Avalanche Alert: Very Quiet Offseason

The offseason in hockey is not exciting as the other pro sports in America.  With a summer where LeBron James had “The Decision”, hockey made news when Ilya Kovalchuk’s contract was voided by the NHL.

In Denver, there hasn’t been a lot of noise.  However, the Avs still have a few key players that they need to lock up before the season begins.  But don’t worry; Colorado has enough money to sign Chris Stewart and Peter Mueller.

Both players made key contributions for the Avs last season.  Stewart played in 77 games last season and led the team in goals with 28.  He was second on the team in scoring with 64 points.  Stewart seemed to come into his own this past season and the Avs are expecting even more out of the forward this coming season.

Mueller made an instant impact when he came over in a trade from Phoenix.  He scored nine goals and had 11 assists in 15 games.  His absence in the playoffs played a huge role in the Avs losing in the first round to San Jose.  With him in the line-up, the Avs had a better chance of knocking out the #1 seed.

Both youngsters should play huge roles on the top two lines next season.  They both have a knack for finding the back of the net and should lead the team in goals scored this coming season.  But first things first, the Avs need to sign both players before training camp begins.

Tags: Chris Stewart, Colorado Avalanche, Peter Mueller, Phoenix Coyotes, San Jose Sharks

Avalanche Alert: Offseason Moves

It has been all quiet on the Western Front thus far.  We are halfway through the month and the Avs have made only a few moves.  While none of the signings are earth-shattering, they tied up some key players that made big contributions last season.

July 2nd

Kyle Quincey resigned with the Avalanche for two-years and $6.25 million.  He will make $3.0 million this coming season and $3.25 the following season.  Quincey came over in the Ryan Smyth deal last year and paid dividends early on.  He ended up leading the team in ice time with 23:36 minutes per game.  He had six goals and 23 assists.  Quincey’s biggest contributions were his toughness and hustle.  He was second in hits with 115 and third in blocked shots with 143.  Colorado will rely heavily on him again this coming season.

Colorado also signed Dan Winnik.  The Avs traded for the left winger on June 28th.  Winnik signed a two-year deal worth $1.9 million.

The Avalanche had a busy day.  They also signed six minor-league players: John Grahame, Jason Bacashihua, David Liffiton, Greg Mauldin, Julian Talbot and David Van Der Gulik.

July 7th

Colorado resigned Brandon Yip to a two-year deal worth $1.25 million.  He was a significant part of the Avs last season.  The rookie forward had 11 goals in 32 games last season.  He always seemed to be around the net to clean-up.  Yip brought a toughness and aggressiveness to the team.  While those two attributes did not go unnoticed, Yip did suffer two injuries last season.  He started the season with a broken hand and missed most of March with a shoulder injury.  However, the Avs will lean on Yip a lot this season to continue his strong play in front of the net.

The Avs also reached a deal with Ben Walter.  He signed a one-year deal after spending most of last season with New Jersey’s minor-league affiliate.  He had 22 goals and 36 assists.

July 12th

The NHL set its salary cap floor at $43.4 million.  Colorado is about $7 million shy of the cap.  The Avs have money to spend but they plan on not spending it.  Colorado still has two important players that they need to sign, Chris Stewart and Peter Mueller.

The Avs also need to shore up the blue-line before training camp begins.  Colorado has the money but look for they to add players who can contribute but at a reasonable rate.

Tags: Brandon Yip, Chris Stewart, Colorado Avalanche, Dan Winnik, John Grahame, New Jersey Devils, Peter Mueller, Ryan Smyth

Avalanche Alert: June Wrap-Up

June 17th

Colorado traded forward T.J. Hensick to the St. Louis Blues for prospect Julian Talbot.  Hensick never stuck with the Avs this past season.  During the 2008-09 campaign, he played in 61 games with Colorado and had four goals with 17 assists.  This past season he played in seven games and had one goal and two assists.  Hensick was considered one of the Avs best prospects for a while but never live up to expectations.  Talbot will add depth to the Avs system.  He played in the Blues top farm club last season and scored 17 goals.  The Avs decided to dump Hensick because they had an abundance of small forwards that played the way he did.

The Avs also signed three players, Kevin Porter, Ray Macias and Phillipe Dupuis.  The only player most Avs fans know is Porter.  He came over in the Phoenix deal with Peter Mueller last season.

June 18th

Joe Sakic announced his intentions to one day work for the Avalanche in a management role.  He is not in a rush to find a role in the organization but floated the idea out there.

