I will have to admit at first upon hearing of this trade I was not very happy, I personally am a big fan of the style of hockey that Steve Downie plays and thought that he had a big impact on the Avs success this season. As I took a few hours to think about the trade, it started to make a little more sense to me why the Avs made this move. For starters, Steve Downie is a UFA at the end of the season while Talbot has 2 years left on his deal after this season. Downie's cap hit is $2.65 million while Talbot's is $1.75 million, so the Avs have a player for 2 more years and free up a million in cap space. For the long run I like this trade for the Avs, but for this year I think that the Flyers won the trade (at least in terms of offensive upside).
The simple facts of this trade is that Downie is much more offensively gifted than Talbot, while Talbot possesses a much more important defensive skill that is very important in the NHL. I think Downie will go to Philadelphia and find some success on a line with Claude Giroux and Scott Hartnell, he brings a combination skill and toughness that really can get under opponents skin. Downie started his career in Philadelphia, and at age 26 he returns for what he hopes will be a more successful stint. This trade will certainly provide a spark for the Flyers, who are in desperate need of some more scoring depth. However, in acquiring Downie for more offense they had to pay a big price in losing their most responsible defensive player that isn't Claude Giroux. Talbot is one of the top penalty killers in the NHL, and the Flyers PK will certainly miss him
Now more on Talbot; at age 29 he still has a lot of good hockey left in him, and the Avs think he will be an important part of their future going forward. Head Coach Patrick Roy talked about Talbot, especially noting his past playoff experience as a reason they traded for him, "Talbot has won a Stanley Cup with Pittsburgh. He's a great penalty killer. We feel that he's going to add a lot of depth to our team. He's a guy that has performed well in the playoffs and we think he'll be a great addition." Avalanche VP of Hockey Operations Joe Sakic added, "Maxime is a veteran forward who has won a Stanley Cup and has a lot of NHL experience." From both Patrick Roy and Joe Sakic's comments it is evident that they love the experience Talbot brings, and they think he will become a big role player for the Avs.
While Talbot won't score as much as Downie, he will become a very important part of the team's PK unit (which is #1 in the NHL already). He is a versatile center who can also play wing, so expect him to switch between 3rd line winger and 4th line center. As much as I didn't like the Avs getting rid of Downie, I have to say that I have always been a fan of Talbot since his days in Pittsburgh. He is a guy who gives it 100% every night, while he may not be the most skilled guy on the ice he works as hard as anyone. The Avs gain a guy with leadership and experience, as well as a player who will play 200-feet of the ice. At first the Avs fans might have a little trouble understanding this trade, but in my opinion Talbot is going to become a fan favourite in Denver much like he did in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia before. I think he will also have a great impact on rookie Nathan MacKinnon, hopefully he can help Nate with the defensive side of the game.
Overall a shocking 24 hours for the Avs, with the Varlamov arrest and the Downie trade. However it is not time to panic, remember the Avs are still 10-1-0 and have a lot of hockey left to play. Varlamov will be able to travel with the team and looks to be in line start tomororw night vs. the Stars, as he is awaiting whether prosecutors will charge him or not (as he posted $5,000 bail to get out). I think that this trade is one that we will have to wait and see how it plays out, as Talbot is now here for at least the next 3 seasons while Downie is a UFA at season end and could walk from Philly. Who knows if this is the right move or not, only time will tell, but for now best of luck to Downie in Philly and welcome to the Avs Max Talbot!
-Joel Forman - The Forman Faceoff
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