SBNation.com User Blog: CobraAcesS

Stop the NHL Lockout @StopTheLock2012

CobraAcesS — Mon, 13 Aug 2012 03:40:23 -0000

I'm not really this Edmonton bloggers biggest fan, but I have to say that I agree with this movement.

Richard Cloutier's Stop the Lockout blog on Hockeybuzz, and the twitter account linked to the movement.

I haven't written the manifesto yet, but I'm thinking the following items need to be included. Please offer your suggestions for this worthy cause.

1. Stop the NHL Lockout does not take the side of the players union or the league. We believe both parties should work together to ensure the 2012/2013 season takes place as scheduled for the sake of the game and in recognition of the importance of fans who ultimately keep the league alive.

2. It is the belief of Stop the NHL Lockout that the league and the NHLPA must create a Collective Bargaining Agreement that ensures no other strikes, lockouts or labor actions of any sort occur for at least the next ten years.

3. It is the belief of Stop the NHL Lockout that ticket prices should be frozen for a minimum of the next three seasons, as the costs involved to attend games have gotten out of hand at several NHL team locations.

4. NHL fans in support of Stop the NHL Lockout will no longer purchase NHL merchandise until the labor dispute is completely resolved.

5. NHL fans who support Stop the NHL Lockout will no longer wear team jerseys or display team merchandise of any sort until the labor action has concluded, and a new deal is in place.

I really can't stand the idea of another lockout, and I think this time I agree with the Players more than the Owners but regardless. They need to work together to get this done. There are 9 actual things he lists in the blog, and some are a little fanatical for me but most of them I agree with. It would be nice if something like this could actually gain enough traction to get noticed. You never know...

At the very least it doesn't hurt to follow the movement on twitter and keep up with it IMO.

I'm not really this Edmonton bloggers biggest fan, but I have to say that I agree with this movement.

Richard Cloutier's Stop the Lockout blog on Hockeybuzz, and the twitter account linked to the movement.

I haven't written the manifesto yet, but I'm thinking the following items need to be included. Please offer your suggestions for this worthy cause.

1. Stop the NHL Lockout does not take the side of the players union or the league. We believe both parties should work together to ensure the 2012/2013 season takes place as scheduled for the sake of the game and in recognition of the importance of fans who ultimately keep the league alive.

2. It is the belief of Stop the NHL Lockout that the league and the NHLPA must create a Collective Bargaining Agreement that ensures no other strikes, lockouts or labor actions of any sort occur for at least the next ten years.

3. It is the belief of Stop the NHL Lockout that ticket prices should be frozen for a minimum of the next three seasons, as the costs involved to attend games have gotten out of hand at several NHL team locations.

4. NHL fans in support of Stop the NHL Lockout will no longer purchase NHL merchandise until the labor dispute is completely resolved.

5. NHL fans who support Stop the NHL Lockout will no longer wear team jerseys or display team merchandise of any sort until the labor action has concluded, and a new deal is in place.

At the very least it doesn't hurt to follow the movement on twitter and keep up with it IMO.

Unsubstantiated Rumor of the year: Parise to Avs

CobraAcesS — Thu, 21 Jun 2012 22:48:40 -0000

Unsubstantiated Rumor of the year: Parise to Avs

"Zach Parise will be definitely the best available free agent on the market from 1st July. It is not likely the New Jersey Devils would find money for his huge contract. Then there are spreading bigger and bigger rumors about his next team. Members of the official forum of the Avalanche wrote "guaranteed" and "reliable" rumors which we have to report to you."

~Eurolanche~

I am not as familiar with the Eurolanche as some people here seem to be and I don't really get the bold part above. According to Aaron Musik they broke Hunwick's signing ahead of time. So they have some credibility.

[DDC's note: Eurolanche is not behind this. They are reporting something they found on the Avs' message board, which is about as reliable as Mark Olver in the faceoff circle.]

Alex Semin : In depth look/statistics article

CobraAcesS — Thu, 21 Jun 2012 01:47:50 -0000

Alexander Semin Highlights (via evgenimalkin)

Alexander Semin [HD] (via MooseHockeyLeagueTV) (This video is the best quality of the two)

There are a lot of people who believe some of the labels and bad hype there is out there about Alex Semin, even call him lazy at times.

I personally believe he would be a great long term replacement for the type of game Hejduk brought. (Or brings we'll see) Giving Varlamov another Russian teammate to make every day life a little easier could only be a positive as well.

This is probably the most unexpected and interesting part of the article. :

Maybe the most impressive thing I can point out about Semin is his overall 2-way performance relative to the rest of the league. Of 125 players with 2500 5v5 zone start adjusted minutes of ice time over the past 3 season, Semin ranks 5th in GF20 (trailing only D. Sedin, H. Sedin, Toews, and Stamkos) and he ranks 13th in GA20. It truly is a rare combination (for example, the Sedin’s rank 28 and 38 in GA20, Toews 60th and Stamkos 105th).

