SB Nation - Per Ledin

Jonas Holøs to return to Europe - Updated

Cheryl Bradley — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 17:35:37 -0000

UPDATE: Holøs has been officially reassigned to the Swedish Elite League. He will be playing for Växjö Lakers.

Norwegian defenseman Jonas Holøs has requested that the Avalanche release him from his contract in order to return to Europe to play. Despite what appeared to be strong performances last season and in training camp, Holøs was cut from the 2011-2012 team and sent to Lake Erie to play for the Avalanche affiliate Monsters. However, he was a healthy scratch for each of the Monsters games so far this season.

The Avalanche will have to agree to release Holøs, but there's little reason for them not to. He joins the ranks of Jaroslav Hlinka and Per Ledin as other European hockey players to leave the NHL after failing to see NHL ice time with the Avalanche.

Farewell, Jonas. Many of us will miss you very much.

Stick tap to niwotsblessing for breaking the story on MHH.

Which Team Sucks More?

David Driscoll-Carignan — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 14:00:26 -0000

What follows is a statistical analysis to determine which team sucks more - the 2008-2009 Colorado Avalanche or the 2010-2011 Colorado Avalanche:

The 2008-2009 Avalanche won 32 games

The 2010-2011 Avalanche have won 26 games, with 14 to go

Verdict: Draw

The 2008-2009 Avalanche got just 15 games out of Joe Sakic in his final year

The 2010-2011 Avalanche got just 2 games out of Peter Forsberg in his final year

Verdict: 2008-2009, because of the snowblower

The 2008-2009 Avalanche ranked 30th on offense

The 2010-2011 Avalanche rank 30th on defense

Verdict: Draw

The 2008-2009 Avalanche were led in +/- by Ben Guite (+2)

The 2010-2011 Avalanche are led in +/- by Greg Mauldin (+5)

Verdict: 2008-2009

The 2008-2009 Avalanche had a goalie tandem of Peter Budaj and Andrew Raycroft

The 2010-2011 Avalanche have a goalie tandem of Peter Budaj and Brian Elliott

Verdict: Draw

The 2008-2009 Avalanche had Tyler Arnason

The 2010-2011 Avalanche don't have Tyler Arnason

Verdict: 2008-2009

The 2008-2009 Avalanche had Cody McLeod as their #3 goal scorer (15)

The 2010-2011 Avalanche have one left winger with goals in the double digits (Kevin Porter, with 12)

Verdict: 2010-2011

The 2008-2009 Avalanche were tanking for ~~Tavares~~ ~~Hedman~~ Duchene

The 2010-2011 Avalanche are [scratches head]

Verdict: 2010-2011

The 2008-2009 Avalanche had the league's 26th ranked power play

The 2010-2011 Avalanche have the league's worst penalty kill

Verdict: 2010-2011

The 2008-2009 Avalanche averaged 15,429 in road attendance.

The 2010-2011 Avalanche are averaging 14,882 in home attendance

Verdict: 2010-2011

The 2008-2009 Avalanche were coached by Tony Granato

The 2010-2011 Avalanche are coached by Joe Sacco

Verdict: 2008-2009

The 2008-2009 Avalanche had Lappy

The 2010-2011 Avalanche do not have Lappy

Verdict: 2010-2011

The 2008-2009 Avalanche had a reasonable cap number

The 2010-2011 Avalanche are at the cap floor. Barely.

Verdict: 2010-2011

The 2008-2009 Avalanche had Darcy Tucker

The 2010-2011 Avalanche do not have Darcy Tucker

Verdict: 2008-2009

The 2008-2009 Avalanche buried European import Per Ledin in the minors

The 2010-2011 Avalanche have been slow to bring along European import Jonas Holos

Verdict: 2008-2009

The 2008-2009 Avalanche used 37 different players

The 2010-2011 Avalanche have used 37 different players

Verdict: Draw

The 2008-2009 Avalanche wore uniprons

The 2010-2011 Avalanche wear uniprons and the occasional blueberry third jersey

Verdict: 2010-2011

The results are close, but we do have a winner. By virtue of a 7-6 decision, with 3 draws, the team that sucks more is the 2010-2011 Colorado Avalanche. The winners get a home version of the game. To, you know, practice with and stuff.

