Bleacher Report - Articles by Anthony Bumbaco

Analyzing the Colorado Avalanche at the Trade Deadline

Anthony Bumbaco — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 16:00:51 -0500

Coming into the deadline, the Avalanche find themselves in unfamiliar territory, losers of five straight contests and in the cellar in the Western Conference—a place the Avalanche did not expect to be in only six months earlier.

As far as the Colorado Avalanche go at the trade deadline, I believe that the team needs to get bigger and faster. I think the deadline would be a good time for the Avs to admit the mistake they made signing Scott Hannan and ship him out. He was brought in to be a shut down defender but has posted a -18 rating over the last two years.

Secondly, Colorado needs to go out and find a big shot from the point. This will not only help their power play, but will also make a player like Ryan Smyth, who finds ways to tip shots and cause havoc in front of the net, to be a more effective player. The Avs have had a difficult time finding this type of player since losing Rob Blake after the lockout.

Thirdly, the Avs need to find some sort of stability between the pipes. Neither Andrew Raycroft nor Peter Budaj have gotten the job done in goal this season and are not likely ever going to be No. 1 goaltenders in the NHL Whether it be guys in the system such as Trevor Cann or Billy Sauer, the Avalanche need to address their goaltending woes that have haunted them since the retirement of St. Patrick.

Finally, the Avalanche must address issues in both coaching and management. Tony Granato is not the right man for the job in Colorado. He was given a questionable second chance by Francois Giguere after letting go of Joel Quenneville in the offseason and has proven he cannot succeed as an NHL head coach. He is unable to motivate his players, and he is far too inexperienced to help develop a team in need of a youth movement.

Francois Giguere is also responsible for this team's losing ways, as he hired Granato as coach, and for doing a terrible job in the offseason not addressing the obvious team needs. He needs to be accountable as well.

Whatever the case is, look for the Avalanche to be a large seller on Wednesday before the trade deadline and the rebuilding to begin in Avalanche land.

NHL Trade Deadline '09: Flop or Flurry?

Anthony Bumbaco — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 15:31:59 -0500

As 3:00 PM, Mar. 4, 2009 approaches very quickly I find myself getting very excited. I am constantly searching on TSN.ca or NHL.com to see if a new trade or trade rumour has been posted. I look to see which big-name player is on the block or which team is a buyer or seller.

Only then did I stop to think, what if there were no trades to take place at all? What if all of this extra coverage by the sporting stations were merely a waste of time, to analyze the trade of say Eric Perrin to Columbus for a sixth-round pick for 23 hours? Is this a possibility? I sure hope not.

The 2008 Trade deadline saw the movement of 44 players and 14 draft picks in a quite busy day for NHL general managers. But is it possible for this years trade deadline to reach such a peak in trades; that's a difficult question.

Of course there are many big named players rumoured to be moved such as Toronto's Tomas Kaberle, Marian Gaborik in Minnesota, Jay Bouwmeester in Florida and even Chris Pronger from Anaheim.

But with the social economy still very much in question, and all factors pointing towards a lowered salary cap, will teams be willing to give up valuable prospects (cheap talent) for a top-line player on a single Stanley Cup run?

Players such as Gary Roberts in Tampa and Miroslav Satan in Pittsburgh find themselves on the waiver wire simply because their respective teams are looking to dump salary.

Players like this would normally command a middle to late round draft pick in order for a team to gain their valuable leadership on a playoff run. However, the factors I have stated have led to a stagnant market and ultimately could see these once key veterans playing in the minors.

So, as I sit on my couch tomorrow hoping that I am not correct and that Pierre McGuire and Bob Mackenzie will over analyze the heaps of trades made until their brains explode, it is still possible that this year's deadline may end up just another afternoon in the NHL.

NHL: The Wild, Wild North West Division

Anthony Bumbaco — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 10:16:46 -0400

As an avid Colorado Avalanche fan, I have never seen such a competitive playoff race as the one taking place in the NHL's Northwest Division.

Over the past two weeks, first place in the division has changed hands three times between three different teams. And only seven points separates first place Calgary and fifth place Edmonton.

It seems like on a nightly basis I find myself cheering for a different division rival to win over another division rival, and its absolute chaos. Down the stretch run all five teams finish off the season with games against one another which will most certainly determine the order of finish in the western conference playoff race.

