Colorado Avalanche Projected Lines Part 2 - Goaltending and Defence

After looking at the potential forward lineup for the 2012-2013 Colorado Avalanche, I will now shift my focus to the defensive side of the game; the goaltending and defence. Colorado is looking at a very similar group from last year, with the addition of stay-at-home Greg Zanon the only difference. I will first look at the goalies:

 

Semyon Varlamov and J.S Giguere

 

Coach Sacco has already stated this will be the tandem all season long (barring any injuries). He really expressed the two similar but different positions that each player holds as a goaltender for this team, as he noted Varlamov as the young starter and Giguere in the veteran leadership role that is also capable of picking up for a Varlamov if he struggles. Avs goaltending prospects Calvin Pickard, Sami Aittokallio and Kent Patterson will all have to wait their turns respectively, as Coach Sacco didn't invite any to the shortened training camp because he is set on Varlamov and Giguere. Now looking at the potential D pairing and 7th/8th D for the avs:

 

Pair #1 Erik Johnson and Shane O'Brien

 

O'Brien really impressed me last season, as a guy who has had trouble sticking with an NHL team he really came into Colorado last season and emerged as one of this teams' vocal leaders. You can see he is an emotional guy on the ice, he never shys away from a hit or sticking up for his teammates. However, being paired with EJ last season developed a huge step in his offensive game as he jumped up into the play more often and had his 2nd best statistical year of his career(3 goals and 17 assists). Johnson is coming off a mediocre first full year in Colorado, and really has to get it going if he wants to be Colorado's anchor of the D. He is capable of being a top-caliber NHL D, but he needs to be consistent and show that he can put up points. Look for this duo to get a lot of minutes early in the season if they play well.

 

Pair #2 Ryan Wilson and Greg Zanon

 

Two very underestimated D, as Wilson is both physical and has some offense to his game while Zanon is pure defensive. Zanon will be a huge boost to the avs PK this season, as he is a shot-blocking machine. He will not provide anything in terms of offense (similar to O'Byrne) but is a real solid stay-at-home D that will log good minutes for the avs this season. Wilson, like EJ, needs to find some consistency to his game and he will definitely get a chance to this season

 

Pair #3 Ryan O'Byrne and Jan Hejda

 

You would think that the Avs need Elliot in here for offense, but Joe Sacco was keen on improving the D and the Zanon signing shows that. O'Byne and Hejda are both 2 defensive guys, neither will wow you with skill or speed (as both are rather slow) but they will be important PK guys along with Zanon. If either struggles, look for Elliot/Hunwick to take their spot.

 

7th/8th bench D Stefan Elliot and Matt Hunwick

 

The avs have depth at D, and it will benefit them if any current D gets hurt. This situation is not in favour for both youngsters Elliot and Barrie, as the avs have 7 NHL D with the 6 I listed and Hunwick. Hunwicks play last season certainly gets him on this roster, although he will have trouble fighting for a top 6 spot. Between Elliot and Barrie, if the avs keep 8 D and not 7, the avs take the more experienced and I think better Stefan Elliot.

 

So the D and Goalie Situation looks as follows:

 

Johnson-O'Brien

Wilson-Zanon

Hejda-O'Byrne

  Hunwick

  Elliot

 Varlamov

 Giguere

 

Avs training camp continues with day 2 on Monday, still no word on Ryan O'Reilly which is really dissapointing that the avs haven't been able to reach a deal yet. We are 5 days away from the NHL season to begin, I AM BEYOND EXCITED. GO AVS GO

 

-Joel Forman - Colorado Avalanche News

Colorado Avalanche Projected Lines Part 1 - Forwards

With the end of the lockout, I know have time to look at what the potential 2012-2013 (specifically 2013 cause of the stupid lockout) Colorado Avalanche Roster is. I will look at the forwards, defenceman and goaltenders separately and explain what combinations/lines and why. Starting with the forwards:

Line #1 LW: Gabriel Landeskog C: Matt Duchene RW: PA Parenteau

Duchene moves back into his role as the #1 C, and having Landeskog and Parenteau on his wing is really going to benefit him. The line will have a lot of talent, as Landeskog does pretty much everything at both ends while Duchene and Parenteau excel offensively. Duchene and Landeskog will benefit from the play-making ability of Parenteau, and if this is indeed the top line look for a lot of production.

