This is my 3rd season covering the Avalanche, both the previous two years I did the same review the offseason and how the Avs were looking going into the season. The last two years I did this same projection, and this year I am going to change it up slightly. Instead of showing the lineup I think will happen, I am going to project based on what I want to see (very similar, few small differences). With that being said, here we go:
Line #1 - LW Ryan O'Reilly C Matt Duchene RW P.A Parenteau
Recently in practice Roy has had Downie on this line and Parenteau with Mackinnon, but it's only preseason and I think Roy is just testing his combinations to see what he would do if/when he wants to shift his forward lines. However, this was the line that Roy said within days of being named Head Coach that he wants to play together. Roy gave everyone a little shock when he wanted to move Ryan O'Reilly to the wing, considering O'Reilly has been more consistent at C then any other Avs player that isn't named Duchene. With the addition of Nathan Mackinnon, that forced O'Reilly to the wing and so far in training camp him and Duchene have been by far the best two players out there. Throw in Parenteau who gained great chemistry with Duchene last year, and the Avs have a really dangerous line right here. Not only will they score goals, but all three guys are smart, reliable players and I think this line is going to be equally as good defensively.
Line #2 - LW Gabriel Landeskog C Paul Stastny RW Alex Tanguay
If there is one person who believes in the resurgence of Paul Stastny, its Avs Head Coach Patrick Roy. Stastny has had a tough few years in Denver, and entering the final year of his 5-year, $33 million contract it is a very imporant part of his career. Stastny started to show good chemistry with Landeskog at the end of last season, and throw in the recently acquired former Avs star Alex Tanguay and that makes a potentially very productive 2nd line. Roy has stated several times throughout camp that he felt all 3 of these guys were playing good hockey, especially Alex Tanguay who was Avs teammate 10 years ago when he retired from the NHL. Tanguay may be 33 and not getting any younger, but the skill is still there and he believes playing with the Avs Captain in Landeskog and a motivated Paul Stastny and this line could score some goals.
Line #3 - LW Jamie McGinn C Nathan MacKinnon RW Steve Downie
I am beyond excited to watch this line play hockey, I'm a big believer in a 4-line team and I think that the 3rd/4th line are always the difference maker in a good and bad team. While this line is certainly young and will take some time to find themselves, they have the tangibles to be a very strong 3rd line. When the Avs picked MacKinnon 1st overall this summer they committed themselves to a player they think they will have for the next 10-15 years, and as excited as everyone is it will take him time to adjust to the NHL as an 18-year old. Patrick Roy has repeated time and time again (every press conference it seems) that they aren't expecting MacKinnon to come in as their "savior" they want him to play hockey and be comfortable. That's why Roy has him with Downie and McGinn, both bigger forwards who will step in his defence at any time. The hidden factor of this line is that all 3 of these guys both have good speed, and play very strong cycle game so if they gain chemistry early then they could be a great line.
Line #4 - LW Cody McLeod C John Mitchell RW Marc Olver
John Mitchell really surprised me last year, he was one of the Avs most consistent players all year and benefited by playing all over the lineup last year. However, this year that isn't the same deal because he now is behind Duchene, Stastny and MacKinnon on the depth chart. If he can play the same way then he could become a useful 4th line C, much like Gregory Campbell in Boston, Jay McClement in Toronto (former Av). The wingers on the 4th line could be a number of players, but I think McLeod makes it for sure just for the fighting aspect. The RW spot is up for grabs with a few different players, Olver has experience so I have him in that spot
D-Pair #1 - LD Chris Bigras RD Erik Johnson
I am a big believer in Chris Bigras, only weeks into his pro-career where he has been the best D through rookie and Avs training camp. Yes he is only 18, and everyone has their concerns about the pressure of being a defenceman in the NHL at that age, but this kid has shown serious poise and responsibility so far. Erik Johnson is the Avs #1 D even with all his struggles the past few years, but it seems that he has a chip on his shoulder now and hes working harder then ever. Bigras has been paired with Johnson much of training camp, and if he does make the team then I think he sticks with Johnson (atleast for a 9-game tryout)
D-Pair #2 - LD Ryan Wilson RD Cory Sarich
This would become the Avs shutdown pair, both guys are hard hitting and play more defense-first hockey. Wilson has had a string of injuries in the past few years, including a leg injury that will keep him out till around opening night, but when healthy he is in the Avs top 4 (with EJ if Bigras doesn't make it). The addition of Sarich is a big step in the right direction in fixing the Avs D, lets face it they were atrocious on D the last 3 seasons. Sarich is a shutdown guy who has had a history of that in Tampa and Calgary, hopefully he brings a veteran presence (like Roy keeps mentioning).