I personally believe that this is the most competitive division in hockey and ironically enough each of the five teams play a very different style of hockey. However, every team comes out hard to play every night making for very exciting hockey.

The Northwest consists of tremendous goaltending from the likes of Roberto Luongo in Vancouver and Mikka Kiprusoff in Calgary. A very sound defensive style coming from out in Minnesota under the helm of Jacques Lemaire. A very quick run and gun style from the youthful and speedy Edmonton Oilers squad. Finally, a solid physical and hard working game from the Colorado Avalanche.

Down the stretch I believe the Northwest division will be the most exciting to watch and will come down to which teams play the best hockey at the right time. Each team will be looking at its key players to step up and help make one last push towards the playoffs.

Let the scoreboard watching and the cheering for rivals begin!

Below I have listed the remaining schedule for each team in the northwest, key players and strategies for success, as well as my prediction for final position in the standings:

Calgary Flames (five games remaining, sit at 90 pts)

Schedule remaining: Edmonton, Vancouver, Edmonton, Minnesota, and Vancouver

Key Players: Kristen Huselius, Mikka Kiprusoff, Dion Phaneuf, Jerome Iginla, Owen Nolan

Keys to Success: The Flames will need Kipper to be at his best and to play sound defensive hockey. More secondary scoring from guys like Huselius and Alex Tanguay is a must. This team will also need veteran leadership down the stretch from captain Jerome Iginila and grinder Owen Nolan.

Prediction: Calgary will win the Northwest Division and claim the 3rd seed in the West.

Minnesota Wild (five games remaining, sit at 89 points)

Schedule remaining: Edmonton, Vancouver, Colorado, Calgary, Colorado

Key Players: Marian Gaborik, Brent Burns, Josh Harding, Niklas Backstrom, Pavol Demitra, Pierre-Marc Bouchard, and Brian Rolston

Keys to Success: The Wild will need to have consistent goaltending from the tandem of Harding and Backstrom on a nightly basis. Minnesota will also be leaning heavily on Gaborik to continue his breakout season in which he's finally been able to avoid injury. Minnesota's defensive style would also be greatly complimented by great secondary scoring from the likes of Pierre Marc Bouchard. Lastly great leadership from both Demitra and Rolston could lead the Wild to the division crown.

Prediction: second in the Northwest, sixth place in the West

Colorado Avalanche (five games remaining, at 86 points)

Schedule Remaining: Vancouver, Edmonton, Minnesota, Vancouver, Minnesota

Key Players: Jose Theodore, Joe Sakic, Peter Forsberg, Ryan Smyth, John Micheal Liles, Adam Foote

Keys to Success: The primary key for the Avs down the stretch is to remain healthy enough to put the best possible line up on the ice every night. It will also be a must for Jose Theodore to continue shutting the door between the pipes and keep opposing scorers at Bay. The Avs will be looking to their long time veterans in Sakic, Foote Liles, Smyth and Forsberg for experience and leadership to lead them to the promise land. One final key will be contribution on the scoresheet from the back end to support high scoring forwards.

Prediction: third in the Northwest, seventh place in the West

Edmonton Oilers (five games remaining, sit at 83 points)

Schedule Remaining: Minnesota, Colorado, Calgary, Calgary, Vancouver

Key Players: Dwayne Roloson, Ales Hemsky, Dustin Penner, Sam Gagner, Andrew Cogliano

Keys to Success: The Oilers will very much be looking to outscore opponents down the stretch rather than to shut them down. The Oilers will need Ales Hemsky to continue to put the puck in the net, as well as Dustin Penner to keep playing like he deserved his big off-season contract. Edmonton will also need both Gagner and Cogliano to play like veterans despite only being in their first NHL campaign. In order to get into the playoffs, Dwayne Roloson will need to be the stopper that he proved he was in the 2006 Oilers playoff run.

Prediction: The Oilers will claim fourth in the Northwest and the eighth and final western conference playoff spot.

Vancouver Canucks (six games remaining, sit at 86 points)

Schedule remaining: Colorado, Minnesota, Calgary, Colorado, and Edmonton

Key Players: Roberto Luongo, Markus Naslund, The Sedin Twins, Mattius Ohlund, Willie Mitchell, Ryan Kesler

Keys to Success: The Canucks will need to play very responsible defensive hockey as the season winds down. They will need timely scoring and leadership from Captain Markus Naslund and scoring leaders Daniel and Henrik Sedin. Vancouver will also need players like Ryan Kesler, and Willie Mitchell to shut down opposing superstars and keep them off the scoresheet as they have been able to do for much of the season. Lastly, the Canucks will need Roberto Luongo to once again show why he is among the Elite goaltenders in the League and steal a few games for the low scoring Vancouver squad.