Line #2 LW: Jamie McGinn C: Ryan O'Reilly RW Steve Downie

This has the potential to be a 2nd or 3rd line, but I see this line becoming one of the leagues toughest to play against. O'Reilly is already turning into one of the games best defensive forwards, and pending his contract issues he will look to build on his solid play last year. McGinn and Downie were both acquired at the trade deadline, and made immediate impacts last season. Downie had 13 points in 20 games, including 10 in his first 7 games as an av. McGinn played 17 games for the avs, scoring 8 goals and 13 points in that time. Both guys provided an offensive spark, but also are physical forwards and this line can have that nasty edge thats tough to play (especially Downie)

Line #3 LW David Jones C Paul Stastny RW Milan Hejduk

This is the 3rd/2nd line however you look at it, just is more offensive-minded then the O'Reilly line. All 3 players have skill, but have struggled the past few seasons behind the younger forwards emerging (Landeskog Duchene O'Reilly). Look for this line to contribute when on, but struggle at times as well.

Line #4 LW Cody McLeod C John Mitchell RW Olver

Very standard 4th line, McLeod hits and fights, Olver is all hustle, and Mitchell is new to the team and is a good utility forward to replace McClement.

13th Forward: Michael Sgarbossa - the young forward acquired from the Sharks is playing well in his first pro season, with 13 goals and 28 points in 34 games with the avs AHL affiliate the Lake Erie Monsters. Chuck Kobasew/Mike Connolly/Brad Malone just miss the cut

-Joel Forman - Colorado Avalanche News

HOCKEY IS BACK

What a glorious day it is for hockey fans, The NHL and NHLPA have agreed in principle on a new CBA contract. It has been a long and dreadful 4 months of the lockout, and hockey fans have endured enough. The way I see it, there are two types of reactions people have to this news: The "true" hockey fans who will watch the game no matter what, and the Negative Nancy's who only look at the negatives. To start off, I have to state that I think the NHL and NHLPA have been fighting pointlessly this entire lockout. While there are so many reasons to hate on the NHL, I love the game of hockey too much not to be excited. For months I just didn't understand what had happened to our sport, it has become all about money and so much less about the game we love and play. Now that hockey is on the verge of coming back, we must simply embrace the positive nature of hockey coming back rather than look at all the reasons this season is "flawed" or "ridiculous."

Colorado Avalanche:
The most exciting thing about the lockout coming to a close is that I finally get to see the Avs play again, I think that last season they were on the verge of becoming a playoff team again and this year will be really positive for several reasons:

Reason #1 - Number 92

Lost in the hype of the lockout months ago, the Avs named their youngest player Gabriel Landeskog the captain, becoming the youngest captain in NHL history. Landeskog was phenomenal last season, taking home the Calder Tropy as NHL's top rookie. However, I don't think anyone saw him getting the C this early; he was known as a great leader, and potential future captain of the Avs, but his impact in his 1st season was obvious from the 1st game. He has all the great leadership qualities at such a young age, and im sure every Avs fan agrees with me when saying that he has an extremely bright future ahead

Reason #2 - Depth at forward

The Avs went out and made a big acquisition on July 1st, signing winger PA Parenteau to a 4 year 16-million dollar contract. Parenteau is coming off 2 extremely strong years in New York, having played on a line with Johnny Tavares for most of it. The avs also made two big trades at the deadline last year, acquiring forwards Jamie McGinn and Steve Downie to give the avs some grit and scoring help. With those 3 plus the Avs core (Duchene Landeskog O'Reilly Stastny Hejduk Jones) the Avs are looking at a very solid top 9, one that could give opposing defences a very tough time.