D-Pair #3 - LD Jan Hejda RD Tyson Barrie
For me its really a toss up here at LD between Hejda and Benoit; Hejda has struggled at times but hes going to play, Benoit is the new addition and is more offensive-minded. Barrie is the x-factor here, he has really started to show signs of progressing in training camp and could turn into the offensive d the Avs need. Pair him with the defense-first Hejda and it makes a potentially strong 3rd D-line but also vulnerable as well.
Goalies: Semyon Varlamov and J.S Giguere
I look at this duo as a 1A 1B goalie situation; meaning Varlamov is the starter and has the chance to prove himself, especially in a contract year. However, if he struggles and can't find his game, Giguere has the trust of Patrick Roy and goalie coach Francois Allaire, so he can easily take the starter role. I think regardless Giguere is going to play very close to even games with Varlamov, Roy has stated he doesnt believe in having #1 and #2 goalie he believes the goalie in net is #1 and the goalie on the bench is #2.
Healthy Scratches: Patrick Bordeleau, Andre Benoit, Nate Guenin
Thanks for reading
-Joel Forman - Colorado Avalanche News
Friday, September 20, 2013
Thursday, September 12, 2013
Initial thoughts on Patrick Roy, the Avs roster and potential lineups heading into Training Camp
As the Avalanche Training Camp opens today, I thought I would take a little time and comment on some recent Avs news/information heading into the 2013-14 season. I'm going to look at the Avs comments from Media day yesterday (first Patrick Roy then the players), the Avs roster notes and then finally potential lineup for the season.
Thoughts on Head Coach Patrick Roy:
After watching his almost 30 minute long press conference from Media Day yesterday, it is obvious to me that Patrick is all business, he has that winning attitude as he kept stressing the line "We will have a Stanley Cup attitude." Patrick Roy didn't hold back at all, he spoke on everything from his own career, to his excitement of being Head Coach and then broke down his roster and what he thought of it. One thing that already differentiates Roy from former Avs Coach Joe Sacco is that Roy is straight-forward about where he wants to see this team go, whereas Sacco was so passive that he just focused one game at a time and took his eye off the big picture. Patrick understands how to win in this league; in 18 seasons he won 4 Stanley Cups, 3 Conn Smythes, 3 Vezina Trophies, and went to 11 allstar games. Now the Avs are hoping that he will coach this team back to the glory days, and while he hasn't coached 1 game yet I am already extremely impressed with how he has handled himself infront of the media. Roy also talked about the leadership of this team, and he separated them into 2 categories: the veteran guys who have won Stanley Cups, and the young up-and-coming players who are ready to lead this team. The veteran guys he mentioned were Giguere, Tanguay and Sarich, all whom have won Stanley Cups in their careers. He said he is counting on these guys to lead on and off the ice, especially Giguere it seemed. Then he talked about the future of the Avs, obviously starting with Captain Gabriel Landeskog and how he is ready to take that next step. Roy continued by praising Duchene, O'Reilly and Stastny, saying these 3 and Landeskog are ready to lead this team. Patrick was also not shy about his goalie situation, saying he doesn't like the terms "#1 and #2 goalie" and that he views his goalies as the guy in the net is #1 and the guy on the bench is #2. This makes me think that Giguere and Varlamov might play even games this season, where Varlamov gets his chance to prove he can start and if he plays well he will be the starter. But if he is slow out the gate, I expect Giguere to steal some starts and possibly take the starting role. Overall I was extremely impressed with what Roy and Sakic did in the offseason, and it was good to hear Patrick speak about how he is leaving his mark on this team. I will end this section with a few quotes from the press conference,
"We don't want Nathan to come here to be our savior. We want Nathan to be the best player he can play, and I think playing with Downie and McGinn will be a good situation and allow him to adjust and feel comfortable and we'll see how it goes." - Patrick Roy on Nathan Mackinnon
When asked if Nathan Mackinnon will be sent back to junior, Roy quickly responded, "No. We believe in him. We're extremely happy to have him on our team and he will play for us."
