Half Way Repot on the Colorado Avalanche

For bring my favorite team, I don't talk much about the Colorado Avalanche on here. Sure I'm very vocal online, in day to day conversations and even calling or posting on local radio stations... I just have yet to really give my thoughts on a team that is still trying to figure out its identity.

As of right now the Colorado Avalanche are 8th in the Western Conference with 52 points. Still a ton of hockey to be played and a lot of hope to get into the playoffs as well. There have been some good progress made on this team since ending as the 2nd worst team a season ago, however there are still some constant problems and missing pieces that are holding this team back. Let’s start with the good.

The Good!

Ryan O'Reilly drafted 33rd overall in the 2009 NHL Draft. This kid came into the NHL as a Defensive Forward, strong in his own end and really good on creating turnovers. Last season couldn't buy a goal for the life of him. Not that he ever got his chances mind you. He ended last year 13 goals 13 assists playing 74 games. He was always one of the hardest workers on this team, always one of the last players to leave the ice after practice and the fruits of his training have taken his career to the next level. Not only is he staying strong on the defensive end, but now he's lighting up the lamp on the other... He's becoming a two way forward for this team and a reliable star. 45 games in this season he has 13 goals and 22 assists. He's been centering a line that started as the 3rd line for this team, has seen many different wingers and he's made the players around him better. There is a ton of chemistry and potential with anyone he's played with and really this is his break out year. *Yeah when I buy a new Avs jersey it will have his name in it.*


Both Goalies Jean-Sebastien Giguere and Semyon Varlamov

Both players came to the Avs over the off-season, as the Avs were looking to create a new goaltending duo. Goaltending has been a major fault for the Avs, in my opinion for the last 5 maybe 6 years and that was something that desperately needed to be addressed. Although the wins and losses are not as impressive as I hoped, I think both Varly and Giggy have really done a great job giving this team a chance to win. Now there are a lot of fans that have been ripping Varly for every single loss we have gotten and while I agree a 1st round draft pick was probably too much to get him, you need to remember this is a Goalie we brought in to develop and mold. He already had some success in Washington, has proven he can steal games and has shown signs of great brilliance in net. Giggy was brought in to be his back up and mentor and what both goalies have done is at least give this team some confident / stability in net. Give Varly time to grow and don't forget we have a veteran goalie in Jean-Sebastien Giguere to teach this team to learn how to win. Don't give up on Varly and don't be afraid because Giggy is in net.

Ryan Wilson undrafted player for the Calgary Flames in 2008, came to the Avs in 2009 in a trade. He hasn't been in the league very long but if you are a casual hockey fan you wouldn't know that. Ryan Wilson is a strict defensive defenseman who loves the physical game, will isn't afraid to take and make a hit. He has been one of the Colorado Avalanches best defensemen this season and his hockey sense is constantly getting better. On a team that has given up so many goals thanks to defensive letdowns he and Ryan O'Byrne have done a tremendous job taking care of the goalie this season. He currently has a +3 in the +/- category, but what more he has become the defensive player you don't want to play against. He isn't afraid to hit your superstar, he isn't afraid to play dirty... qualities this team still lack in and needs more of. I really hope he becomes an impact player like Adam Foote was back in the day and I think he has the intangibles to do it. Keep it up!

*I loved his hit on Taylor Hall*

Let’s talk Gabriel Landeskog rookie player for the Colorado Avalanche drafted this past summer 2nd overall. You know, he hasn't been as impressive as Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, but he's been very good for the Avs. Not only has he been given consistent time in key moments on the ice, but he's played in all situation. Even Strength, Power Play and Penalty Kill... he's been a solid and consistent factor on the ice that has given this team many opportunities to score... even on the Penalty Kill! If you watch a Colorado Avalanche penalty kill you will notice with him and Chuck Kobasew that they have explosive speed to cut through the neutral zone for breakaway opportunities. How he doesn't have more goals this season is beyond me, but things are looking great with him.





Now the things I question on this team...