A Quick And Early Look At The Northwest Division Rivals

Zanstorm — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 07:59:19 -0000

NHL.com has just listed the Canucks as one of their top 10 teams on the rise, saying:

Losing Mattias Ohlund could hurt, but that was buried under the important re-signings of the Sedin twins. Roberto Luongo is at the top of his game and will be motivated by the opportunity to get hot and start for Canada in the Olympics. Alex Burrows, Ryan Kesler, Kevin Bieksa and Alexander Edler only are getting better. Mikael Samuelsson, signed away from the Detroit Red Wings can make the power play better.

Convincing, huh? No not really. However, are the Canucks really worse off on paper than last year? Not really. I just find it odd that the writer calls them a team on the rise when they already won the Northwest Division title. Alas, you never know what can happen, and so many variables are involved (like what division rivals are doing in the off season).

Note: No other Northwest Division teams made the list.

Here's a quick look at how the other teams in our division are shaping up this summer. NOTE: **Yes, every other team in the NW has made a coaching change, as the guys quickly reminded me)** But I'm just focusing on the player additions.

CALGARY FLAMES

IN: D Jay Bouwmeester, F Fredrick Sjostrom

OUT: D Adrian Aucoin, F Todd Bertuzzi, F Mike Cammalleri, D Anders Eriksson, F Jamie Lundmark, F Warren Peters, F Andre Roy, D Rhett Warrener

Cap Spending: $54.29 million

Adding the coveted Bouwmeester meant that the Flames had to part ways with Mike Cammalleri. They have so much money invested in Bouwmeester, Phaneuf, Jokinen, Iginla and Kiprusoff that they can spend no more. They are now thick on D and more shallow up front. I still think the addition of Olli Jokinen at the deadline was a joke, yet he may rack up the points this year as he plays more with the team. Who knows. Glad they have him and not us.

Better or Worse? Potentially worse. Secondary scoring may be quite tough to come by beyond Iginla, Jokinen and Langkow.

EDMONTON OILERS

IN: G Nicolai Khabibulin

OUT: F Ales Kotalik, G Dwayne Roloson, G Dany Sabourin, D Jason Strudwick

Cap Spending: $51.40 million.

Not much change here except between the pipes, where Khabibulin may be an upgrade over Dwayne Roloson. I say "may be" because the Oilers are a run and gun team. Khabby is going to see a lot more quantity and quality shots in Edmonton. Let's see how he fares with that.

Edmonton's fate lies with the health of Sheldon Souray and Lubomir Visnovsky. They have over $13 million invested in those 2 defencemen. Madness I say. Up front they have a lot of young guys who may find their stride after sophomore seasons and what-not.

Are they going to add Dany Heatley or not? He could change the Coilers' fortunes.

Better or Worse? About the same.

MINNESOTA WILD

IN: F Martin Havlat, potentially F Kyle Brodziak (RFA), D Greg Zanon, G Wade Dubielwicz

OUT: D Marc-Andre Bergeron, D Kurtis Foster, F Marian Gaborik, F Krys Kolanos, F Corey Locke, F Bryan Lundbohm, D Tomas Mojzis, G Nolan Schaefer, D Jesse Schultz, D Martin Skoula, F Stephane Veilleux,

Cap Spending: $51.43 million

I am still laughing at the Wild letting injury-prone Marian Gaborik go and then acquiring injury-prone Martin Havlat. I don't care if Havlat played 81 games last season. Look at his track record. Plus it was a contract year. Let's start placing bets on how many games he plays this year. I'll start the betting with 55 games.

The Wild need more help up front, and they may just get that as trading Josh Harding is imminent.