"I'm going to make them work. But I will accept their mistakes. This is part of the game. My objective is to make them learn and get better, and add the final details on the game. We've put together criteria that we believe are best for the goalie, the defensemen and the wingers. It's also our job to say, 'Which criteria could this player get better at?' This is how we're going to work at it." - Patrick Roy
Avs Player Notes
Matt Duchene - Listening to Dutchy on media day, this guy is as focused as ever and he really wants to win badly. In the last 2 years the guy has become a health and fitness nut, he trains harder then ever in the offseason and even started a gluten-free diet last summer. Duchene made major strides last year, and I think this year he is ready for an extremely productive season playing with Parenteau and O'Reilly. In my opinion, Duchene showed last season that he deserves an A on his chest, and I think that will happen come season start.
"I've never been more excited for a season in my life, the buzz around the boys is just way different, its pure excitement and I think we're gonna have a heck of a year. We've learned how to lose, now we gotta learn how to win, and it starts this year" - Matt Duchene
Ryan O'Reilly - If anyone still has doubt about whether O'Reilly and Duchene can get along, both of them shut those people up very quickly in their interviews. It seems both are extremely excited to play together, Duchene told us that they have played together before and he thinks O'Reilly is not only an amazing defensive player but he will fit well offensively with him and Parenteau. O'Reilly says its going to be a challenge to move to the wing, but hes up to the challenge and is looking forward to playing with his new linemates who will help his offensive game. I think that this line could be extremely dangerous for the Avs, especially if O'Reilly gains chemistry with them early on in the season.
"Everyone is coming in with a winning mentality, we're ready to start changing the culture here and start winning again" - Ryan O'Reilly
Gabriel Landeskog - Landeskog opened up about last year, about his injury and having tough 2nd season in the NHL. It was great to see him address this and say that hes excited about moving forward, he knows it wasn't the best season but hes only looking to the future now. Entering his 3rd NHL season, I really think Landeskog is going to have a great year both statistically and as the Captain and leader of this team. It has now been a year since he was named Captain, so some of that pressure is off, and I really think Landeskog benefits from the coaching change by getting to learn leadership qualities from Patrick Roy and Joe Sakic.
"We've had enough of losing and we're tired of losing and want to change that. We're all looking forward to that, but I think this time around we're more excited then pissed off" - Gabriel Landeskog
Alex Tanguay - Man was it great to see Tanguay back in Avs clothing, and he sounded like a driven person ready to prove to the NHL he still has some gas left in the tank at 33 saying "I've got my best hockey ahead of me." Tanguay is extremely thrilled to be back in Denver, where he won a Stanley Cup in 2001 and played for the Avs from 1999-2006. Tanguay also commented on being acquired by 2 of his former teammates, Patrick Roy and Joe Sakic, and he voiced his pleasure for playing for these two guys. Overall, it seems like Tangs is extremely excited and motivated headed into this season.
"I feel this is sort of a new beginning for this team, there's new faces up in management and the young kids are looking for a time to come of age, and for me its just getting back to a city that I love and I'm looking forward to the opportunity of getting back here. I'm not old by any means I'm 33 years old, last year I felt great on the ice and certainly will take the training camp to get myself ready but you know I certainly plan on helping this team moving forward" - Alex Tanguay
Nathan Mackinnon - The player that every Avs fan is so excited to hear about, Mackinnon was talked about quite often in Patrick Roy's press conference. Roy believes in the 18-year old, he assured everyone that he is here to stay and he is a very important piece of the future of this team. Mackinnon will be playing with 2 rugged, tough wingers in Downie and McGinn, and it will allow him to take his time to adjust to the NHL. Overall, I am extremely excited to see #29 on the ice come October 2nd.