Peter Mueller drafted 8th overall by the Phoenix Coyotes in 2006. Traded to Colorado in 2010 for Wojtek Wolski. Now this is a trade I had no problems with... besides the shootout Wolski was almost a waste of space on the roster. Mueller who showed signs of brilliance in his rookie season had a very hard sophomore slump and I think he really needed a change of scenery. Coming to Colorado in his first 15 games he had 9 goals and 11 assists. He was a great winger to have work with Matt Duchene and showed he could be pretty smart and physical. Then he ended up getting a concussion at the hands or Rob Blake which ended his season. 4 games into the 2011-2012 season he ended up getting another concussion, keeping him out of the line up until January 12th. Now I like the guy and I think if healthy he could have a great impact on this team. Since he's been back he's been amazing and on January 18th he had his break out game against the Florida Panthers, scoring twice and assisting on one. The problem is he's becoming very injury prone and it's hockey... injuries happen I understand that, but he has yet to play half a season for the Avs. How much longer until this team decides it's time to move on? For now though Mueller is back in the lineup and I hope he can stay healthy. I want to see him play on this team and be healthy. However, if he can't the Avs really need to find another winger to boost their depth. Matt Duchene needs to play center for this team so we have a consistent offensive threat, but he needs wingers to help him. Without them he can't play the way we want him to and look he got moved to the winger position. Yes it's helped him out but it takes away greatly from our lines. Again I'm rooting for the guy, I want him on our roster and I'm hoping above all else he stays healthy.

Now we come to Eric Johnson the #1 pick in the 2006 NHL Draft by St. Louis. Last season the Colorado Avalanche in my opinion made a very questionable move trading for him. In a deal that brought Johnson and Jay McClement and a 1st round draft pick, Colorado had to give them Chris Stewart and Kevin Shattenkirk. Trading Stewart was one thing... he was a player that wasn't very consistent. However, trading Kevin Shattenkirk a kid who could play both offense and defense... showed so much potential to be a #1 D-man in the NHL and carried skills and smarts, a lot of people were scratching their heads asking why? Why would you trade for a #1 Draft pick the Blues were willing to give up on? To this day I'm still baffled by it. It's too late to ask for take backs but now we have to look at Johnson and ask what can you do for us? Since he's been brought in he hasn't looked impressive at all. In fact I think he's done more harm than good for this team. The one thing that he's clearly demonstrated is that he's constantly turning over the puck in his own end. Many of which are bad passes in front of his own net that have lead to goals. His presence in front of the net is bad and doesn't pick up his man very well. Now I will give him this... this month January 2012, he has been playing better. However this is a guy I still don't have very much confidence in and I need to see more defensive awareness in.


Players that need to step their game up.

Paul Stastny: I've seen such great things from Staz, from the University of Denver, your rookie season with the Colorado Avalanche; you can be a 70 point player... maybe even more. You can make players better, you can pull off crazy passes, and you’re a playmaker. Last season was a bad year for Stastny and besides a few games this season; Stastny has yet to be a real key presence for the team. O'Reilly has been that player. If we are to make the playoffs, we need Stastny to really pick his game up. 

Matt Duchene: Again going back to Ryan O'Reilly; he has taken that next step in player development. The next that has to break out is Matt Duchene. Although injured right now till February, when he gets back we need him to see him become the offensive threat we know he can become. He lost his center spot earlier this season and has been playing wing for Stastny. However, I really believe by doing that it has made our offensive depth go a bit thin. Now that Mueller is back though, I'm hoping this opens things up for Duchene again when he comes back.




Final Thought


It's going to be a really interesting 2nd half. They are at a crossroads right now and whether we make the playoffs this season or not... I really just want to see growth. I want to see players take that next step like O'Reilly has done; I want to see this team in whole become much more aware of the ongoing play. Defensively we have too many defensive letdowns where we aren't paying attention to players and paying too much to the puck. That how we get scored on 90% of the time... players sneak in, or are not taken care of and they are free to do whatever. Then on the offense they sometime play too laid back while we have pressure right on our backs. If our D-Man turns over the puck that's turning into an easy 2 on 1. A win is a win and a loss is a loss, but the growth is the key aspect I'm looking for.

