Avalanche hold fate in their own hands...mostly.
Posted 7:23 PM ET | Comments 0
As training camp concludes and the Avalanche inch ever-forward toward the regular season, many doubts still abound in the Rocky Mountains, but could there be hope in the mile-high city?
If you’re among those following analysts around the league, the outlook for the Avalanche this season seems pretty grim. Don’t judge them too harshly, however, as there is ample reason to believe that Colorado will once again finish at or near the bottom of the Western Conference. On one hand lie the doubts regarding the club’s future, on the other hand, are plenty of reasons to believe the Avalanche will fare well, and at least some chance for fans to have even higher hopes.
On paper the Avalanche return this season with a very talented, very capable group of top-six forwards including Matt Duchene, Paul Stastny, Milan Hejduk, Peter Mueller, and David Jones. Only five you say? Who will fill the number two slot on the left-wing is bound to work itself out in the coming weeks. However, best case scenario has Gabriel Landeskog, the Avalanche’s highest drafted prospect since moving to Denver, proving himself NHL ready and adding much needed depth to the position.
Let’s take a frolic through the land of optimism, shall we? The line of Mueller, Duchene, and Hejduk has proven itself before. Hejduk is a proven scorer and a near shoe-in for a minimum of twenty goals. After avoiding the mythical “sophomore slump,” Duchene projects to continue to improve upon his previous season’s scoring totals and build upon his known talent. Mueller, likewise, will be looking to unleash the talent everyone knows he possesses, and fans hope he can expand upon the incredible success he has had since joining the Avalanche at the trade deadline in 2010.
A second line of comprised of Landeskog, Stastny, and Jones (and yes, he does belong on the second line), may also prove a lethal combination. Avalanche fans need to clear the fog from their eyes and remember just how talented a player Stastny really is. As a playmaker, however, he is best suited making talented players even better, and would benefit from a pair of consistent, talented wingers (ie. Galiardi and Stewart a la 2009.) At the young age of 25 he has plenty of time to bounce back from a mediocre last season, and once again become a near point-per-game player for the Avalanche.
The outlook for rookie Landeskog, selected second overall by the Avalanche during the most recent draft, may be purely speculative, but there are plenty of supporters who believe that the young winger is more than ready for the NHL. An early contender for rookie-of-the-year honors, if Lando (you heard it here first) can bring his skill set at an NHL level, to the Avalanche’s second line, the results will be a significant boost to the team.
Then there is David Jones, who doesn’t just bring an excellent pirate’s name to the Avalanche. Though largely underrated, his size, shot, and style of play, mixed with deceptive skating abilities, makes him a threat. He has proven, when not bothered by pesky injuries that have deprived him of consistency, he’s meant for more than third line duties.
Add to the core of top-six guys, the likes of TJ Galiardi, Ryan O’Reilly, Chuck Kobasew, Jay McClement, Daniel Winnik, and others capable of role playing, and the Avalanche forward corps looks like a combination capable of inflicting damage. An improved defense and goaltending situation may also aid in allowing the forwards to keep their offensive focus.
The land of happy dreams also has good things in store for Colorado’s blue line as well. With the addition of Erik Johnson, Jan Hejda, and Shane O’Brien, the defense has taken on a decidedly larger look. Johnson, another of the Avalanche’s young-guns and former first overall draft pick of the St. Louis Blues, has been given a new lease on life, and through rose-colored glasses he can be seen having a sizable impact on this season’s outcome.
Hejda, acquired through free agency this offseason, comes to the Avalanche without the need for heavy optimism. The large framed stay-at-home defenseman has proven himself dependable throughout his career. He comes with very little risk and was without doubt a smart acquisition by Avalanche management.
Revisiting the theme of rookie speculation, the Avalanche will be looking to prospect Stefan Elliot to make fans forget the absence of John Liles. Another pre-season Calder candidate, Elliot has the tools to be an impact player on defense if, like Landeskog, he can bring his game to the NHL level.
Continuing with our best-case scenario outlook, the goaltending trio of Semyon Varlamov, Jean-Sebastien Giguere, and Cedrick Desjardins, certainly has the ability and talent level to be a fierce combination—even if it did cost the Avalanche an arm and a leg to achieve. All three have shown flashes of brilliance, and all are incredibly talented individuals.
Presently the Avalanche have enough pieces of the puzzle that a miraculous season, with the team still around deep into the playoffs, is not completely out of the realm of possibility. As possible as it that circumstance is, it is also highly unlikely. Less unlikely, however, is the possibility that the Avalanche will make the playoffs at the conclusion of the coming regular season.