J.S Giguere - The similarities between Roy and Giguere are quite noticeable: both are French Canadian goalies, both have won Stanley Cups and Conn Smythes, and both trained with Francois Allaire (who is now the Avs goalie coach) earlier in their respective careers . Roy really stressed in his media session that he believes in Giguere, both as a player and as a veteran for this team (even going on saying that you don't need a C or A on your sweater to lead, much like he did when he was a goalie). It seems that Roy has faith in Giguere to mentor Semyon Varlamov, and it Varly can't get going Roy will trust Giguere with being the starting goalie.
Avs Roster/Lineup Notes:
Head Coach Patrick Roy has already gone into great detail about what his team will look like come opening night, including naming his top 3 forward lines already. With that being said, I will now predict what I think the roster will look like come October 2nd:
Line 1: LW Ryan O'Reilly C Matt Duchene RW PA Parenteau
Line 2: LW Gabriel Landeskog C Paul Stastny RW Alex Tanguay
Line 3: LW Jamie McGinn C Nathan Mackinnon RW Steve Downie
Line 4: LW Cody McLeod C John Mitchell RW Marc Olver
Extra F: Michael Sgarbossa
D-Pair 1: LD Ryan Wilson RD Erik Johnson
D-Pair 2: LD Jan Hejda RD Cory Sarich
D-Pair 3: LD Andre Benoit RD Tyson Barrie
Extra D: Stefan Elliot and Matt Hunwick
G1: Semyon Varlamov
G2: J.S Giguere
Notes: The top 3 forward lines and top 2 d-pairs are set in my opinion, on D Wilson and Johnson have played together in the past and will be reunited as the top pair, and I think that Hejda/Sarich is going to be an effective shutdown duo especially on the PK (I can also see them being split up, so it could be like Benoit/Sarich and Hejda/Barrie). After the top 4 guys, their are 5 guys fighting for 4 spots: Andre Benoit, Tyson Barrie, Stefan Elliot, Matt Hunwick and Duncan Siemens. Benoit, Barrie and Elliot all have offensive skills, so I think Benoit gets the last LD spot and Barrie/Elliot will fight out for the last RD. Hunwick has been a regular the past few seasons, but he is just too small and weak and doesn't contribute enough offensively, so I have him as a scratched D (and either Elliot/Barrie will be the other scratched D). I would love to see Duncan Siemens make the team and play regular minutes, but I feel he has 1 more year of development left and could either play his last year in junior with the Saskatoon Blades or start with the Lake Erie Monsters and get a call-up to the Avs if needed. The 4th forward line will have John Mitchell as the C and Cody McCleod as the LW, but I feel that RW spot is up for grabs (Olver is the likely fit). The 13th forward could be a number of people, like Michael Sgarbossa (who I guessed), Patrick Bordeleau, Mitchell Heard, Brad Malone, Joey Hishon, Colin Smith, or David Van Der Gulik. The 2 goalie positions are set, it will be Giguere and Varlmov, thought Roy hasn't said whos the starter or anything
Just under 3 weeks until the Avs open their season at home vs the Anaheim Ducks on October 2nd, an exciting time for hockey fans as training camps opened today!