June 22nd

The NHL released its schedule for next season.  Colorado will begin the 2010-11 campaign at home against the Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks.  That game will be followed by a five-game road trip that begins against the defending Eastern Conference champion Philadelphia Flyers.  The rest of the schedule can be seen here.

June 23rd

Colorado had two representatives up for awards at the 2010 NHL Awards held in Las Vegas.  However, neither came home with any hardware.  Matt Duchene finished third in for the Calder Trophy, given to the top rookie and Joe Sacco came in third for the Jack Adams Award, given to the top coach.

June 25th

Colorado selected Joey Hishon with the 17th overall pick in the 2010 NHL Draft.  Some believe the Avs reached for a player that was projected to go in the second round.  Either way, Colorado selected another center, a position they have a lot of depth at.  The smarter choice would have been a defenseman, a position they need more depth in.  Let’s hope Hishon works out or the Avs wasted a first round pick.

June 26th

With their second round pick, the Avs selected goalie Calvin Pickard.  The rest of Colorado’s picks can be found here.

June 28th

For the second time this year, the Avs made a trade with Phoenix.  Colorado received Dan Winnik, a left winger for a fourth-round pick in 2012.  Winnik played in 74 games and had four goals with 19 assists for the Coyotes last season.  He played on the fourth line last season and will provide depth for the Avs this coming season.

June 30th

Entering free agency, the Avs have a lot of cap room.  However, Colorado isn’t expected to make a big splash this offseason.  They will fill some holes on defense and find some players that are versatile on the offensive end and that can kill penalties.  Don’t look for the Avs to sign any big names.

Tom Preissing was placed on waivers.  The Avs will most likely have to buy out his contract.  $1.84 will be counted against the cap next season.

Tags: Chicago Blackhawks, Colorado Avalanche, Joe Sacco, Joe Sakic, Kevin Porter, Matt Duchene, Peter Mueller, Philadelphia Flyers, Tom Preissing

Avalanche Alert: Some Notes

I’m back and ready to report on the Avs.  There hasn’t been much news lately but that should change here soon.  The 2010 NHL Entry Draft will be held June 25-26 and the Avalanche have the 17th overall pick in the first round.  After that, they have pick 47, 77, 107, 137, 139 and 197.

With Stan Kroenke on the verge of taking full control of the St. Louis Rams, he will have to surrender ownership of the Avs and Nuggets.  However, he will transfer some control of the Nuggets to his son.  It is unclear who he will transfer control of the Avalanche to.

In terms of the offseason, Adrian Dater believes it would be a great idea if the Avs added a big piece to their team this season.  While the Avs are currently in a “build from within” mode, they do have a lot of cap space this offseason.  The player that Dater is suggesting is very intriguing and he does make some valid points for the moves.  However, the Avs aren’t in the market for a big name right now.

Tags: Colorado Avalanche, Stan Kroenke

Gone Fishin’

I’m going to be out of town for the weekend and will have limited access to my computer. So, you won’t be hearing from me until at least Sunday at the earliest. It’s been a slow offseason for the Avs but it is usually like that in the NHL. The Avs resigned Peter Budaj and David Koci today but not else has happened. When I get back, I’ll try to get some interesting articles up on the site.

Tags: Colorado Avalanche, David Koci, Peter Budaj

Avalanche Alert: Foote Coming Back

Colorado learned today that they won’t be losing their captain for the second season in a row.  Adam Foote agreed to a one-year deal with the Avs today.  Foote will turn 39 in July and provided a lot of leadership for a young and inexperienced team this past season.

Foote’s deal is worth $1 million with a lot of incentives built into the contract.  He had no goals and nine assists this past season but his experience was the biggest asset for the Avs.  Colorado will count on him to provide stability on the blue line and lead the Avs deeper into the playoffs next season.

Tags: Adam Foote, Colorado Avalanche

Playoff Review: Chris Stewart

Chris Stewart emerged as a potential star for the Avalanche this season.  After jumping back-and-forth between the minors and the Avs, Stewart finally made his mark.  Stewie finished first in goals and second in scoring for the Avalanche.  He had 28 goals and 36 assists.

For a majority of the season, he was paired on the top line with Paul Stastny.  They had great chemistry; Stastny setting up Stewart for a lot of goals.

For the first two games of the playoffs, Stewart was showing that he was a big-time player.  He had three goals in the first two games.  Stastny assisted on two of those goals.

