Colorado Avalanche: The 2 Big Lessons the Avalanche Must Learn to Succeed

The Avalanche are finally closing out what has been a historically terrible season for the franchise.  Not only have the Avalanche lost more man-games than any other team in the Western Conference (425 man-games as of yesterday), they are once again lining the bottom of the Western Conference.

Not only has it been frustrating for the players, it has also taken a large toll on the fan base.  The once intimidating Pepsi Center is now a silent building that rarely sees too much excitement from the players or the fans.

Nonetheless, there is hope for this team.  Many of the Colorado Avalanche contributors have written stories about the reasons for hope, or why the team will succeed more next season.  In the end, all this hope will go for naught if the Avalanche are unable to overcome their two biggest shortcomings the following season.

Injuries

The players and the coaches all say the same thing.  "We're not using it as an excuse, and nobody is going to come feel sorry for us." 

Well, they're right about the fact that none of the other teams are going to go out of their way to make it easier on a team just because a ton of their players are injured, but at some point, it has to be a valid excuse.

If the Avalanche had only lost a couple of players for moderate amounts of time, then I wouldn't make a big deal about it, but 425 man-games lost to injuries is just insane. 

All of those injuries means that the guys playing never have a really good chance to create any type of real chemistry with any of their teammates because they're only together long enough for one of them to get hurt. 

How can anybody really start to learn the tendencies of one of their linemates when there is such a revolving door?

Nobody can speak to that better than Matt Duchene, who has gone through so many different linemates, it's nearly impossible to keep track.

If the Avalanche are to improve on things next year, one of the most simple steps is just staying healthy.  Keep your big players on the ice long enough for them to learn how to play well with each other. 

Once you get guys firing on all cylinders together, things really can pick up for a team.  Just look at how well Duchene was playing when he and Tomas Fleischmann were rolling through opponents.

Fundamentals May Not Win You Games, But They Can Lose Them for You

The fundamentals have proven to be a giant problem for the Avalanche this year, and that can be a byproduct of having such an immature team.  Young guys want to just get out there and blow everybody away, sometimes they forget to keep their position right, and bad things happen when that starts to go wrong.

Nowhere is this more important than in your own end.  The Avalanche have been atrocious this year in their own end.

They switch to scramble mode far too early, get caught watching the play instead of covering their man, try to make big plays instead of just getting the puck out and take bad penalties. 

All of these things are things that can be fixed by getting your fundamentals right.  Things as simple as being aware of your positioning on the ice and your relationship to the other players is something that can solve most of those problems. 

Once everybody is in control of their fundamentals, then a team can emerge.  Then you can see the creativity begin to emerge as players begin to trust themselves and each other. 

As it stands, the Avalanche look like a team that is scared to make a mistake because they know it will end up in the back of their net, and you can't win games like that.

Yes, the problems of the Avalanche are far greater than just these two overly simplified points.  Nevertheless, if the Avalanche aren't able to keep healthy and remember how to play in a fundamentally sound way, those deeper issues will remain.