Better or Worse? Worse

COLORADO AVALANCHE

IN: D Tom Preissing, D Kyle Quincey, G Craig Anderson, and Potentially 1st Round Draft Pick Matt Duchene

OUT: F Tyler Arnason, F Jesse Boulerice, F Ben Guite, F Ian Laperriere, F Matt Hendricks, F Per Ledin, D Aaron MacKenzie, D Lawrence Nycholat, G Andrew Raycroft, F Joe Sakic, F Nathan Smith, D Daniel Tjarnqvist, F Brian Willsie, F Cody McCormick

Cap Spending: $49.71 million

It's all about rebuilding for the Avalanche. especially up front. The goaltending and defence are set and more experienced. Canucks fans may get a good look at Matt Duchene, a former teammate of Cody Hodgson. It will be a mighty surprise if the Avalanche make the playoffs this year, but at least they are taking the right steps. Losing Sakic's presence will hurt, just as it did last season, but at least they have an upgrade in goal adding Craig Anderson.

Better or Worse? A bit better. They can't be any worse than last year's 69 points.

-------------------------------------------------------------

Considering how often we play these teams each year I'm feeling optimistic. But you can never take any of these teams for granted. The Canucks are going to have to play better against lesser teams than they did last year.

Like I said, this is a quick and early look at these teams. They still have lots of summer left to tinker with their rosters.

Final Grade: Per Ledin

David Driscoll-Carignan — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 12:00:18 -0000

GP	G	A	PTS	+/-	PIM	ESG	PPG	SHG	GWG	SOG
3	0	0	0	-1	2	0	0	0	0	2


Final Grade

Midseason Grade: N/A

Final Grade: INC

Joined Team: Signed (officially) on July 1, 2008

MHH Nicknames: Golden Boy

Lines:

3rd (2)
4th (1)

Pos:

LW (3)

Linemates:

Wolski (2)
Willsie (1)

RW:

Hensick (3)

Ice Time:*

TOT 9:56 (20th)
EV 9:56 (20th)
PP 0:00 (20th)
PK 0:00 (20th)

*Rank is based on total minutes, not average per game.

Best Month: April (3gp, 0 points)

Career Highlights: Ledin made his NHL debut last season.

Report: Per Ledin was unknown to most of us when he was signed last year. But from all the stories we read through the crappy google translator, he seemed like an entertaining, energetic player. Quite honestly, I think most of us were more excited to see him in an Avalanche uniform than we were for the other big free agent signings last summer (Tucker, Raycroft and Tjarnqvist). I don't think anyone expected him to be a game-breaker, but it sure seemed like he'd be fun to watch.

Ledin did not make the club out of camp, however. Although he had a 1-way contract (meaning he was paid his full $600,000 salary to play for Lake Erie), he remained in Cleveland while, by my count, 15 different players were recalled by the Avalanche (including 8 forwards). Finally, with just 3 games left in the dismal season, Ledin was given his token NHL stint - although he almost missed the chance due to a sore back.

3 games certainly isn't enough to evaluate a player, and that's really beside the point. The bigger picture is that Ledin really didn't get a chance in Denver, and his signing essentially amounts to wasted money. It's great that the team is digging around for gems - Ledin, Jaroslav Hlinka, Jonas Gustavsson - but getting the player signed is just half the battle. Does anyone on the Avalanche understand that these guys actually need a chance to contribute? Bringing a top-line European player over to wallow on the 4th line or burying a 4th line player in the minors seems like a colossal waste of everyone's time - fans, managment...and the players in question.

Fun Fact: Ledin's 97 is the highest number worn by an Avalanche player. He and Smyth are the only two players from the Avs to have a number in the 90s.

The Per Ledin Drinking Game: Drink when someone other than Ledin is recalled Drunk potential: Significant

What I Said Last Year: "This page lists Ledin as 6′0″ and 194 lbs, and describes him as more of an agitator than skilled player (Ville Nieminen immediately comes to mind). That makes me excited if not a little confused. How many 4th liners do we need?"

2008 Salary (and Cap Number): $600K ($600K)

2009-2010 Status: UFA

Outlook for 2009: Ledin has already signed with HV71 of the Swedish Elite League. We hardly knew you, Per.

Next Up: That's all, folks!

Poll

Did the Avs miss an opportunity with Ledin, or was he just not cut out for the NHL?