Stewart was playing great hockey.  He was using his speed to skate past the Sharks.  He used his power and strength to tie up the Sharks in the corner.  However, after game two, Stewart’s name was never called again.

He finished up the last four games with no goals and no assists.  He was also -2 during those final four games.  While it would be stupid to blame Stewart for the Avs struggles the rest of the series, his disappearance along with Stastny hurt the Avs.

Colorado scored eight goals in the first two games of the series and four goals the final four.  In the playoffs, role players have to step up.  However, in the case of the Avs, they needed their top line to step up.

The Avalanche came into the playoffs with little playoff experience.  With youth peppered throughout the roster, Colorado needed their big guns to show the “youngsters” how to play.

While the Avs played admirably, they didn’t get enough production from their top two lines to win the series.  However, for a team that had more players younger than 25, the Avs took one huge step in the right direction.

Stewart gained great experience from this season’s playoff run.  He learned the highs of the playoffs and the lows.  Stewie should only be better next season.  He has the ability to be the next big thing for this Avalanche team.  This playoff experience should only make him a better player.

Tags: Chris Stewart, Colorado Avalanche, Paul Stastny, San Jose Sharks

Time to Grade

Just like the players take a little break after their season ends, I decided to do the same.  After covering the entire season, I needed to take a step back and regroup.  I am now refreshed and ready to tackle the questions that hover over the Avs this offseason.

From my standpoint, it was an amazing season.  The Avs outperformed every expectation.  They were a fun team to watch this season.  They were young and energetic.  They had a lot of speed and skill on the ice that made for an entertaining product.

While I am no expert, Adrian Dater of the Denver Post has been spending the past couple of weeks handing out grades for each Avalanche player.  He has done a great job with in-depth analysis of each player’s performance.  Check out his grades here.

Paul Stastny ~ B
Kyle Quincey ~ B-
Matt Duchene ~ A-
John-Michael Liles ~ C+
Ryan O’Reilly ~ B
Kyle Cumiskey ~ B-
Darcy Tucker ~ B
Craig Anderson ~ A
Adam Foote ~ B
Cody McLeod ~ C
T.J. Galiardi ~ A
Peter Budaj ~ B+
Scott Hannan ~ B-

Mr. Dater will have more grades in the coming days so check back to see what grades he gave to the rest of the Avs.

Tags: Colorado Avalanche

I’m Back

After being out of the country for the past week, I’m back in the States.  While I wish I would be coming back to better news, I can reflect on what a season it was for the Colorado Avalanche.

After finishing in last place in the Western Conference last season, the Avs made headlines when they made the playoffs this season.  While the Sharks defeated the Avalanche 4-2 in the series, they made the first seed work for it.

And it’s good that I had a few days to contemplate what I wanted to say.  After the Avs lost another lead late in the third period in Game 6, I wasn’t in the best of moods.  However, I stepped back and realized this team played better than anyone could have expected.

Throughout the season, the Avs were one of the youngest teams in the NHL.  They had two 18-year olds centering their lines, they played over 10 rookies over the course of the season and they were working in a new goaltender.  They overcame all of those obstacles and made a dramatic turnaround after a disappointing 2008-09 campaign.

The Avs have nothing to be ashamed of this season.  They surprised everyone and made the so-called “experts” eat their own words.  The Avs laid a solid foundation this season.  Now they have to build on the momentum they created this season and take a step forward when the season begins later this year.

Tags: Colorado Avalanche, San Jose Sharks

Gone Fishin’

I’m going to be out of town for the next week and will have limited access to my computer.  So, you won’t be hearing from me until at least Tuesday at the earliest.  Hopefully, by the time I return to the Mile High City, the Avalanche will be preparing for the second round of the playoffs. 

Tomorrow the Avs will be in San Jose for game five.  It’s a “must” win for the Avs.  The longer the series goes, the more confident the Sharks will get.  A clincher at home on Saturday would be ideal for this young team.  However, it will be no small feat to take another game in San Jose.  But Colorado definitely does not want to go back there for a game seven.

The Avs just need to play like they did last game.  Colorado played a solid game and it could have gone either way.  As the series drags on, the Avs need to use their speed to their advantage.  The older Sharks can’t keep up with the young Avs if they continue to push the pace of the game. However, if the Avs let the Sharks play a physical game down low, they will tire out quickly.

If I get lucky, I may be able to report back on Monday if there is a game seven.  However, I’m hoping the Avs have it all wrapped up by then.

Tags: Colorado Avalanche, Pepsi Center, San Jose Sharks