Prediction: fifth place in the Northwest and 10th place in the Western Conference

Colorado Avalanche Looking to Finish Strong as Playoffs Quickly Approach

Anthony Bumbaco — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 05:34:40 -0400

The Colorado Avalanche picked up two huge points on Monday night with a 2-0 shutout victory over their division rival, the Calgary Flames. With only five games remaining, the Avalanche look to improve their position in the conference while trying to hold off both Nashville and Edmonton—two teams making tremendous pushes for a playoff bid.

The way things stand, barring a sweep of the final five games of the season, it appears that the Avalanche squad is destined to face either No. 1 seeded Detroit or No. 2 seeded San Jose, both powerhouse squads at the top of the Western Conference.

Who would the Avalanche have the best bet of defeating in a seven-game playoff series? The answer: Detroit.

Although the Wings have been playing great hockey for much of the season (with the exception of their tailspin in mid February), the Avalanche always seem prepared when they face Detroit. This dates back to the long standing rivalry that existed between the two teams in the late 90s.

After the Avalanche's key defensive pick-ups at the trade deadline, they match up very well with the Red Wings. The Avs can role four very solid lines and six very capable defenders.

The Ben Guite line should be able to shut down snipers Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg. Punishers like Adam Foote, Ruslan Salei, Jeff Finger, and even Kurt Sauer can definitely make it a long series for a very finesse Detroit Redwings squad. Also, heading down the stretch the Wings have a question mark in goal, with the oft-injured Hasek and a very much cooled down Chris Osgood.

However, if they face San Jose, it's difficult to see the Avs handling the Sharks bigger forwards and physical play.

It is quite evident that Peter Forsberg, though in limited time due to injuries, has had a very huge impact on the Avs. He added another component that teams need to focus on, taking pressure off of Stastny, Sakic, Hejduk, Smyth, and other top forwards. The Avs power play has also seen a major resurgence since the return of Foppa.

Forsberg very much proved his worth in Calgary last night and was in a constant battle with Calgary's top d-man, Dion Phaneuf, showing that he will not back down from anyone. I think that Forsberg will be a major key to the Avalanche playoff run.

I definitely think the Avs can hold off both Edmonton and Nashville so long as they continue to play very tight defensive hockey. They control their own destiny down the stretch playing Minnesota twice, Vancouver twice, and Edmonton once—all teams that they are battling for position with.

It should also be noted that three of their final five games are at home where they sit at 24-12-2, third behind only to Detroit and Anaheim in wins at home.

This team is capable of putting together a very strong finish with a shot at even winning the Northwest Division and avoiding the Wings and Sharks all together. I firmly believe that if this team can remain healthy and play strong, responsible hockey, the Avs should be poised for a lengthy playoff run.

Ultimately, the defining factor for the Avalanche is this: Can they remain healthy—something that has not occurred for much of the regular reason?

Also, can Jose Theodore continue his resurgence back to being an elite NHL goaltender?

Only time will tell if the Avs are pretenders or contenders...

Can the Winthrop Eagles Soar in Denver?

Anthony Bumbaco — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 06:40:38 -0400

As the NCAA Tournament is set to commence tomorrow afternoon, it's still undetermined whether or not any team in this year's 64 team field will have an impact anywhere near that which George Mason did with their Final Four bid of two years ago.

However, one team that may fit into the glass slipper in 2008 could be the Winthrop Eagles.

The Eagles make their eighth tournament appearance in the past 10 seasons after defeating UNC-Asheville to become the Big South Conference champion for the fourth straight year.

This season was especially difficult, following the accidental death of teammate DeAndre Adams in the offseason.

However, the team has come together following this tragic event and has gotten themselves back to America's greatest tournament. They are looking to build off of their early second round exit last season.

This year the Eagles will open up as the No. 13 seed against the formidable No. 4 seed Washington State.

The Eagles are led in the back court by guard Michael Jenkins who averaged 14.3 points per game during the regular season and was a key component in the Big South tournament.

Guard Chris Gaynor, who shot 42.7 percent from beyond the arc, will also pose problems for any Winthrop opponent.

