The Avalanche season ended last year with lots of the blame at the goalie position, but the defence were equally as bad. Besides a stellar start from JM Liles and a great rookie season (before being traded) from Kevin Shattenkirk, the Avs D was pretty much non-existent all season. The Avs found themselves being destroyed on the boards/cycle game, but mainly in the size department is where the Avs lacked the most. Before trades last season the Avs d looked as follows:
JM Liles, Kyle Quincey, Adam Foote, Scott Hannan, Kyle Cumiskey, Kevin Shattenkirk, reserves: Matt Hunwick, Ryan Wilson
The changes from the original group were as follows: JM Liles dealt to Toronto (end of season), Adam Foote retired (end of season), Scott Hannan was traded to Washington mid-season and Kevin Shattenkirk was dealt to St. Louis. To continue, both Quincey and Cumiskey had season-ending injuries early on the the season leaving a very young, depleted D core in Denver. While the goalie issues were clearly goal #1 for Greg Sherman and his staff, sizing up on D was extremely important. The 2011-2012 Defence are as follows:
Erik Johnson, Kyle Quincey, Jan Hejda, Shane O'Brien, Ryan O'Byrne, Ryan Wilson. reserves: Matt Hunwick, Tyson Barrie, Stefan Elliot.
With all the vacant spots from parted defenceman, the Avs went out and went after the tough defence available. Prior to the offseason, the Avs acquired former #1 pick Erik Johnson from St. Louis. Johnson will be relied heavily on by the Avs to be the true #1 D that they have lacked since Rob Blake departed. They also acquired Ryan O'Byrne midseason from Montreal, and he will continue to help the D core. In the free agent market, the Avs wasted no time and singed bruising defenceman Jan Hejda to a 4 year deal. While Hejda isn't the most skilled player around, he adds size at 6"4 237 lbs and certainly will help fix the size issue from last season. Following that, they signed another bruising defenceman Shane O'Brien to a 1 year deal. This signing was huge for the Avs, as O'Brien brings true grit and power to a defence core that really had no one alike. O'Brien will hit you, trash talk you and much more as he is known as one of the best agitators in the game. With the signings on d, as well as the future development of D prospects Tyson Barrie, Stefan Elliot and Duncan Siemens, the Avs D core looks bright for the future ahead. In conclusion, the "new" d core may not be the most skilled in the league, but they certainly are bigger from last season. The Avs d will not be pushed around as much, so look for a tougher Avs team.
In other news, the Avs announced today the signings of their top 2 picks in the 2011 draft (Landeskog and Siemens). Look for Landeskog to suit up immediately for the Avs, but Siemens might benefit from another year in junior. Last up in this report: Forwards (pt.3)
-Joel Forman - Colorado Avalanche News
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