Reason #3 - Goaltending

The Avs goaltending situation was challenging at times last year, both Varlamov and Giguere played very well for certain stretches but also very inconsistent for others. Varlamov started the season very hot, then he was replaced by Giguere for a month or so until he regained his form post trade-deadline and really looked sharp. Varlamov is still very young, and I believe that he will be a great goalie for the Avs this season. Giguere is there for leadership more than anything, but if the situation arises like last year expect Giguere to be ready to share the load as much as possible.

One of the best days in a long, long time. Hockey is back, Go Avs Go

-Joel Forman - Colorado Avalanche News

Gabriel Landeskog - Youngest Captain in NHL History

Took me a few days to fully take this news in (and not having internet certainly helped), but its still a big shock to realize that Gabriel Landeskog is the Captain of the Avalanche. The 19-year old accomplished so much last year, walking away with the Calder Trophy as the NHL's top rookie. However, being a Captain is a whole different story; what C on your sweater represents is the complete showcase of skill, leadership and responsibility. Landeskog has only played 82 games, and is a mere 19 years old, but don't let that fool you. The kid is mature beyond his age, and this has been said about him ever since he played in the OHL as a 16-year old. He was the captain of the Kitchener Rangers at 17, becoming the first European Captain in the history of the Rangers. He was the captain for Sweden's U16 U17 and U18 teams, as well as an Alternate Captain at this year's World Hockey Championship. Landeskog embodies all the qualities of an NHL captain, and the decision to make him captain now (youngest in NHL history, 11 days younger than when Sidney Crosby got his C) is the right move for several reasons. They know that Gabriel is the face of the franchise, and he will be around for a long, long time. On the ice, he plays a type of hockey that is sought out by every NHL team; a 200-foot, two-way player who plays in all aspects of the game. He isn't the most skilled guy on the ice, but he may certainly be the hardest worker on the avs (besides O'Reilly). Gabriel does it all on offence; he takes a ton of shots (270 last year, 15th in the NHL), he hits (219, tied for 18th in the NHL) and he scores big-time goals (24 last year, 6 PP and 5 GWG). He led the rookies in points (52), shots (270 - next closest 184), 2nd in goals (22), 2nd in GWG (5), 2nd in PPG (6), 2nd in +/- (+20), and 3rd in assists (30). However, offence isn't the only characteristic of Gabriel's game; he is one of the hardest working young defensive-forwards in the game right now. He understands the importance of being a two-way player, and that is where we see alot of comparisons to another former Kitchener Rangers Captain in Mike Richards. Landeskog is a relentless skater, and he understands the importance of finishing his check. While he is still young and has a ton of experience to gain, he has already impressed enough people to make him the youngest Captain in NHL history. Gabriel had this to say,
"It's something you dream about as a kid — just being a part of an organization like the Avs, and then getting honored to put the 'C' on, especially with the history that this club has with Joe Sakic and Adam Foote and obviously Milan Hejduk, it's a pretty humbling experience,"

         

There were certainly other options; the unsigned Ryan O'Reilly, assistant Captain Paul Stastny and Defenceman Erik Johnson. However, Coach Sacco said in their talks it all kept coming back to Gabriel as the logical choice, and they feel extremely comfortable with him as a leader and Captain at the age of 19. From Mike Chambers (http://www.denverpost.com/avalanche) quoting Coach Sacco,
"Don't let his age fool you. He is way mature beyond his years," Sacco said of Landeskog, who led the Avs with a plus-20 rating as a rookie. "He has that natural leadership ability, something that just comes easy for him. I think he's going to be a great captain for a long time for this franchise. The response has been overwhelmingly positive," Sacco said. "They are all very excited for Gabe. We knew he was very well liked and respected in the room. He's still 19, so obviously that still comes into play. But at the same time we have good people in this room, good leaders in this room, and we have good support for Gabe."

As an Avalanche fan I am extremely excited to see #92 rock the C, that is if there even is a season this year (FUCK GARY BETTMAN). The future is bright in Colorado

-Joel Forman - Colorado Avalanche News