Colorado Avalanche season preview
The Colorado Avalanche were slated to be a rebuilding franchise last year, but surprisingly managed to force their way into the play-offs after a divisional last place finish the previous year.
The Avalanche stumbled onto a wealth of young talent that includes second-year forwards Matt Duchene, Ryan O'Reilly and Brandon Yip. If the Avalanche can keep building around these young studs, their future could be very bright. Here are the off-season moves the Avalanche have undertaken in order to capitalize on their sudden transition from moribund to mighty:
Departures: Although the Avalanche gave up a number of players this off-season, only one of them saw regular playing time for Colorado. Defenseman Brett Clark signed with the Tampa Bay Lightning after playing 60 games for the Avalanche in 2009-10 while amassing 3 goals, 20 points and 28 penalty minutes with a plus-6 rating.
The Lightning also purged the Avalanche of forward Chris Durno. Durno’s departure is probably more of a favour than a burden for Colorado as the 29-year-old has only 43 National Hockey League appearances and the Avalanche will not be able to provide him with any additional playing time given the presence of their younger, more talented forwards.
The Avalanche also ended up giving up some unnecessary talent in goalie Tyler Weiman, forward Brian Willsie, and defenseman Brian Fahey. Weiman, who has only seen 16 minutes of NHL time at Colorado, signed with the Vancouver Canucks. Willsie and Fahey will both be playing for the Washington Capitals next season.
Veteran forward Darcy Tucker is also unsigned, and it is unlikely the Avalanche will have any interest in bringing back the 35-year-old veteran due to their plethora of young forwards.
Arrivals: The Avalanche bolstered their front-side defence with the addition of Daniel Winnik from the Phoenix Coyotes in exchange for a fourth-round pick in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft. The 25-year-old appeared in 74 games for the Coyotes last season and proved himself to be a valuable defensive contributor.
He put up highly improbable numbers for a forward with 54 blocked shots and 30 takeaways. He also added 19 points on the opposite end, and is thus a great overall player for a team that is not really looking for offensive firepower.
The Avalanche also retained the services of defenseman Kyle Quincey. Last year, in his first season with Colorado, Quincey played in 79 regular season games and put up an impressive 29 points. The 24-year-old also showed his endurance by leading the Avalanche in ice time during games one and three of their first-round series against the San Jose Sharks.
Quincey will also be mentored by 39-year-old defensive legend Adam Foote. Foote re-signed with the Avalanche for one more season and should be a great vocal leader for all the young players on the squad.
Prognosis: Overall, the Avalanche are a team that is ready to establish themselves as contenders for quite some time with a young, talented nucleus and a smart cast of veterans to help develop them.
Last season the Avalanche finished with an unexpected 95 points and an eight-seed in the Western Conference Play-Offs. Now, they are primed to finish even better than that thanks to the development of their young players and the continued presence of veterans Paul Statsny and Milan Hejduk.
In addition to their rounded skaters, the Avalanche also have goalie Craig Anderson, who played brilliantly in his first year as a full-time netminder. They are going to be a force to be reckoned with this upcoming season, and should be able to continue improving their standings with each passing year. This year, the Avalanche should contend for the top-slot in the Northwest Conference, but within a few years Colorado can be the top-dog in all of the West.
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