Up front, the Eagles are expecting big things from forward Taj McCullough who averaged 11.4 points and 5.7 rebounds per game.

The key to victory for Randy Peele's Winthrop squad will be a solid defensive effort throughout the tournament. In the regular season, the Eagles ranked 25th in the country in adjusted defensive efficiency.

So, though they're not a flashy team on offense, the players make up for this on the other end of the court.

The Eagles will need to come out ready to play against a very consistent team in Washington State, who ranks in the Top 20 of both offensive and defensive rankings in the country.

If Winthrop's stingy defense is able to shut down the Cougars' offense and keep it close as a defensive battle, anything can happen.

Should the Eagles defeat Washington State, they would face the winner of the No. 12 George Mason-No. 5 Notre Dame matchup.

I believe this would be a very favorable matchup as both teams are known more for their offense and tend to give up a lot of points, playing right into the Winthrop style of play.

Although it is unlikely, if Jenkins and company are able to play at the top of their game, Washington State will be in for a difficult contest. Especially from a team that has been united following a tragedy.

We will know if Cinderella has decided to pay a visit to Denver, CO on Thursday night at the Pepsi Center.

Tip-Off

7:20 PM

Starting Lineup

G Michael Jenkins

G Chris Gaynor

G Mantoris Robinson

F Charles Corbin

F Taj McCullough

Strengths

Strong team defense, creating turnovers

Weaknesses

Worst free throw percentage in Big South, don't score a lot of points

Colorado-Edmonton: Game Preview

Anthony Bumbaco — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 16:26:57 -0400

In a matchup of two northwestern division rivals, there will be a lot at stake when the Avalanche play host to the Edmonton Oilers at the Pepsi Centre.

With both teams currently on hot streaks winning seven of their last eight games, the Avalanche have not only found themselves in the thick of the Western Conference playoff race, but at having a chance to win the division title.

The Oilers on the other hand, have also come on strong and are looking to close ground on the eighth and final playoff spot in the West. Both teams are going to come out hard trying to get a critical two points.

Colorado will look to follow up a tremendous offensive display they put out on Tuesday against the Atlanta Thrashers in which they netted a rare five goals. While the Oilers are trying to build off a 4-3 overtime victory over the St. Louis Blues.

Both teams are continuing to play without key players in their lineups, but this should still prove to be quite a contest, as the Oilers and Avs always seem to put on a great display of hockey. Also, this season the rivalry has been heated up with Ryan Smyth signing a five-year pact with the Avalanche last summer. However, Smyth will be a game time decision for tomorrow night's game while he continues to recover from a minor concussion and a mildly separated shoulder.

Look for Jose Theodore to get the start in goal, as he has been stellar since the all-star break, giving the Avs a chance to win every night. While in goal for the Oilers will likely be Mathieu Garon, who has experienced a tremendous resurgence this season for Edmonton.

I would not be surprised to see this game come down to the wire or even for it to go into a shootout. The Oilers have won 14 of a possible 17 shootout games this season.

Prediction: Colorado 3-2 victory with the game winning goal scored by Milan Hejduk.

Blue Jays Woes: More Bad News for Toronto

Anthony Bumbaco — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 06:20:22 -0400

Following yesterday's brutal performance by Gustavo Chacin attempting to come back from major surgery that kept him out of the entire 2007 MLB season, the Jays received a crushing blow today.

Toronto learned that standout setup man Casey Janssen would be undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder.

The Jays were looking for Casey to build off a very successful sophomore campaign from the bullpen last season, and even considered bringing him into the starting rotation. The setup spot looks to be Jesse Litsch's to lose at this point of the spring, after a great outing earlier in the week.

The Jays are looking to make their first playoff appearance since winning back-to-back World Series titles in 1992 and 1993. However, expectations are hard to fill when year after year key players go down to injury.

Could this already be a sign of things to come for a hopeful 2008 Blue Jays team?

Stay tuned to find out.

Glenn Anderson: The Tale of a Forgotten Oiler

Anthony Bumbaco — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 02:56:04 -0400

When thinking back to the glory days of the 1980's for the Edmonton Oilers, one recalls all the great all-stars and future hall-of-famers on their roster.

Whether it be Kurri, Gretzky, Messier, or even Paul Coffey, all have been recognized for what they accomplished both individually and as a group. Heck, even good old Dave Semenko comes to mind being the enforcer protecting all of these greats. However, one name that never seems to be mentioned in the same breath as those listed is number nine Glenn Anderson.