He could have contributed

84 votes

He wasn't good enough

28 votes

112 votes | Poll has closed

2008-09 Lake Erie Monsters Season Review -- Forwards

Angélique C. Murray — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 06:04:41 -0000

via blog.cleveland.com

The Lake Erie Monsters season review concludes with a look at the forwards. There were 13 forwards, including TJ Galiardi (pictured), with NHL contracts, who spent time in Cleveland with the Monsters this season. Injuries to both Colorado and Lake Erie effected offensive totals for the Monsters. After posting a 13^th ranked power play (17.3 percent) in 2007-08, Lake Erie fell all the way to the bottom of the league with a percentage of 11.5. The Monsters managed just 2.4 goals per game, 27^th in the American Hockey League (AHL).

Those numbers would have been better had players like Brian Willsie, TJ Hensick and Chris Stewart spent the majority of the season in Cleveland. Both Willsie and Hensick averaged more than a point per game with Lake Erie. Alas, this trio played in less than 20 percent of the Monsters games this season, as they were all recalled to the Avalanche due to injury woes for the big club. Philippe Dupuis, who was acquired from the Columbus Blue Jackets in the 2007-08 season, ended up being the scoring champ for Colorado's AHL affiliate. He led the team with 46 points, just edging team mate Chris Durno.

Dupuis, a native of Laval, QC, made his NHL debut with the Avalanche this season. He suited up for eight games with Colorado. His offensive game is more suited for the AHL, where he is likely to experience most of his professional success. Chris Durno turned out to be a valuable offseason addition for the Lake Erie Monsters. He led the team in goals with 18. The 28-year-old also played in a team high 76 games for the club. As captain, he had a team high in penalty minutes of 131. In addition, he played two games for the Avs, both of which were his first in the NHL. While Dupuis is a restricted free agent come July 1, 2009, Durno is unrestricted and is worth a new contract as he was a stable force for the Monsters this season.

Like their parent club, the Monsters suffered from a variety of injuries this season. Marty Sertich, who was acquired from the Dallas Stars in the off-season, was only able to play in 24 games for Lake Erie due to a concussion. Concussions also ended the season for 2005 second round pick Tom Fritsche and free agent signee Jesse Boulerice. Fritsche produced 20 points in 48 games for the Monsters before suffering his season ending injury. Sertich was able to contribute with 15 points in the 24 games in which he played. Tough guy Boulerice did score four goals for the Monsters.

Matt Hendricks was also beset by the injury bug. He was third in team scoring with 29 points in 43 games. Hendricks was traded from the Boston Bruins to the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for defenseman Johnny Boychuk last summer. Hendricks proved to be a valuable offensive contributor when healthy and is a gritty hard working player. Hendricks also made his NHL debut this year with Colorado, suiting up in four games. The AHL veteran is set to become an unrestricted free agent.

Like Hendricks and Durno, Nathan Smith was another savvy AHL veteran that was added to the Monsters roster this season. Smith, a former first round pick of the Vancouver Canucks, came over from the Pittsburgh organization. While he produced 50 points in 68 games for the Baby Penguins in 2007-08, injuries reduced him to just 16 points in 44 games this year. The soon to be unrestricted free agent finished the season on injured reserve with a knee injury.

Per Ledin was expected to play a majority of the season with the Colorado Avalanche when acquired last summer. After he was cut from the training camp roster in September of 2008, Ledin had difficulty adjusting to the North American game. Then came the foot injury which allowed him to play in only 58 games for the Monsters. Ledin contributed offensively for the club after an adjustment period and even reached double digits in goals (11). Yet, his goal to play in the NHL didn’t occur until late in the season, with a three game stint in Denver. Rather than exploring other NHL opportunities in the summer, the Swedish agitator returned to Europe after signing a multi-year contract with HV-71 (Swedish Elite League).

Codey Burki’s professional career has been marred by injury and inconsistency. Work ethic was a question mark for Burki during his draft year. A potential first round pick, Burki fell to the Avs 59^th overall in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft. In 2006-07, he was 5^th in the Western Hockey League in scoring. A brilliant skater, Burki has yet to produce offensively, scoring just 19 points in 54 games for the Monsters this season. The 2009-10 season is a contract year for Burki, who will need to stay healthy and become a more consistent scorer.