Alexander Semin Highlights (via evgenimalkin)

Alexander Semin [HD] (via MooseHockeyLeagueTV) (This video is the best quality of the two)

There are a lot of people who believe some of the labels and bad hype there is out there about Alex Semin, even call him lazy at times.

This is probably the most unexpected and interesting part of the article. :

Maybe the most impressive thing I can point out about Semin is his overall 2-way performance relative to the rest of the league. Of 125 players with 2500 5v5 zone start adjusted minutes of ice time over the past 3 season, Semin ranks 5th in GF20 (trailing only D. Sedin, H. Sedin, Toews, and Stamkos) and he ranks 13th in GA20. It truly is a rare combination (for example, the Sedin’s rank 28 and 38 in GA20, Toews 60th and Stamkos 105th).

The article is a look at Alex Semin by one of you "Advanced Stats" gurus using charts and all that cool stuff. I understand some of it and some I don't but one thing is pretty clear if you take this article to heart. The labels attached to the player and main stream media negative hype are quite over blown and based more on the negative media haze that surrounds the Washington Capitals and their struggles.

While Parise would still be the best option as a offensive threat we could pick up without losing assets. Alex Semin could actually be a lot more of a close second because he should be (If only slightly) cheaper than Parise. While being close in age and actually still having the potential to match or even beat his offensive output if given the right opportunities and a resurgence.

I am not really sure who Alex Semin would be better off playing with in Paul Stastny or Matt Duchene. One is a high flying speedster (Duchene) who sees the ice well and could probably make more use of Alex Semin's play-making and passing ability (It's an underrated part of his game. He is not just a goal scorer and is able to elevate his line-mates more than people give him credit for.) Or Stastny who could probably better put Alex's best attribute (His shot) to use while also bringing enough of a two-way game that defense wouldn't need to be a main focus for Alex, but more of just a responsible two-way game would be needed. Which he is fully capable of..

I do think Matt Duchene & Alex Semin could be more of a offensive threat because defenders wouldn't be able to focus mainly on one offensive player as each of them have very dangerous wrist shots. But.. Not until Duchene rounds out the defensive side of his game. However Jones & Stastny would probably have a lot more space themselves as a result of having him on their line. (McGinn & Duchene could actually be very dangerous IMO. Speed, size and both have wicked shots.)

So check out the Article, I am curious to know if this changes anyone's mind on him as a player.

Poll

After taking a look at that article and seeing a little more objective look at his game and who he has played with. Would you pay this player the 5-6M a year plus a 4-6 year term which is rumored to be what he is looking for?

Yes, He would fit best with Stastny (A pure play-maker & Passer)

39 votes

Yes, He would fit best with Duchene. Alex Semin would elevate Duchene's game to a new level.

61 votes

Yes Reluctantly, But only because we need scoring, will have the cap space and I don't see to many other options.

40 votes

No. There is no way that all the negative labels are just hype.

33 votes

173 votes | Poll has closed

The Ideal Colorado Avalanche 12/13 Season

CobraAcesS — Sat, 09 Jun 2012 19:55:46 -0000

Below I will take the top 8 roster players production during the 11/12 season while they were in ideal roles or healthy. Then attempt to project what our offensive production could be next season. This could be either completely realistic or completely blurred with burgundy and blue glasses.

Players that under performed like Duchene, Stastny, & Jones will be given the benefit of the doubt and players like McGinn and Downie will be projected based on their production after they were traded. (Within reason)

With a glass half full approach could our roster with a few reasonable moves and some luck look like a legit playoff team?

(Hejduk is not figured into a top 9 role in this for next year and one UFA forward is used. Hey if he comes back flying, great. If not he will be some valuable secondary scoring on the 4th line and power play but I am not counting on anything.)

With a glass half full approach could our roster with a few reasonable moves and some luck look like a legit playoff team?

Matt Duchene : 38 vs 58 GP @ 28 points, .737 PPG%. 60.4 and 30G/30A over 82 games.

My argument for Duchene would be to evaluate and project him based on his point totals minus the 20 games he played injured and in a 3rd line role. My reason for not discounting the four or so points he put up in those 20 games is that we should probably expect some improvement on the pace he put up while healthy. Four more points isn't unreasonable and is hopefully conservative.

Paul Stastny : Jan, 6th - April, 7th / 40GP 31P .775 PPG%. @ 82GP 63.55

If I remember correctly that is around the time Jones was put back on his line then McGinn came along and there was another boost for the last 15 games or so as McGinn took a couple games to catch fire. In those last 15 games Stastny put up 12 PTS in 15 GP @ a .800 PPG% that is 66 PTS over 82 GP. Remember McGinn put up 13 points in 17GP (8G 5A).