Whatever the outcome may be, Colorado’s success this year will largely be decided by the players themselves and whether or not they are able to play to their talent level. One challenge they face is the challenge of leadership. The decline in the team’s performance after the 2010-2011 all-star break made it apparent that the team is in need of a leader on the ice. Who will wear the captain ‘C’ this coming season has yet to be determined, but regardless who the official captain is, someone must step up to lead this group of young, talented players through difficult times.
The collective youth of the team will continue to make it difficult to predict how the team will perform in the future, yet one thing is certain—if the Avalanche experience the same proclivity toward injury which they have in recent seasons, the analyst’s unenthusiastic predictions for the upcoming season are likely to come true.
Hejduk, and Jones each have an extensive enough history with injury to make any analyst nervous. To a lesser degree, Stastny and Duchene are also worrisome. Although they may not have a history of injury, Kyle Quincey and Galiardi may also be question marks as each return to the lineup after significant absences due to injury.
Mueller, perhaps, is the most significant question mark this upcoming season. Always a highly touted prospect, Mueller has yet to really experience a breakout season, although his play with the Avalanche, though short lived, has been stellar. Having missed the 2009-2010 playoffs and the entirety of the 2010-2011 season due to concussion, no one can be sure how his performance has been affected—both by the lengthy time off, and the concussions themselves.
Fans can be somewhat relieved that management took drastic measures in addressing the club’s goaltending issues. Much to their dismay, however, all three new backstops are known to be injury prone. That fact is relieved only by the depth of talent the Avalanche have acquired at the position. It is highly unlikely that Varlamov, Giguere, and Desjardins would all end up injured at the same time.
Injury and youth may be only two of the challenges faced by the Avalanche this year, but their impact, as fans and analysts alike are well aware, can be substantial. Though the analysts have their reasons for predicting the club at the bottom of the barrel at the end of the upcoming season, there is enough hope that fan’s should be excited nevertheless.
Currently, several key Avalanche players are enjoying success at this year’s training camp. If those players can manage to play to their talent level, and the club can receive a couple of stand-out performances from unsuspecting players, the outcome may be an Avalanche team that can put the despair of last season behind them, and pick up where the 2009-2010 team left off.
If you’re among those following analysts around the league, the outlook for the Avalanche this season seems pretty grim. Don’t judge them too harshly, however, as there is ample reason to believe that Colorado will once again finish at or near the bottom of the Western Conference. On one hand lie the doubts regarding the club’s future, on the other hand, are plenty of reasons to believe the Avalanche will fare well, and at least some chance for fans to have even higher hopes.
On paper the Avalanche return this season with a very talented, very capable group of top-six forwards including Matt Duchene, Paul Stastny, Milan Hejduk, Peter Mueller, and David Jones. Only five you say? Who will fill the number two slot on the left-wing is bound to work itself out in the coming weeks. However, best case scenario has Gabriel Landeskog, the Avalanche’s highest drafted prospect since moving to Denver, proving himself NHL ready and adding much needed depth to the position.
Let’s take a frolic through the land of optimism, shall we? The line of Mueller, Duchene, and Hejduk has proven itself before. Hejduk is a proven scorer and a near shoe-in for a minimum of twenty goals. After avoiding the mythical “sophomore slump,” Duchene projects to continue to improve upon his previous season’s scoring totals and build upon his known talent. Mueller, likewise, will be looking to unleash the talent everyone knows he possesses, and fans hope he can expand upon the incredible success he has had since joining the Avalanche at the trade deadline in 2010.
A second line of comprised of Landeskog, Stastny, and Jones (and yes, he does belong on the second line), may also prove a lethal combination. Avalanche fans need to clear the fog from their eyes and remember just how talented a player Stastny really is. As a playmaker, however, he is best suited making talented players even better, and would benefit from a pair of consistent, talented wingers (ie. Galiardi and Stewart a la 2009.) At the young age of 25 he has plenty of time to bounce back from a mediocre last season, and once again become a near point-per-game player for the Avalanche.
The outlook for rookie Landeskog, selected second overall by the Avalanche during the most recent draft, may be purely speculative, but there are plenty of supporters who believe that the young winger is more than ready for the NHL. An early contender for rookie-of-the-year honors, if Lando (you heard it here first) can bring his skill set at an NHL level, to the Avalanche’s second line, the results will be a significant boost to the team.
