie McGinn and Steve Downie. MacKinnon playing anywheres but center is a complete waste of his skill and speed that he provides. O'Reilly will likely be centering the second line as Stastny will be shipped/has lost centering duties due to more talented players in the system.

Figured you were stoked to have him. great run for the moose

I liked Drouin a bit more, but Mack was solid and skates like the wind.

[jammer2]

@Dgill I don't think the Wings draft bad players. They can all skate, all compete...all high picks have a legit shot at the NHL. I only got to see Frk in the Memorial Cup, he looked solid very solid there, played a nice two way game...oh and saw him in the world jrs also.

[goalnut3133]

gotta think Bobby Lu has no choice but to come back, just way too much money still on the table for him not to. He is a lot like a Kia Optima I helped my daughter buy a few years ago and now she is trying to resell, NO RESALE VALUE. That is ol' Bobby in a nutshell, a used car being sold as is with zero resale value when it is time to try to trade him in.

Yah, but at least the Optima has improved over time, don't think we can say that about Lu, LOL...he's just at that teetering age, maybe just a few more yrs left in him...& at what quality? Really not a good situation for us all around.

[Haliax]

@jammer2 Frk has an overage season left but is expected to make Grand Rapids. He has been nothing short of impressive in the development camp.

Red Wings management was in constant contact with him all last season and even took him aside to get his head out of his ass and to start playing hockey. Between that and his father visiting Frk completely turned his season around and hasn't looked back since. The guy has been a stud since he arrived in Halifax. Had he not have received that concussion in his draft year he would have been draft much, much higher.

Good to hear positive comments about the guy from someone with first hand viewing experience. From what I've heard he might have to work on controlling his temper a bit better and that he isn't all that persistent on the back check. That is something that can be worked on though, and Detroit seems to be pretty good at helping prospects get better defensively.

[J0e Th0rnton]

@Dgill

Forgot to ask you, what did you think of Konrad Abeltshauser this season with the Moose?

I forgot he was in the Sharks system and was given a contract this season. I kinda want to see how he does at training camp

[J0e Th0rnton]

Good to hear positive comments about the guy from someone with first hand viewing experience. From what I've heard he might have to work on controlling his temper a bit better and that he isn't all that persistent on the back check. That is something that can be worked on though, and Detroit seems to be pretty good at helping prospects get better defensively.

Yeah, Frk had a pretty darn good season I must say. The guy has a hell of a shot.

[Dgill]

@Haliax With proper and strict coaching/management (See Dominic Ducharme - Halifax's Coach) Frk's temper will be kept in check. When it wasn't, he was benched, and he got the message quickly. His backchecking isn't the greatest, but that was mostly due to his lack of speed. It's much better then what it was and his skating has greatly improved. Playing with MacKinnon and Drouin really helped develop that aspect of the game for Frk.

@J0e Th0rnton KA is a great teammate who will be loved by his teammates and fans wherever he goes. He doesn't play physical at all which is a bit disappointing considering his size. He isn't the strongest on the puck/does get knocked off of it frequently. He can also drive you crazy on the PP with his fake winding and passing it off, only to retrieve the puck again to fake wind and pass it off. However he does rack up the PP points when he actually shoots off/passes it to Drouin/Frk/MacKinnon. His strengths are his puck moving ability and positioning. He's an above average skater who likes to rush the puck, but will have to work on his skating more if he wants to make it to the NHL. He's more of a project player but a guy who will give 110% to be the best he can be.

Edited July 22, 2013 by Dgill

[J0e Th0rnton]

@Haliax With proper and strict coaching/management (See Dominic Ducharme - Halifax's Coach) Frk's temper will be kept in check. When it wasn't, he was benched, and he got the message quickly. His backchecking isn't the greatest, but that was mostly due to his lack of speed. It's much better then what it was and his skating has greatly improved. Playing with MacKinnon and Drouin really helped develop that aspect of the game for Frk.

@J0e Th0rnton KA is a great teammate who will be loved by his teammates and fans wherever he goes. He doesn't play physical at all which is a bit disappointing considering his size. He isn't the strongest on the puck/does get knocked off of it frequently. He can also drive you crazy on the PP with his fake winding and passing it off, only to retrieve the puck again to fake wind and pass it off. However he does rack up the PP points when he actually shoots off/passes it to Drouin/Frk/MacKinnon. His strengths are his puck moving ability and positioning. He's an above average skater who likes to rush the puck, but will have to work on his skating more if he wants to make it to the NHL. He's more of a project player but a guy who will give 110% to be the best he can be.

I thought the same, although i did not think he got knocked off the puck quite so easily. musta caught different games than you

I am hoping the sharks sic Larry Robinson on him at training camp. He is our new defenseman coach and has a lot of similarities. Big Bird also was a pretty timid big guy until he was taught to get himself mean and throw that big body around