2013 Winter Classic Maple Leafs vs. Red Wings

Well... we are in for a treat next New Years. It's not set in stone yet but it looks like our next NHL Winter Classic will take place in Michigan at The University of Michigan Stadium. We have a great classic match up... one of the best in NHL history, the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Detroit Red Wings. This opens up a ton of new ways to host the Winter Classics now, allowing Canadian teams to participate and really showcase some of the greatest rivalries in the NHL. More info will come as soon as everything is finalized.

*It's really making me hope now for a Vancouver vs. Colorado in the future.

NHLPA Rejects Realignment / Sweden Wins The WJC / USA Avoids Relegation

A ton has been happening over the past few days from the Crazy Gold Medal game in the World Juniors to the Rejection of the Realignment plan.



NHL.com

To start I want to give huge props and congratulations to Sweden, for the impressive victory over Russia. In a game that was 40 minutes of domination for team Sweden, Russia somehow stayed in the game thanks to some unbelievable goaltending from Andrei Makarov. In this game alone he would face 58 shots only in overtime giving up the only goal. Not his fault though, off a defensive turnover Sweden forward Mika Zibanejad capitalized on a breakaway in overtime to give Sweden their first Gold Medal at the World Juniors since 1981. Sweden was easily the better team the entire game, but Russia didn't make it easy in the 3rd period. Next year the World Juniors will head to Russia and I'm sure they will be looking to regain their gold.

As for the Bronze Medal, Canada ended up defeating Finland 4-0. Canada ended up losing to Russia a couple nights before 6-5 in a game where Canada was down 6-1.

Gold: Sweden
Silver: Russia
Bronze: Canada

Team USA also avoided relegation with a blowout victory over Latvia and a win over Switzerland.


Now for the big news... the NHLPA has REJECTED the plan for league realignment.

NHL.com
TSN Canada

I talked about the NHL Realignment a few months back and you can view that post here... NHL Realignment

The NHLPA has yet to release a statement on why they declined. However, at this time the schedule for next season will see the same teams in the same divisions, which is really bad for the Winnipeg Jets. This season they have played in the Eastern Conference in the Atlantic division, where the Atlanta Thrashers were. They have a ridiculous schedule already with a ton of travel involved. The only good I really see from the decline is the fact the playoffs will stay the same, because you know those top 8 teams deserve and earned their way into the playoffs. I'll post more on this when the NHLPA explains why. This has be a bit worried though with the Collective Bargaining agreement coming up.

USA To Fight To Stay In The WJC

NHL.com USA vs. Canada



NHL.com USA vs. Czech Republic

Well when the WJC started who would of thought the US would be fighting to stay in the top class? Instead of competing for a medal the USA will be fighting to not be relegated to the Division 1 group. On Friday the USA took on the Czech Republic which was a cross roads game in more then one way. A win could propelled the USA to 2nd place but a loss would end all hopes of going to the elimination round. Like the Finland game Team USA had a ton of chances... in fact I'd like to say in Power Play time total the USA had more then a full period of it. This includes a 5 in major, double minor and many other Power Plays in between. The fact that the USA could only score on 2 of these clearly gave the Czechs a ton of hope to stay in the game and that's just what happened. It didn't take much to score on the USA and once the Czechs were able to score a late 3rd period goal to take the lead they never looked back. What was ridiculous when all was said and done though was the fact goalie Petr Mrazek wasn't named star of the game for the Czech Republic. Turning aside 52 shots... with 21 of them coming in the 3rd period was ridiculous.

The following day the USA played against Canada... a game that didn't live up to the hype it usually had. With the USA already finished this was simply a controlled scrimmage with Canada taking a 3-2 win. The USA made a run in the third period, but that was about it.