David Jones : Jan, 6th - March, 4th 13PTS 25GP / / March, 6th - April, 7th 9 PTS (5G 4A) 15GP @ .600 PPG% 49.2 PTS (27G 22A) over 82 games.

This shows both when Jones was moved to Stastny's wing and when McGinn was put on their line. Along with the corresponding boosts in production. Feb, 4th through April, 7th was was his best production period @ 21 PTS (11G 9A) 29GP .724 PPG%. That is 31G & 28A over 82 GP.

4M for 27-31G / 22-28A & 49-59P? Yes please! Now we just need Sacco to figure this sh*t out and stop playing with his lines so much.

Peter Mueller : From Jan, 12th - 16P & 29GP @ .551 PPG% is 45.2 PTS (20G 25A)

To be fair to Mueller I removed the first 3 games of the year he played based on the fact that it was revealed he was still suffering from concussion symptoms. Honestly? 45 points over 82 games isn't to bad for 2.2 a year even if he does not improve. Realistically we can expect more from him next season as he will have a chance to go into the 12/13 season properly conditioned. Mueller could put up anywhere from 50 to 100+ points based on what we have seen him do while him and Duchene are both healthy. Lets stay on the low end and hope for 50 points (25G 25A).

Is he worth qualifying at around 2.2M? Hell yes

McGinn & Downie should be simple. I am just going to use their PPG% and then scale that back just a bit to a reasonable expectation.

Jamie McGinn : 8G 5A 17GP .765 PPG% (39G 24A) 63 PTS over 82 games.

If he does anything close to this he alone would have been worth WAY more than Galiardi & Winnik. Lets call it 30/20 and expect .610 PPG% instead of .765 PPG%. Still.. If he falls anywhere in between those two percentages he becomes a lock as a core player being a power forward and only 24 when next season starts. Hell as long as he gets a reasonable contract and puts up 20-30G and 20A I think we will all be happy campers.

McGinn almost feels like a drawing where you are either leaving with $100 or $1,000 after only giving up 10. San Jose will most likely be Sherminated in this deal.

Steve Downie : 13 PTS 20 GP .650 PPG% 53 PTS over 82 GP.

I am not removing the games most of us know he played with a shoulder injury because I think at that point he was at a point per game pace. Nope no way Downie is a 82 point player.. He did have a 2G 11A split but I think 20/20 is reasonable for him. He definitely had chances that he had a hard time burying after he had problems with his shoulder. You have to be impressed at the fact that he was even still somewhat effective as an agitator and checker after that.

Ok time to put it all together. (I am going to use an estimate and willy nilly figures for the Defense and 4th line because this is mostly about offense.)

McGinn (30G/20A/50P) - Stastny (22G/41A/63P) - Jones (27G/22A/49P) / 79G 83A 162P 1.975 PPG% .963 GPG

?UFA? (20G/20A/40P) - Duchene (30G/30A/60P) - Mueller (25G/25A/50P) / 75G 75A 150P 1.829 PPG% .904 GPG

Landeskog (30G/30A/60P) - O'Reilly (20G/40A/60P) - Downie (20G/20A/40P) / 70G 90A 160P 1.951 PPG% .854 GPG

Landeskog & O'Reilly were given modest 8 & 5 point bumps. Landeskog actually put up 11G 14A and 25P in 28 games to finish the year (Feb, 7th to April, 7th). That is a 32G 41A pace over 82 games at the toughest time of the year.Uh.. Wasn't this his rookie season or did I wake up a year later? Who does that as a rookie in the second half of the season when points are the hardest to come by? Ridiculous..

Hopefully that UFA does a little better than that and is either Semin or Parise but I used a modest total for what you would expect of a top 6 forward. Obviously depending on who the UFA is the lines could change accordingly.

The numbers for the top 9 come out at 224G 248A 2.70 Goals per game. I'll give the 4th line and defense a combined 30 goals since McClemment was able to put up 10 himself. Then 20 for the defenders.. Mind you this should be a modest number especially if we get a partner for EJ. Eight defenders put up 21 goals for us this year, that's everyone that played including Elliott (4G). As we know Barrie had two almost assists but nothing that stuck.

So 254G for the team in 82 games comes out to 3.06 Goals per game

Pittsburgh	ATL	82	51	25	6	108	42	282
Boston	NE	82	49	29	4	102	40	269
Philadelphia	ATL	82	47	26	9	103	43	264
Vancouver	NW	82	51	22	9	111	43	249
Ottawa	NE	82	41	31	10	92	35	249
Detroit	CEN	82	48	28	6	102	39	248
Chicago	CEN	82	45	26	11	101	38	248

So based on this logic (If you can call it that) we would rank 4th in offense against this years numbers. The only way this happens is if all three lines average somewhere close to 17 minutes per game. Leaving the 4th line with anywhere from 6-9 minutes per game. (Which is why I only counted them in for 10 goals.)