For years, I have watch the Hockey Hall of Fame induction ceremony and it seems as though this debate is always brought up and the same question is asked: Why is Glenn Anderson not in the NHL Hockey Hall of Fame? To this question, one can only respond with one simple answer: who knows?

Obviously, Anderson was not as flashy of a player as Mark Messier or Wayne Gretzky, however, he was not a pushover either. He was the type of player who was not afraid to go into a corner or lay a hit on his man.

That being said, over the course of his 17 year career, Glenn was no stranger to the score sheet either. The five time all-star right winger finished his career having played in 1,129 games with four different teams. He scored 498 goals and added 601 assists to go along with 1,120 penalty minutes. Averaging nearly a point per game in the regular season, Anderson finished just short of the coveted 500 goal plateau and sits 38th on the All-Time Goals list, ahead of Hall of Famers such as Peter Stastny and Darryl Sittler.

However, this consistency was not limited to regular season play either. In 225 career playoff games, Glenn recorded 214 points (93 goals and 121 assists). These numbers make Anderson fourth all-time on the playoff scoring list behind former teammates Wayne Gretzky and Mark Messier as well as fifth on the playoff goals list. Along with these personal statistics, Anderson was a member of six Stanley Cup winning teams, five with the Oilers and one with the New York Rangers in 1994.

Thus the question remains, why is Glenn Anderson not a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame?

Is it because he was overshadowed by so many of the all-stars on his roster? Possibly. Could it be that critics feel that Anderson only achieved such statistical success because of the players around him? Maybe. Or could it be the newly rumored reason, that Glenn Anderson is not a Hall of Fame hockey player, for the mere fact that he is secretly homosexual?

Although each of these answers are just speculation, none of them seem valid enough to refute the numbers and they don’t lie. But for now, Glenn Anderson remains on the outside looking in when it comes to the Hockey Hall of Fame, and remains hockey’s all-time most underrated player.

Let’s just hope the National Hockey League realizes this before it has its own Pete Rose on its hands.

Colorado Avalanche Trash the Thrashers for First Place Tie

Anthony Bumbaco — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 19:26:11 -0400

With the Avalanche lineup missing many of its superstar players and a very thin blue line, the Colorado Avalanche offense was able to explode for five goals in a 5-1 route of the lowly Atlanta Thrashers. The Avs were without defensemen Jordan Leopold, Ruslan Salei, Peter Forsberg, and received limited minutes from Adam Foote.

The effort by the Avs began early and the onslaught continued throughout the 60 minutes as they poured on a ferocious forecheck that the Thrashers were unable to answer on this night.

Just 4:47 into the first period, Andrew Brunette open the scoring on a beautiful feed from rookie call-up David Jones, who also contributed a second assist on Joe Sakic's 10th of the season under four minutes later.

Before the end of the first, Colby Armstrong netted his 11th of the season, cutting the Avs lead to 3-1. But before the ice had time to freeze, Milan Hejduk potted his 22nd of the season into a yawning cage on one of many of Atlanta's defensive breakdowns.

This was only a sign of things to come as the Avalance scored two more unanswered goals on starting netminder Johan Hedberg, chasing him from the game after allowing five goals on 23 shots. Brunette fired home his second goal of the game shortly after David Jones netted his first career NHL goal, giving the youngster a three point night.

Once again, Colorado received a tremendous effort from starting goaltender Jose Theodore who turned away 22 of 24 shots taken by the Thrashers; excluding newly acquired winger Erik Christensen's third period of goal that rounded out the evening's scoring.

The victory moves the Avalanche into sixth place in the Western Conference and a tie for the lead in the Northwest division with the Calgary Flames, who have a game in hand.

Next action for Colorado is on Thursday evening as the Avalanche look to remain hot winning seven of their last eight contests when they host the Edmonton Oilers at the Pepsi Centre.

Notes: David Jones recorded his first career NHL goal on a pass from Joe Sakic in the second period.

Adam Foote who did attempt to dress for the Avalanche was only able to play 4:52 seconds before leaving the contest.

Left Winger Ryan Smyth is hoping to return for Thursday night's contest if not this weekend's match-up versus the New Jersey Devils.

Also, defenceman Ruslan Salei's eye injury suffered in a fight with Dallas's Steve Ott has returned to Colorado for further tests.