Yesterday I was prepared to write about how the Avalanche are in a free fall right now, and then the news about Forsberg signing hit today. Yes the Avs are still in trouble. They have lost their last five of their last six games and have gone from in the playoffs to 12th place in the conference. They are still in striking distance but every loss makes it that much more unlikely they'll claw their way back up.
The things that have plagued the team all year are still problems. The defense is still horrid. They need a true shutdown stud back there, a top pairing guy, and it is obvious each game. What they have are a couple of lower pairing shutdown guys and a bunch of offensive defensemen. Adding that true shutdown guy (say a Pitkanen in the offseason) would be a huge boost to the defense.
Perhaps more troubling than the defense though is the goaltending. Everyone knew that the defense wasn't going to be the league's best at the beginning of the year. However at the end of last season everyone thought that the Avalanche had found their solution in goal with Craig Anderson. This year however he has been inconsistent, mediocre to bad, and hasn't been the goalie he was last season or that the Avalanche need him to be, especially behind that defense. Budaj has been what everyone expects him to be, which is a good backup but not a true starter, and it speaks volumes of Anderson's play and the team's status that Budaj is seeing nearly as much action as Anderson right now.
The problem that has popped up of late however is that the offense has stopped producing as it had through the beginning of the season. The offense which has had injuries all season seems to be finally falling prey to all those injuries and the scoring has at times dried up and is inconsistent at best. Injuries to pretty much every top 6 forward to play for the team this year has left 3rd and 4th liners playing top line minutes of late and it has showed. Stewart needs to get back on track, but the loss of Fleischman has hurt this team. Having players such as Yip, Porter, and Winnik regularly playing top line minutes isn't a good position to be in when fighting for the playoffs.
But now today Peter Freakin' Forsberg has announced that he feels he is good enough to compete at the NHL level after practicing with the Avalanche the last few weeks and has signed with the team. He may not do much for the Defense or Goaltending but he could certainly provide a huge spark for the team.
He immediately fits into a top 6 role and provides a scoring grit that the team needs up there. He also brings leadership and a passion for the game unmatched by most, and that should translate into firing up this team which has seemed to be a bit off their game of late. Yes, he could get injured again but what winger for the Avalanche hasn't been this year? When he came back last time he was better than a point per game player. He's a bit older now but he also says he is feeling much better and is a competitor and a very, very skilled one at that. Don't be surprised to see him play most of the games the rest of the year and to be a point per game or better player while doing it.
The Avalanche have been in a free fall these past couple weeks, however this may just be what the doctor ordered. A shot in the arm injecting top 6 talent, grit, leadership, and unmatched passion for the game. It should be soon that we see him back on the ice for the team and with luck this will be just what the Avalanche needed to go from 12th in the conference back to the playoffs as the season enters the most crucial stretch. If it does nothing else, it will at least increase ticket sales as fans get out to the Pepsi Center to see Foppa play in person again. I know that I would love to make the 200 mile drive to see him again.
No comments:
Post a Comment