Marek Svatos Playing His Way Out of Denver

Four seasons ago, a former 227th overall pick of the Colorado Avalanche named Marek Svatos took the NHL by storm, scoring 32 goals and 50 points in only 61 games played during his rookie season.

The honeymoon is over and the Avalanche want a divorce.

Every season, the talk about Svatos revolves around what he's capable accomplishing rather than what he does accomplish.

His goal and point totals as a rookie are still Svatos' personal best. Since then, he's failed to hit the 20-goal mark twice (in three campaigns) and hasn't hit the 40-point plateau once (let alone 50).

A major part of the problem has been Svatos' inability to stay healthy. Over the past four years he's missed 70 games, never playing a full 82-game season. Injuries have also forced him to miss all 19 of the Avalanche's post-lockout playoff games.

The 2009-2010 season was supposed to be a chance for Svatos and other young Avalanche players, to prove they can be consistent top-six scoring threats.

Expectations quickly changed as the Avalanche took the NHL by storm with one of the best October records (10-2-2) in NHL history.

At first, Svatos appeared to be one of the reasons for that surprising start, as he potted two goals in the first five games of the season.

The trouble is that he's done nothing since then. Svatos is goalless in nine games, point-less in eight games, and leads all Avalanche players in practically every negative category imaginable.

His minus-seven rating is by far the worst on the team (next lowest is minus three), he leads the team in minor penalties (eight), and has zero even strength goals. His 19 shots on net are only three more than fourth-liner Matt Hendricks, even though the grinder has played three fewer games.

Marek Svatos is a skilled player. He's only 27 years old, so he's far from "washed up," but with the way he's playing, something has to change. Whether it be sitting out a game, or a weekend off of practice, I don't know.

What I do know is he's not going to be a member of the Colorado Avalanche much longer if he can only muster up three points every 14 games.