Life sure has been busy of late, leaving little time for writing of anything. Then add to that the content of this post, a recap of the Colorado Avalanche season, and you get more hesitation in writing as the epic collapse during the second half of the season took a while to get over and fully sink in. Going from in a playoff spot in January to winning only a handful of games and falling all the way to 29th in the league over the last couple of months, along with some trades that I wasn't a fan of, the injuries that were ever present in the season, and disappointments all around, and it isn't surprising that this writing has been started and stopped as well as delayed a few times.
I had considered doing a player by player recap and even breaking this into three posts, one focusing on the offense, one on the defense, and then a final one on the goalies and the front office, however in the end I'm just going to do the one post and while some players will be touched on it won't be a review of every player as I had initially thought to do. Thus, without further ado, here is a recap of a season that was painful to watch near the end...
At the beginning of the season I expected a step forward from a number of players, and I expected the team to build on last season's success and challenge again for a playoff spot. The season began well enough with a number of players starting off the season very well, though Craig Anderson wasn't having the season anyone expected of him, but at the beginning of February things dried up. The team as a whole went from being tops in the league scoring to being near the bottom third and they also finished dead last in goals against per game and in penalty kill. They finished the season with only a handful of wins in the last couple of months and only one of those if memory serves correctly in regulation. Overall the team defense was not good, goaltending was worse, offense dried up, and special teams were horrible.
Part of this is likely due to injuries. The Avalanche lost nearly everyone to injuries at one time or another and not a single player played every game for them this season. Well over 400 man games were lost to injury, and all top 6 wingers were out for stretches with the healthiest winger being the most injury prone in the past. Part of the Avalanche woes can be placed here as Mueller didn't play a single game and seemingly anytime someone got momentum playing with Duchene they got hurt. To point out what I mean, Tomas Fleischman was brought over in a trade at one point and was great with Duchene, however after a few weeks they found blood clots in his lungs and he was then out the rest of the season.
It was so bad that 17 different players suited up for the Avalanche as defensemen through the season, a position that generally only dresses 6 per night. At the end even David Koci who is generally a fringe NHL player only dressed for his toughness was used as a defenseman, a position he actually began at, and surprisingly he worked out really well as a third pairing guy and I would give him another shot there. That was one of the few good surprises of the season.
Goaltending was an area that the Avalanche felt they had found their answer for last year. Craig Anderson came in and was the MVP for the team, however this year he just didn't seem to have it and as the season went on you didn't see the fire from him and it seemed as if he wasn't playing for the team any longer. Reports have it that the Avs tried to extend his contract in the preseason but he wanted more years, but the team wouldn't give it to him and during the season he didn't appear to be trying to earn them either. Then came the incident where he returned to Denver on a team road trip for "personal reasons" and you can't help but wonder the story behind that. Shortly after that the team traded him to Ottawa for another backup quality goalie in Brian Elliot, who also didn't play well for the team. Anderson however saw his GAA drop by nearly 1 1/4 goals a game and his save percentage jump by 4/10s of a percent, huge jumps ... and Avalanche fans are left seeing a player they knew could play but weren't playing for their team prove that something deeper must have been going on as he was still capable of what they expected, he just wasn't producing for their team.
Defense was horrible too, having used so many players it isn't surprising. J-M Liles had a very good year and should play that way all year long, and he may have been the best for the Avalanche through the season. EJ also shows why the Avs gave up so much for him but to be truly accepted he'll need to develop to his potential because the Avs paid a high price for him. Shattenkirk was one of those pieces and in many years would have challenged for rookie of the year with his play. It was just another disappointment in the season seeing him traded away after waiting so many years to see him make the big club. Overall I guess everyone knew the defense was a position of weakness so you can't be too disappointed that they weren't a good group. Hopefully next season will see a stronger group and EJ, Liles, and a couple of the youngsters looking to step up could be a good start. Still, finding a free agent as well could add another nice piece to really strengthen things.
Up front many players started out with great seasons setting paces that met or even exceeded many of my expectations. However as injuries piled up to numerous positions numbers started dropping as well. Duchene went through a dry spell which was painful to watch, though he did begin to turn things around. Stastny was disappointing as well because he started so strong and was a PPG player, however he dried up and part of that was linemates, but he also just stopped finding his way onto the scoresheet. There were a few bright spots but not many. David Jones stayed healthy for much of the year, something he hadn't done previously, and it paid off as he scored just short of 30 goals and was a key player for the Avs. Ryan O'Reilly also stepped up his game later in the season. He started slow but when the team slumped he really picked up his game on both ends trying to carry the team. That kind of leadership and work ethic could see him as a captain some day.
I won't touch the coaching, as it is hard for me to judge that sort of thing. I will say that Sacco deserves another year to see what he has, however that year will be crucial to his future with the team. He needs to get more out of the team especially during difficult times and needs to adapt better when other teams are shutting down what the Avalanche are trying to do.
The front office and management I have mixed reviews on. At the draft they ignored others and took who they thought was best in the first round surprising everyone, however Joey Hishon has played beyond expectations and has proven them to be wise with that pick. He still has to make the big show but he's on the right path. They then managed to get the #1 IIS rated North American goalie as well as the #1 IIS rated European goalie later in the draft, and Pickard is showing signs of being a potential starter for the team down the road. He already handles a huge workload in Seattle. Many of the team's other picks still need time to determine how they will turn out.
However then you move into the free agency period and the team stood pat with their "build from within" theory. This could turn out down the road given the young players and the prospects available but they failed to address a weak defense that everyone else saw as week. Then as the season went on they made many trades perhaps in response to injuries that seemed to weekend the organizations youth and prospects. They traded a prospect drafted just last year having a good season for a shutdown d-man that had a decent year for the Avalanche, and that trade wasn't too bad. They then however traded promising d-prospect Colby Cohen for the Bruins Matt Hunwick, who while speedy was bad for the Avalanche. Definitely a loss there. The trade of Hannan for Fleischman was working out well, however the loss of "Flash" for the season with his illness hurt.
Then you have the big trade, Stewart and Shattenkirk for EJ and a move up the draft board essentially. Stewart is a great young power forward with speed who can score, and Shattenkirk is a great offensive defenseman who will score 45+ points each season in the NHL. To give up both of those players for a potential franchise defenseman and another first round pick and 3rd/4th liner (while giving up your 2nd), EJ must fulfill his potential for Avs fans to become fans of this trade. As it is many feel the team gave up too much, many feel that this will work, and some still hate it. Time will tell here.
Overall the season started out just as I had expected, but soon it became a miserably painful thing to watch as injuries piled up and the team just seemed to be unable to win games and score goals. Next season we have to hope that the injury bug stays away for once, however there are questions in goal once again that weren't there before last season and the defense still looks like it needs another piece or two. Add to that the uncertainty of the health of the top 6 forwards and there is a lot of work to do if this team is to contend next year. For now I will have to enjoy the playoffs and look forward to a pair of high draft picks that I hope will help the team sooner rather than later, and then we'll see what the team does over the summer.
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