2011 NHL Draft: Grading the Colorado Avalanche's First Round Picks

The Colorado Avalanche stood in impeccable position coming into this year's NHL Draft, holding both the No. 2 and No. 11 overall picks.

A lot of speculation ran around what the Avalanche would do with both the picks.

Would they keep them both?  Would they trade up?  Would they trade down? 

Really, the only people that seemed to know what was going to happen was Greg Sherman and Rick Pracey, Avalanche GM and Chief Scout respectively.

In the end, the Avalanche kept both of the picks, and managed to get a lot out of each.

With the second overall pick in the draft, they chose Kitchener Rangers' captain, Gabriel Landeskog.

Several people on Bleacher Report had debated about whether or not the Avalanche would take him or Saint Johns Sea Dog stand-out, Jonathan Huberdeau.

Huberdeau is definitely a flashier player that has more skill as far as stick handling and passing is concerned, but Landeskog carried the day for the Avalanche.

The Avalanche have been in need of wingers for much of last year, and things got even more dire when the Avalanche traded away power forward Chris Stewart to St. Louis.

Landeskog will fill the void that Stewart left as a power winger that can score dirty goals in front of the net, and he is probably more of a responsible defensive player right now than Stewart has been in his career to this point.

Landeskog also bring a great character and work ethic with him that will resonate with the rest of the team. How many of those seasoned veterans are going to want to be outworked by an 18- year-old?

I look at Landeskog as a big improvement from Stewart because he will still do the dirty work, but he also plays defense and won't create the kind of rift in the locker room that Stewart did.

Here is Landeskog on being drafted by the Colorado Avalanche (from the Denver Post):

"

"I remember having Peter Forsberg up on my wall when I was a little kid, and I also had the 2001 Stanley Cup-winning team poster up in my room," Landeskog said. "That's my goal to be in that picture one day and to be there with the Colorado Avalanche. I'm very excited."

"

This quote about how his dream is to be in that team picture with the Stanley Cup right in front of him is exactly the kind of kid the Avalanche need in that locker room right now. He has all the makings of a future captain of this team.

The No. 11 pick was subject to a ton of trade rumors, most of which involved moving the pick to try and get a goalie that the Avalanche so desperately need.

Rather than trade it, the Avalanche used this pick to pick up Saskatoon Blades defenseman, Duncan Siemens.

I have to say that I liked this pick possibly even more than I liked the pick with Landeskog because the Avalanche brass seemed to finally address what was one of the largest problems with the Avalanche last season; their defense was too small and not strong enough and just got man-handled in their own zone.

I like how the TSN Draft crew described Siemens, as a "Scott Stevens style of defenseman."  That means if you come near his kitchen, he's going to knock your head off.

The Avalanche defense was soft—to put it lightly—last season, and drafting Siemens really re-established that grit that teams need on the back end in order to be successful.

Teams want a defenseman that makes the opposition think twice about going to the corners or the front of the net. Teams want a guy that will make people more cautious about coming across the middle with their head down. Teams want a guy who will challenge offensive players in front of the net and as they enter their zone.

Duncan Siemens is exactly that type of defender, and I think he might have a good possibility of making the team right out of camp.  That will be difficult as the Avalanche do have a lot of young players that are going to be challenging to make the team on the blue line.

If he does spend another year in junior, that would be fine with me as well, as it will give him a bit more of a chance to develop physically, as he is only 17-years-old right now.

All-in-all, the Avalanche did a great job of addressing the needs of the team both immediately and years down the road.

Landeskog will be a part of the Avalanche for a long time and will make marvelous things happen playing on Matt Duchene's left.

Siemens may not come in right away, but when he does get to the big club, he will be a welcome addition to the blue line in 5-on-5 and penalty killing situations.

It is worth noting that Siemens was defensive partners with another Avalanche prospect that is expected to make the team out of camp, Stefan Elliott, in Saskatoon. So he will have an immediate partner once they are both on the team.

For a final grade for the Avalanche's first round draft, I give them an A. Savvy picks that will benefit the team immediately and maintain that value down the road.