-Joel Forman - Colorado Avalanche News
Thoughts on Head Coach Patrick Roy:
After watching his almost 30 minute long press conference from Media Day yesterday, it is obvious to me that Patrick is all business, he has that winning attitude as he kept stressing the line "We will have a Stanley Cup attitude." Patrick Roy didn't hold back at all, he spoke on everything from his own career, to his excitement of being Head Coach and then broke down his roster and what he thought of it. One thing that already differentiates Roy from former Avs Coach Joe Sacco is that Roy is straight-forward about where he wants to see this team go, whereas Sacco was so passive that he just focused one game at a time and took his eye off the big picture. Patrick understands how to win in this league; in 18 seasons he won 4 Stanley Cups, 3 Conn Smythes, 3 Vezina Trophies, and went to 11 allstar games. Now the Avs are hoping that he will coach this team back to the glory days, and while he hasn't coached 1 game yet I am already extremely impressed with how he has handled himself infront of the media. Roy also talked about the leadership of this team, and he separated them into 2 categories: the veteran guys who have won Stanley Cups, and the young up-and-coming players who are ready to lead this team. The veteran guys he mentioned were Giguere, Tanguay and Sarich, all whom have won Stanley Cups in their careers. He said he is counting on these guys to lead on and off the ice, especially Giguere it seemed. Then he talked about the future of the Avs, obviously starting with Captain Gabriel Landeskog and how he is ready to take that next step. Roy continued by praising Duchene, O'Reilly and Stastny, saying these 3 and Landeskog are ready to lead this team. Patrick was also not shy about his goalie situation, saying he doesn't like the terms "#1 and #2 goalie" and that he views his goalies as the guy in the net is #1 and the guy on the bench is #2. This makes me think that Giguere and Varlamov might play even games this season, where Varlamov gets his chance to prove he can start and if he plays well he will be the starter. But if he is slow out the gate, I expect Giguere to steal some starts and possibly take the starting role. Overall I was extremely impressed with what Roy and Sakic did in the offseason, and it was good to hear Patrick speak about how he is leaving his mark on this team. I will end this section with a few quotes from the press conference,
"We don't want Nathan to come here to be our savior. We want Nathan to be the best player he can play, and I think playing with Downie and McGinn will be a good situation and allow him to adjust and feel comfortable and we'll see how it goes." - Patrick Roy on Nathan Mackinnon
When asked if Nathan Mackinnon will be sent back to junior, Roy quickly responded, "No. We believe in him. We're extremely happy to have him on our team and he will play for us."
"I'm going to make them work. But I will accept their mistakes. This is part of the game. My objective is to make them learn and get better, and add the final details on the game. We've put together criteria that we believe are best for the goalie, the defensemen and the wingers. It's also our job to say, 'Which criteria could this player get better at?' This is how we're going to work at it." - Patrick Roy
Matt Duchene - Listening to Dutchy on media day, this guy is as focused as ever and he really wants to win badly. In the last 2 years the guy has become a health and fitness nut, he trains harder then ever in the offseason and even started a gluten-free diet last summer. Duchene made major strides last year, and I think this year he is ready for an extremely productive season playing with Parenteau and O'Reilly. In my opinion, Duchene showed last season that he deserves an A on his chest, and I think that will happen come season start.
"I've never been more excited for a season in my life, the buzz around the boys is just way different, its pure excitement and I think we're gonna have a heck of a year. We've learned how to lose, now we gotta learn how to win, and it starts this year" - Matt Duchene
Ryan O'Reilly - If anyone still has doubt about whether O'Reilly and Duchene can get along, both of them shut those people up very quickly in their interviews. It seems both are extremely excited to play together, Duchene told us that they have played together before and he thinks O'Reilly is not only an amazing defensive player but he will fit well offensively with him and Parenteau. O'Reilly says its going to be a challenge to move to the wing, but hes up to the challenge and is looking forward to playing with his new linemates who will help his offensive game. I think that this line could be extremely dangerous for the Avs, especially if O'Reilly gains chemistry with them early on in the season.
"Everyone is coming in with a winning mentality, we're ready to start changing the culture here and start winning again" - Ryan O'Reilly
Gabriel Landeskog - Landeskog opened up about last year, about his injury and having tough 2nd season in the NHL. It was great to see him address this and say that hes excited about moving forward, he knows it wasn't the best season but hes only looking to the future now. Entering his 3rd NHL season, I really think Landeskog is going to have a great year both statistically and as the Captain and leader of this team. It has now been a year since he was named Captain, so some of that pressure is off, and I really think Landeskog benefits from the coaching change by getting to learn leadership qualities from Patrick Roy and Joe Sakic.
"We've had enough of losing and we're tired of losing and want to change that. We're all looking forward to that, but I think this time around we're more excited then pissed off" - Gabriel Landeskog
Alex Tanguay - Man was it great to see Tanguay back in Avs clothing, and he sounded like a driven person ready to prove to the NHL he still has some gas left in the tank at 33 saying "I've got my best hockey ahead of me." Tanguay is extremely thrilled to be back in Denver, where he won a Stanley Cup in 2001 and played for the Avs from 1999-2006. Tanguay also commented on being acquired by 2 of his former teammates, Patrick Roy and Joe Sakic, and he voiced his pleasure for playing for these two guys. Overall, it seems like Tangs is extremely excited and motivated headed into this season.