With that said the USA will fight to come back next year. Tuesday at 1 p.m. ET the US will take on Latvia and play again on Wed. at 5 pm. In this small group of 4 the USA must at least finish 1st or 2nd.

Finland Beats The USA 4-1

NHL.com

It wasn't a pretty sight Wed. afternoon when the USA played against Finland in the 2nd game of the WJC. For most of the game the USA I think pretty much dominated, even when Finland went up by a 1-0 score in the 2nd period. It was almost like playing EA Sports NHL 12, where you can dominate the play, out shoot the other team by a 2-1 margin, but just can't stick it in the net. A ton of credit could go to Finland Goalie Sami Aittokallio as he stopped 38 of 39 shots in the game, with 16 coming in the 2nd period alone. I'm sure the Colorado Avalanche were happy to see that performance from their prospect. In the opening minute of the 3rd period though, Team USA was able to score their first goal of the game thanks to a redirection from Brandon Saad. Momentum was on the USA side, both goalies were playing strong and half way through the 3rd period the USA was given a Power Play opportunity. However, just a few seconds into the power play USA goalie John Gibson took a interference penalty, tripping up a player skating by the crease to set the play to 4 on 4. Really if you want to point out the key moment, that was it. In my opinion the USA lost all momentum and focus from this point on. In the ending moments of the 4 on 4, Markus Granlund scored on a breakaway to give Finland a 2-1 lead. A few seconds later Mikael Granlund scored to make it a 3-1 Finland lead. What all was said and done Finland took down the USA by a score of 4-1.

I hate to point the finger at the guy but Gibson really killed the USA in this game. Not from goals scored on but on that interference penalty. I'm not the only one who was baffled by it and it was easily the turning point. That said Team USA didn't capitalize on the rebounds Sami Aittokallio was leaving and the USA was passing a bit too much, trying to make things pretty. Either way, I don't like the fact NHL.com labeled this a upset. Before this game I wrote that Finland was a lot better then what they showed against Canada. They just got the unlucky draw of having to play them first without being battle tested. What more Finland has always given the USA some problems. Not like they have our number but the games tend to be close and very hard fought. Whether it be in the WJC or the Olympics. Either way things have gotten much more difficult for the USA, and if they want to get into the elimination round they HAVE to win against the Czech Republic on Friday.

USA Beats Denmark 11-3

Denver Post
NHL.com

After a tight 1st period against Denmark Monday night, Team USA came back and demolished Denmark 11-3 to capture their first win of the World Juniors. The first line consisting of Coyle, Zucker and Saad combined for 5 goals in the game. Kyle Rau also had two and 14 players at least got a point. Goalie Jack Campbell also had 20 saves for team USA.

My thoughts... It was a quick start for team USA scoring around the 40 second mark of the opening period. However, Denmark did try their best to make it a game. They capitalized on every single one of their Power Plays and it wasn't till the 2nd period when the dam broke and Denmark collapsed. They say that the early period goals set the tone... well it did and the USA never looked back. Though it was the first game some faults showed and I don't really worry about most of them. However the pack of aggressive play on the Penalty Kill put up a ton of red flags for me. Players stood around, no one cleared goalie's sights and Denmark for a team with not much offensive talent played simple hockey and made it look easy. There better be some major improvements there.

Team USA will face Finland next who got beat 8-1 to Canada. I'm expecting a much stronger effort on Finland's part this Wed. and they have given the US problems in the past.

USA has Jason Zucker / Canada has Jaden Schwartz

Just as I posted about Jason Zucker being named captain of Team USA, I come to find out Jaden Schwartz from Colorado College is named captain for Team Canada!

Two of the star collegiate hockey players from Colorado... representing the two rivals from the University of Denver and Colorado College, will represent at captains for the USA and Canada on the international stage.

I've said this before about Jaden... even as a Colorado College Tiger, I give him huge reps and respect. To play for Canada as a NCAA player is amazing because they don't bring in many. However, to be named captain for Canada is another. Huge reps to you.


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