TJ Galiardi perhaps made the biggest impression of the late call ups for the Avalanche this season. Galiardi is lanky, yet he is highly skilled. Playing wing at times with the Monsters, Galiardi found himself centering a line for the Avalanche as the injuries continues to mount in Colorado. He scored three goals in 11 games, all against the Vancouver Canucks. With the Monsters, Galiardi recorded 27 points in 66 games. He can exceed at the pro level with his speed, but could probably add some bulk to his 6’2" frame.

Galiardi is the first player from Colorado’s 2007 draft class to make his NHL debut this year. More will certainly follow and it’s likely some of these Monsters will resurface at Pepsi Center sometime during the 2009-10 season.

Per Ledin Returns To Sweden

David Driscoll-Carignan — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 13:47:17 -0000

It's been rumored for a while, but now it's official. Per Ledin has signed a 6-year deal with HV71 Jönköping of the Swedish Elite League. Ledin played for HV71 the season before coming to the stateside and if I remember a recent article correctly, his family was still in Jönköping.

I'm sorry to see Ledin go. Honestly, I think the Avalanche botched this one - he should have had a longer look at the NHL level.

From the looks of this translated article, it appears that Ledin's choice essentially boiled down to a choice between Jönköping and Luleå HF (a club he spent 5 years with previously). If staying in the NHL was a viable option, it wasn't mentioned...

[Thanks to AvsSweden for breaking the bad news]

Game 80 Recap: Stars 3, Avalanche 2 (SO)

David Driscoll-Carignan — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 14:46:03 -0000

Final - 4.9.2009	1	2	3	OT	SO	Total
Dallas Stars	0	0	2	0	1	3
Colorado Avalanche	0	1	1	0	0	2

Complete Coverage >

Obviously, last night's game will be overshadowed a bit by the news that Joe Sakic will not play this weekend and glancing around at all the Sakic related stories in my RSS feeder would confirm that. But there was a game last night - and an entertaining one at that. So, for the moment, put down the hanky and read about the game. Save Dater's tear-jerker of a farewell for later...(like, you know, until after Joe actually hangs them up).

Once again, the Avs' "patchwork" defense looks quite a bit better than the "veteran" defense utilized for the first 2/3 of the season. None of the new players seem to be a great all-around player, but, they each bring a little something to the table. Vernace seems to be the Hannan-type, mostly steady in his end. Peltier is shaky defensively, but has some Lilesesque moves when he joins the play. MacKenzie isn't flashy, but seems to have a good shot and will lay the occasional hit (Finger?). I don't really have a handle on Macias yet. For whatever reason (and apathy from the opposing teams may certainly be one), this group has meshed to gether quite well. Reportedly, Adam Foote, Brett Clark and Daniel Tjarnqvist are all skating and may play this weekend, so be ready for a few steps backward.

The shot totals don't really bear this out, but I thought the Avs were the much better team for much of the game. They had a bunch of scoring chances. Since this is Colorado we're talking about, most of those chances fizzled out, of course, but the effort was there. The first period was scoreless. The 2nd period featured 3 penalties - all by Dallas. The Avs PP wasn't great (again), but did convert on one when Chris Stewart deflected a nifty Ray Macias shot past Matt Climie. That goal was Macias' first NHL point. Congratulations, Ray.

The 1-0 lead held up until 2nd intermission. You should know my favorite useless stat of the year - the Avs have yet to lose in regulation when leading after 2 even though they have been outscored 89-55. No team has scored less goals in he 3rd and only one team (the Islanders) has allowed more goals in the 3rd. Stupid, stupid stat.

Sure enough, Dallas scored. Twice. Fabian Brunnstrom seemed to spend an entire powerplay shift standing in the slot banging his stick on the ice. His hard work was rewarded when someone finally fed him a puck. Brunnstrom scored easily.

