Avs Struggles Part 1

Posted 2:30 PM ET | Comments 1

A belated Happy New Year to everyone! Ok, the Avs have now lost 4 in a row. That being said, December was a great month for us, despite the injuries to key players. It's fairly obvious what the biggest struggle is for the Avs right now. No I'm not referring to goaltending at the moment, or our defense...it is our power play.

Last year's PP was amazing, 21.1% with 79 goals! Liles was a huge reason for this as he tied his career high with 14 goals and, though he played 11 less games than '05-'06, he was 5 pts short of a career high with 44pts. Brett Clark was another reason, putting up career highs in all categories.

So what's happened this year? Liles, the young phenom, has only 15pts and Clark has 13pts. I believe the Avs could improve in goal - that's another topic though - however I think it's more crucial right now to seriously look for a power play QB - someone with a strong presence who just happens to have a bomb, a la Rob Blake from years past.

Who's available? Who knows...this year's trade scene is odd because of all the waiver deals. Some names that come to mind are: Kaberle, Zidlicky, Boyle, etc. Perhaps, if this season goes down the crapper again, we could try really hard to get someone like Drew Doughty or Alex Pietrangelo for the future...or perhaps we might have to wait as this team rebuilds over the years, something we're not used to in Colorado. Colorado's prospects are VERY interesting and not just our forwards!

Whatever happens this year, it will need to happen soon if Colorado has a hope of climbing back into the race that seems to be slowly slipping away.

Filed Under: Avalanche Liles Kaberle Boyle Doughty