"I feel this is sort of a new beginning for this team, there's new faces up in management and the young kids are looking for a time to come of age, and for me its just getting back to a city that I love and I'm looking forward to the opportunity of getting back here. I'm not old by any means I'm 33 years old, last year I felt great on the ice and certainly will take the training camp to get myself ready but you know I certainly plan on helping this team moving forward" - Alex Tanguay
Nathan Mackinnon - The player that every Avs fan is so excited to hear about, Mackinnon was talked about quite often in Patrick Roy's press conference. Roy believes in the 18-year old, he assured everyone that he is here to stay and he is a very important piece of the future of this team. Mackinnon will be playing with 2 rugged, tough wingers in Downie and McGinn, and it will allow him to take his time to adjust to the NHL. Overall, I am extremely excited to see #29 on the ice come October 2nd.
J.S Giguere - The similarities between Roy and Giguere are quite noticeable: both are French Canadian goalies, both have won Stanley Cups and Conn Smythes, and both trained with Francois Allaire (who is now the Avs goalie coach) earlier in their respective careers . Roy really stressed in his media session that he believes in Giguere, both as a player and as a veteran for this team (even going on saying that you don't need a C or A on your sweater to lead, much like he did when he was a goalie). It seems that Roy has faith in Giguere to mentor Semyon Varlamov, and it Varly can't get going Roy will trust Giguere with being the starting goalie.
Avs Roster/Lineup Notes:
Head Coach Patrick Roy has already gone into great detail about what his team will look like come opening night, including naming his top 3 forward lines already. With that being said, I will now predict what I think the roster will look like come October 2nd:
Line 1: LW Ryan O'Reilly C Matt Duchene RW PA Parenteau
Line 2: LW Gabriel Landeskog C Paul Stastny RW Alex Tanguay
Line 3: LW Jamie McGinn C Nathan Mackinnon RW Steve Downie
Line 4: LW Cody McLeod C John Mitchell RW Marc Olver
Extra F: Michael Sgarbossa
D-Pair 1: LD Ryan Wilson RD Erik Johnson
D-Pair 2: LD Jan Hejda RD Cory Sarich
D-Pair 3: LD Andre Benoit RD Tyson Barrie
Extra D: Stefan Elliot and Matt Hunwick
G1: Semyon Varlamov
G2: J.S Giguere
Notes: The top 3 forward lines and top 2 d-pairs are set in my opinion, on D Wilson and Johnson have played together in the past and will be reunited as the top pair, and I think that Hejda/Sarich is going to be an effective shutdown duo especially on the PK (I can also see them being split up, so it could be like Benoit/Sarich and Hejda/Barrie). After the top 4 guys, their are 5 guys fighting for 4 spots: Andre Benoit, Tyson Barrie, Stefan Elliot, Matt Hunwick and Duncan Siemens. Benoit, Barrie and Elliot all have offensive skills, so I think Benoit gets the last LD spot and Barrie/Elliot will fight out for the last RD. Hunwick has been a regular the past few seasons, but he is just too small and weak and doesn't contribute enough offensively, so I have him as a scratched D (and either Elliot/Barrie will be the other scratched D). I would love to see Duncan Siemens make the team and play regular minutes, but I feel he has 1 more year of development left and could either play his last year in junior with the Saskatoon Blades or start with the Lake Erie Monsters and get a call-up to the Avs if needed. The 4th forward line will have John Mitchell as the C and Cody McCleod as the LW, but I feel that RW spot is up for grabs (Olver is the likely fit). The 13th forward could be a number of people, like Michael Sgarbossa (who I guessed), Patrick Bordeleau, Mitchell Heard, Brad Malone, Joey Hishon, Colin Smith, or David Van Der Gulik. The 2 goalie positions are set, it will be Giguere and Varlmov, thought Roy hasn't said whos the starter or anything
Just under 3 weeks until the Avs open their season at home vs the Anaheim Ducks on October 2nd, an exciting time for hockey fans as training camps opened today!
-Joel Forman - Colorado Avalanche News
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