Bleacher Report - Colorado Avalanche

What's Wrong with the Colorado Avalanche?

James Crider — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 04:26:26 -0500

Two games in a row, the Colorado Avalanche came flying out of the gate to wallop their opponent.

Two games in a row, the Colorado Avalanche went home with zero points.

Hockey is a 60-minute game. Right now, the Avalanche are playing a 40-minute game.

Up 4-3 at the end of the second period against the lowly Oilers, Colorado decided to stop trying and lost 6-3.

Last night, they gave an encore, blowing a 2-1 third period lead en route to an embarrassing 5-2 loss to Vancouver.

I thought this was supposed to be a young, hard-working, enthusiastic team.

Last year if they blew a lead, who cares? It was a geezer team with a boatload of players going through the motions to get a check in the mail.

That's not the case anymore. This year, the roster is almost exclusively filled with players who are looking, or at least should be looking, to establish themselves as NHL players.

For the most part, they've shown promise. A 13-7-3 record is a tremendous accomplishment for a team many fans called a "lock" for projected 2010 first overall draft choice Taylor Hall.

What's troubling isn't the 10 losses, it's how many of them came in winnable games.

The Avalanche are 1-4-1 in their last six games, and they can attribute that record to their play in the third period: out shot 49-36 and outscored 14-3 in the five losses.

Two-period hockey doesn't win games, and that's what Colorado is playing right now. They could be 16-5-2 right now if they wouldn't have blown three third-period leads (against Chicago, Edmonton, and Vancouver) in the last five games.

At this stage in the season, one has only two choices.

They can be satisfied with the knowledge that Craig Anderson has established himself as a No. 1 goalie, and also that youngsters David Jones, Ryan O'Reilly, and (more recently) Matt Duchene have shown promising skills that will elevate them to marquee players for the Avalanche in due time.

Or, they can watch in horror as the Avalanche's season slips away simply because it's players don't care enough during closing time.

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Colorado Avalanche: David Jones Proving To Be Late-Round Gem

James Crider — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 20:24:47 -0500

Not many players drafted in the ninth round end up becoming top line forwards, but David Jones of the Avalanche is a rare exception.

In fact, Jones was almost never drafted; he was taken 288th overall out of 292 drafted players in the 2003 Entry Draft. But Avalanche brass saw something in him, and decided to use their late round Hail Mary pick on him.

Right now, he's making them look like geniuses.

Originally an injury call up late in the 2008 season, the 25-year-old Jones has managed to stick in the Avalanche line-up due to his large frame and straight away speed.

But he's beginning to show he also has some scoring touch, compiling seven goals (two short-handed) and 11 points through 18 games this season. He's recently been bumped up to the top line with Paul Stastny and Wojtek Wolski as a result of his strong play.

He's also been one of the Avalanche's biggest hitters, second most among Avalanche forwards. Even though he throws his body around, he's only racked up two penalty minutes all season, and only 18 in his 85 career games.

This is the kind of player you rebuild with.

Too often in recent memory the Avalanche have gone after one dimensional forwards; players who might score you 20 goals, but will cost you 30 because they don't back check (hello, Tyler Arnason).

Players like Jones, T.J. Galiardi, and Ryan O'Reilly now fill that role, and the Avalanche are first in the division largely due to their willingness to hustle in all three zones of the ice.

If there's one complaint to be made about Jones, it's that he's not being fully utilized.

His 17:09 average ice time per game ranks him fourth among Avalanche forwards, but he's only averaging a measly 15 seconds of power play time per game.

Despite leading the Avalanche with a 25 percent shooting percentage, Joe Sacco has chosen to give Jones less average power play ice time than both Scott Hannan and Adam Foote, even though 21st ranked Avalanche power play continues to be unsuccessful.

I'll never understand what Sacco's thought process is, but that's why I'm not the coach.

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In The System: Avalanche's Defensive Prospects Finding The Scoresheet

James Crider — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 03:29:28 -0500

Historically, the Colorado Avalanche haven't had a deep prospect pool.