Then there is David Jones, who doesn’t just bring an excellent pirate’s name to the Avalanche. Though largely underrated, his size, shot, and style of play, mixed with deceptive skating abilities, makes him a threat. He has proven, when not bothered by pesky injuries that have deprived him of consistency, he’s meant for more than third line duties.
Add to the core of top-six guys, the likes of TJ Galiardi, Ryan O’Reilly, Chuck Kobasew, Jay McClement, Daniel Winnik, and others capable of role playing, and the Avalanche forward corps looks like a combination capable of inflicting damage. An improved defense and goaltending situation may also aid in allowing the forwards to keep their offensive focus.
The land of happy dreams also has good things in store for Colorado’s blue line as well. With the addition of Erik Johnson, Jan Hejda, and Shane O’Brien, the defense has taken on a decidedly larger look. Johnson, another of the Avalanche’s young-guns and former first overall draft pick of the St. Louis Blues, has been given a new lease on life, and through rose-colored glasses he can be seen having a sizable impact on this season’s outcome.
Hejda, acquired through free agency this offseason, comes to the Avalanche without the need for heavy optimism. The large framed stay-at-home defenseman has proven himself dependable throughout his career. He comes with very little risk and was without doubt a smart acquisition by Avalanche management.
Revisiting the theme of rookie speculation, the Avalanche will be looking to prospect Stefan Elliot to make fans forget the absence of John Liles. Another pre-season Calder candidate, Elliot has the tools to be an impact player on defense if, like Landeskog, he can bring his game to the NHL level.
Continuing with our best-case scenario outlook, the goaltending trio of Semyon Varlamov, Jean-Sebastien Giguere, and Cedrick Desjardins, certainly has the ability and talent level to be a fierce combination—even if it did cost the Avalanche an arm and a leg to achieve. All three have shown flashes of brilliance, and all are incredibly talented individuals.
Presently the Avalanche have enough pieces of the puzzle that a miraculous season, with the team still around deep into the playoffs, is not completely out of the realm of possibility. As possible as it that circumstance is, it is also highly unlikely. Less unlikely, however, is the possibility that the Avalanche will make the playoffs at the conclusion of the coming regular season.
Whatever the outcome may be, Colorado’s success this year will largely be decided by the players themselves and whether or not they are able to play to their talent level. One challenge they face is the challenge of leadership. The decline in the team’s performance after the 2010-2011 all-star break made it apparent that the team is in need of a leader on the ice. Who will wear the captain ‘C’ this coming season has yet to be determined, but regardless who the official captain is, someone must step up to lead this group of young, talented players through difficult times.
The collective youth of the team will continue to make it difficult to predict how the team will perform in the future, yet one thing is certain—if the Avalanche experience the same proclivity toward injury which they have in recent seasons, the analyst’s unenthusiastic predictions for the upcoming season are likely to come true.
Hejduk, and Jones each have an extensive enough history with injury to make any analyst nervous. To a lesser degree, Stastny and Duchene are also worrisome. Although they may not have a history of injury, Kyle Quincey and Galiardi may also be question marks as each return to the lineup after significant absences due to injury.
Mueller, perhaps, is the most significant question mark this upcoming season. Always a highly touted prospect, Mueller has yet to really experience a breakout season, although his play with the Avalanche, though short lived, has been stellar. Having missed the 2009-2010 playoffs and the entirety of the 2010-2011 season due to concussion, no one can be sure how his performance has been affected—both by the lengthy time off, and the concussions themselves.
Fans can be somewhat relieved that management took drastic measures in addressing the club’s goaltending issues. Much to their dismay, however, all three new backstops are known to be injury prone. That fact is relieved only by the depth of talent the Avalanche have acquired at the position. It is highly unlikely that Varlamov, Giguere, and Desjardins would all end up injured at the same time.
Injury and youth may be only two of the challenges faced by the Avalanche this year, but their impact, as fans and analysts alike are well aware, can be substantial. Though the analysts have their reasons for predicting the club at the bottom of the barrel at the end of the upcoming season, there is enough hope that fan’s should be excited nevertheless.
Currently, several key Avalanche players are enjoying success at this year’s training camp. If those players can manage to play to their talent level, and the club can receive a couple of stand-out performances from unsuspecting players, the outcome may be an Avalanche team that can put the despair of last season behind them, and pick up where the 2009-2010 team left off.