Later, the Stars took the lead when Mark Parrish broke in on the right and fed Steve Begin breaking to the net. Peter McNab (watching from the bench) took great pains to point out that the Stars scored despite the solid defensive effort from TJ Galiardi. That part is true. What I'd like to know (and what wasn't mentioned on air) is what the hell Scott Hannan was doing handing off Begin to Galiardi in the first place? Wouldn't that be his man? Is slowly drifting a new defensive technique the Avs are trying out?

By this point in the game, the Avs were losing the momentum battle - Dallas outshot Colorado 13-5 in the 3rd. But one of those 5 shots was a prayer that Johnny Hotcakes threw on net from the corner, and it bounced in off of Climie's left pad. The Avs have been beaten by a lot of questionable goalies this year, but that was one that most goalies would have stopped.

With the game tied after regulations, the teams skated through an exciting OT with lots of action. After that failed to resolve anything, we moved to the shootout. Wojtek Wolski made his patented Forsberg Stamp Backhand move to give the Avs the lead. Brunnstrom responded with a wicked backhand to even things up. Milan Hejduk moved the Avs in front again with a backhander of his own and then James Neal knotted things up again with a funky shot that Budaj seemed to stop, but it ended up bouncing over the line just the same. And then it was TJ Hensick's turn to shine. He grabbed the puck at center ice, broke in on net and crashed right into Climie. That bizarre unsuccesful attempt set the stage for Mark ibeiro. The Stars bench were all talking to Ribeiro before he took his turn. Peter McNab thought they were tipping him off on something they saw in Peter Budaj. Nope. They just wanted him to try the freaky move. It worked and Dallas won. But the Avs made a good show of it just the same.

Lines

Per Ledin finally made his NHL debut, and boy am I pissed off about it. He was given limited ice time (thanks Tony!), but looked impressive. I don't really understand - he went to the front of the net, got back to help out defensively, didn't make any drop passes to the other team, was physical and drew a penalty. We couldn't have used this all year? And next year, he'll be in Sweden and we'll be paying Darcy Tucker 2-point-whatever-million to do none of those things next year. Hoo-fucking-ray.

Quick Hits

There were no whistles during the 5-minute overtime (good catch, Kyle Keefe)
TJ Galiardi had another nice game. He assisted on Liles' goal, he drew two penalties and he had a team high 4 hits. He also took two pretty hard shots to the face in the 3rd period - an accidental high stick by Wandell and a dick-move intentional elbow by Ribeiro. He didn't miss a shift (and didn't even come off the ice after the 2nd one).

Video Highlights

Next Up

The Avs host the Canucks on Saturday. It will be Ian Laperriere's 1000th NHL game.

Other Recaps

Mike Ribeiro stated after the game he wouldn't have attempted that shot in the shootout if the Stars could have lost if he missed. If you're gonna try it, you better make it. - Brandon Worley, Defending Big D

At this point you would have never been able to tell this was a game between two teams that had already been eliminated from the post season. Both teams were flying up and down the rink generating great scoring chances only to be denied by the goaltenders. It truly had the feeling of a playoff game. - Derek B, Defending Big D

The New York Islanders are the only team to have had more players (12) kick off their careers in 2008-09. - AP

On an interesting side note - and this may be part of a larger offseason post - but a buddy I work with tried working a few connections to get me some backstage access at one of the weekend games. It was soundly denied by the team due to their awesome team policy of not talking to their fans. Though they appreciate my "passionate following of the team", they weren't willing to take a minute to listen to one. Or even give a pre-game tour to someone who just dropped a couple grand to watch the team during one of the worst season's in franchise history - Shane, Avs Talk

Avs Finally Get The Ledin Up

David Driscoll-Carignan — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 23:32:36 -0000

In the Way Too Little Too Late Department, the Avs have finally recalled Per Ledin. Assuming Ledin plays, he'll become the 11th player to make his NHL debut this year. He'll also become the player to wear the highest jersey number (97) in Avalanche history.

To get to know him better (albeit briefly), here's a recent Q&A he did. Sadly, Ledin is rumored to be headed back to Sweden after the season ends. The long and short of the Swedish article is that nothing is official, but he's expected to be headed back to HV71 as he owns a home in Jönköping. I think.