Sure, there was the occasional late-round pick that turned into a Milan Hejduk or a Chris Drury, but for the most part that Avalanche haven't bred any star players. That's not a knock on them; when you're a power house team, you trade away your first-round picks in order to make the best short-term team possible before a Stanley Cup run.

But the glory days are over.

Management had to take a long hard look at where they wanted to start the foundation, and they ultimately chose defense.

Over the past three drafts, Colorado has used at least one first or second-round pick to draft a defenseman, and they seem to have done a bang up job by looking at the draftee's junior successes.

Tyson Barrie (2009 - 64th Overall)

The son of Tampa Bay co-owner Len Barrie was taken by the Avalanche in the third round of the most recent NHL draft.

In two full seasons with the Kelowna Rockets of the Western Hockey League, Barrie has established himself as an offensive dynamo. Last year as a 17-year-old, Barrie scored 52 points in 68 games, and added an additional 18 points in 22 playoff games en route to Kelowna's WHL championship.

This season, Barrie is on a torrid pace as he's collected 18 points in the first 14 games of the season.

Perhaps the best part about Barrie is that despite his success, he's considered to have the lowest ceiling out of all the players I'll be discussing. On the flip side, it also means that Barrie will likely take the longest to develop, so don't look to see him in an Avalanche sweater for at least another couple seasons.

Colby Cohen (2007 - 45th overall)

When the Avalanche took Colby Cohen 45th overall in the 2007 draft, they did it with the knowledge that he's the best friend and defensive parter (at Boston University) of Kevin Shattenkirk (see below), the player the Avalanche took 14th overall in the same draft.

Last season was a breakout year for Cohen. Combining a strong physical game with a booming slap shot, Cohen racked up 32 points and 65 penalty minutes in 43 games for the Terriers.

Like Barrie, Cohen's season ended in celebration. Boston University won the NCAA Championship thanks to Cohen's overtime goal in the championship game.

This season, Cohen has had a strong start, collecting six points in nine games. Despite strong offensive play, it's likely Cohen will stay another season at BU in order to develop his defensive game.

Stephan Elliot (2009 - 49th overall)

Before the 2009 draft, many predicted the Avalanche would use their 33rd overall pick to draft Stephane Elliot. As fate may have it, O'Reilly fell to the Avalanche in the 33rd spot, but the team was fortunate enough that Elliot—projected by TSN's Bob McKenzie to go 35th overall—was still avaliable when it came time for the Avalanche to draft again.

As a player for the Saskatoon Blades, Elliot has gotten the nickname from fans "the Mike Green of the WHL." Speed, great puck moving ability, and solid defensive play summarize Elliot's game pretty well.

Elliot's team hasn't had the success that the formers' teams have, but Elliot has had lots of individual success.

In 71 games last season, Elliot scored 16 goals and 55 points. This season, he's started out strong with eight goals and 23 points in only 24 games.

As far as when he's expected to crack the NHL, Elliot is more seasoned than the previous players. He'll get a chance to make the Avalanche at next summer's training camp.

Cameron Gaunce (2008 - 50th overall)

By far the most physical of the defensemen on this list, Cameron Gaunce racked up a whopping 110 penalty minutes in 67 games for the Mississaugua St. Michael's Majors last season.

But here's the best part: his 64 points ranked fifth in OHL scoring for defensemen, ahead of Rangers standout rookie Michael Del Zotto.

Gaunce is looking like a real steal of a draft choice. He's been one of the best defensemen in the entire OHL, and was named captain of his team. So far this season, he appears to be picking up where he left off with 18 points and 46 penalty minutes in the first 22 games.

I can pretty much guarantee you Gaunce will be a member of the Avalanche next season. He signed an NHL entry-level contract this summer, and almost made the team out of training camp.

Kevin Shattenkirk (2007 - 14th overall)

I saved the best for last.

Until the Avalanche drafted Matt Duchene last summer, Shattenkirk was the team's top prospect. He's the highest defenseman ever drafted by the Avalanche, and will be expected to fulfill a top pairing role in the coming years.

In his three seasons at Boston University, Shattenkirk has been excellent in all three zones of the ice, being both a top power play and penalty kill contributor. Last season he contributed 28 points in 43 games, and so far this season has nine points in nine games.

Shattenkirk has also shown leadership qualities, and was named BU's captain after the departure of Matt Gilroy over the summer.

With this likely his last season at BU, Shattenkirk will likely join Colorado next season and be thrust into a top-four defensive role. Though, it's possible he may join the Avalanche at the end of the year or in the playoffs if they believe he can be of use to them.

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Pivotal Road Trip Starts Tonight in Calgary for Colorado Avalanche

Daymon Johnson — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 18:54:04 -0500

Tonight marks the start of a pivotal three-game road trip for the Colorado Avalanche as they visit Calgary to play the Flames before facing the Oil tomorrow night and Vancouver on Friday. They'll be looking for a little redemption on the last leg, coming off an 8-2 loss at the hands of the Canucks.

The Avalanche right now are definitely cooling off from their hot start. However, what they've done to this point as the third youngest team in the NHL is nothing short of stellar.

We're nearing the end of the first quarter of the season and if this were Mr. Johnson's Hockey 101, I'm afraid I'd have to give the Avalanche an A+. This team has achieved more in the early portion of the season than most anyone—including myself—could have expected.

They've gotten timely and productive help from young and unheralded guys, which has helped the big names settle into a productive routine. Stastny, Wolski, Hejduk and Svatos have been able to play within themselves much more efficiently this season because they're not being forced to carry the torch as they were last year.

One of the reasons for that is because of what the young guys have done.

Ryan O'Reilly is looking like he's one of the biggest steals of the draft so far this season. He has 15 points in 20 games. Kyle Quincey has been one of the Avs' most consistent and productive players to date, with 12 points in 20 games.

Matt Duchene, on the other hand, has struggled a little bit to adapt to the NHL game. It's easy to see that and it's easy to point the finger. But we are only 20 games in to an 82-game season and he does have seven points.

Duchene has time. He is still learning and, with his talent and skill, there's no reason to think he won't be able to make the changes necessary to be more productive through the rest of the season.

The other reason for Colorado's success? The play of Craig Anderson. In 19 starts, the guy has 11 wins, five losses and three OT losses. He is carrying a stout 2.42 goals-against average and a .926 save percentage. Those rank him ahead of a lot of big names including Luongo, Turco and old foe Miika Kiprusoff.

If you look at the numbers today and average them out over the season, the Avs would end up with a record of 50-24-8. That equates to 100-plus points, which is excellent and more than qualifies them for the playoffs.

Am I saying that's what it'll be after Game 82? No. Not at all. All I'm saying is that what's gone on of late should be taken with a grain of salt. It's a blip on the screen of the entire NHL season.

Sure they've looked beatable and have taken some tough losses. But the season is young and anything can happen. They have time.

Health is of the utmost importance. To this point, the Avs have really only lost 12 man-games to their top 10 scorers. If they can maintain that, they should be fine moving forward.

If the Avs can come away with two wins on this road swing, they will have more than helped themselves. Can they do it? I believe they can.

Tuesday in Calgary they have to make sure they match the physical pace of the game that Calgary is going to bring. They also have to do what they can to minimize the "Iginla Effect" and get the puck deep in scoring zones early and often against Calgary's underachieving defense.

It's the same story for Wednesday's game in Edmonton. In Friday's against Luongo and the Canucks, they have to show up and get a win. If for no other reason than pride. The thrashing they received at the hands of the Canucks didn't sit well with anyone in that locker room. I know. And I'd not be surprised to see a highly motivated Avalanche team on Friday night get a win.

That said, if the Avalanche come away with a couple of losses on this road trip, they have time. They have time to rectify the problems that exist and time to make the necessary adjustments to be successful moving forward. And as we all know, it's much easier to work when time's on your side.

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Peter Forsberg Opts To Stay in Sweden

James Crider — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 20:52:09 -0500

Just like that, the Peter Forsberg rumors come to an end.

Well, at least for this season.

Various sources report that the former Avalanche star is going to stay in Sweden to play for the financially troubled Modo of the Swedish Elite League. Rumors (there's that word again) are also floating around that former NHL star (and Forsberg's boyhood friend) Marcus Naslund will come out of retirement to also join Modo.

Both players played for Modo prior to being drafted, so it's likely they feel indebted and understand that they can, at the very least, help fill the stands and generate some buzz around the last place team.

With this signing, it's likely that Forsberg's NHL days have come to an end.

The will may be there, but the 36-year-old's body is at it's breaking point. After a decade of mostly unpenalized cheap shots and nearly a dozen surgeries, Forsberg appears to have finally reached the point (in his mind) where he can no longer play at an elite level.

He appeared to be all set for an NHL return thanks to his newly repaired foot, but has decided otherwise after going pointless in the Karjala Cup, a tournament which featured mostly NHL prospects and aging players who can no longer crack the NHL (like former Bruin P.J. Axelsson, who was Forsberg's line mate).

If we have seen the last of "Foppa," he will go down as one of the greatest players to ever play the game, despite not hitting any of the major goal or point plateau's in his NHL career.

Despite playing the majority of his career in the late 1990's/early 2000's (a time known as the "dead puck era" due to lack of scoring throughout the league), Forsberg amassed 885 points in only 706 games. He also scored 171 points in 151 playoff games while helping the Avalanche to two Stanley Cups.

Not having been around to see Gretzky, Lemieux, or Orr in their primes, I can admit Forsberg is the best player I've ever seen play the game of hockey, and it's a shame his career may end on such a low note.

But, you just never know with Forsberg. Last time he said he wasn't going to play in the NHL, he signed with the Avalanche within two weeks and was skating with a machine on his leg that helped pump blood to his foot.

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The Wheels Are Falling Off of the Colorado Avalanche

James Crider — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 04:34:12 -0500

Nay sayers, unite: the Colorado Avalanche are free falling.

After opening the season a record setting 10-1-2, the Avalanche have stumbled, going 2-4-1 in their last seven games.

Craig Anderson is no longer doing his Patrick Roy impression. Matt Duchene has one point in his last nine games. Paul Stastny continues to do his Yan Stastny impression during road games.

Worst of all, after coach Joe Sacco called tonight's game against Vancouver "a must win," the team responded by getting blown out 8-2 on home ice.

Welcome back, 2008-2009 Colorado Avalanche.

In all seriousness, even though things are going pretty bad right now, it's not to be unexpected: we're talking about the third youngest team in the NHL.

Being young gives the Avalanche a little wiggle room to be inconsistent at times, but it's certainly not an excuse. Some players on this team have to be better.

Marek Svatos and Matt Duchene simply aren't producing at this point, and are a combined minus-16 as a result. I blame both players struggles more on Svatos than I do Duchene; every time he gets the puck, it seems to bounce off his stick like a ping pong ball.

Wojtek Wolski has, like every season, disappeared again. The good news is that he's actually noticeable on the ice every game, but that's not enough to make up for one goal in his last seven games.

Being an observer of the game, it's very easy for me to point my finger and say "so-and-so isn't doing this." The reality of it all: the Avalanche aren't skilled enough.

This team certainly is full of heart and soul players who will give it their all night in and night out, but the pure skill isn't there.

Coach Joe Sacco has done his best to get the most out of grinders like Cody McLeod, Matt Hendricks, and Darcy Tucker, but you can only do so much with those players.

Coupled with the fact there are some key players out of the lineup (Liles, Galiardi) and players who aren't at 100% in it (Hejduk, Tucker), you're going to face some adversity.

What's important is how the players respond.

Will young guns like Matt Duchene, Ryan O'Reilly, and David Jones play the team out of the current slump? Or will the Avalanche ride the wave to the Taylor Hall sweepstakes, right where everyone thought they would be?

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