We know these players are most likely capable of this type of production. The question is can the roster come close to these numbers with the kind of splits in ice time it would require? I don't know but as optimistic as this is.. I don't think it's impossible.

Poll

Ok so you decide, can Colorado be a legit playoff team next year with a fully healthy roster and some UFA's brought in? Which Western conference ranking is most likely?

1-2

5 votes

3-4

5 votes

5-6

43 votes

7-8

33 votes

8-10

12 votes

I don't know, I am afraid to jinx it!

7 votes

9-15 (By the way, I am a Redwings fan)

1 votes

106 votes | Poll has closed

TSN : Duchene VS Eberle

CobraAcesS — Sat, 26 May 2012 06:28:46 -0000

TSN : Duchene VS Eberle

ONLY 22 HOURS LEFT! Let's DO this!

Ok this is BS Eberle's goal is nice, but he gets lucky batting it out of mid air.

There is people that even admit in the comments that Duchene's goal was better but they voted Eberle just because. Lets give Duchene some backup/votes from Avs nation!

C'mon folks! We got Dutchy caught up but its balancing at 50/50, flipping back and forth between winners. Let's get a win here!

TSN : OFF-SEASON GAME PLAN: COLORADO AVALANCHE

CobraAcesS — Mon, 21 May 2012 07:58:37 -0000

TSN : OFF-SEASON GAME PLAN: COLORADO AVALANCHE

The writer does not take into account Jay McClemment for whatever reason. Hell no on Mikael Samuelsson & Needing "Another" defenseman. Beyond that I agree with what they say we need. Unfortunately after Parise & Semin there really isn't any forwards to get excited about in this years free-agent class.

Spoiler :

"FREE AGENCY
According to www.capgeek.com, the Avalanche have approximately $21.5M committed to the 2012-2013 salary cap for 8 players. Check out my potential 2012-2013 Avalanche roster on Cap Geek here.

Needs: Two top nine forwards ~~Parise, Semin, Trade~~, one top pair defenceman ~~Suter, Carle, UFA~~, ~~another defenceman.~~

What I said the Avalanche needed last year: Two-three top nine forwards, one top four defenceman, starting goaltender.

They added: Gabriel Landeskog, Joakim Lindstrom, Chuck Kobasew, Jan Hejda, Semyon Varlamov, Sean-Sebastien Giguere.

TRADE MARKET ~~Paul Stastny, Matt Duchene, Peter Mueller,~~ Ryan Wilson, prospects."

-TSN

Relish in the decline of the RedWheel

CobraAcesS — Thu, 10 May 2012 07:03:51 -0000

Now this is probably like kicking the dog when it's down, but who cares it's the DeadThings. Below is a pretty down quote of a fan analyzing his team. I wish I could say that this is sad but nah.. Not even a little bit.

This is almost the best motivational reading material any Avalanche fan could have. Ive read it a couple times now and each time I giggle just a little bit more.

"I realize the Red Wings were once again near the top of the league in scoring last season, but there's reason to be at least a little bit concerned about just about all the forwards relied on for scoring:

Datsyuk -- Will be 34 next season. His offensive output over the last three years, while still almost a point per game, has tailed off noticeably from his career peak during the first four post-lockout seasons. Datsyuk is still one of the best players in the world and may still be able to play at this level for many more years -- or he may start to decline even further. No real way to know, but we do know that he isn't getting any better.

Zetterberg -- Will be 32 next season, and basically all the stuff I just said about Datsyuk applies to him as well (especially due to his history of back problems).

Filppula -- Will he be able to repeat his 66-point output? I think if he stays healthy and stays on the wing he should be able to have another good year statistically, but I doubt 66 is in the cards again. Filppula was near the top of the league in both individual and team shooting percentage last year, both highly luck-influenced stats, with numbers that are not sustainable long-term. I would expect something closer to 55 points from him this season.

Franzen -- you get what you see with him. There's a reason he's never cracked 60 points in a campaign. He's good, even fairly consistent statistically, but he is not an elite power forward and he never has been, at least not over the course of a full season.

Bertuzzi -- old, slow and past due for a significant decline.

Cleary -- injury issues make him a real question mark.

Hudler -- probably gone. And if not for an absurdly high shooting percentage this season (almost 20 percent), he wouldn't have been much better this season than last. Telling stat: despite better linemates and more ice time, his assists-per-game actually dropped substantially this season.

Holmstrom -- probably gone. And while I love his game and want him to come back, it's clear that his value is diminishing.

Nyquist -- far from a sure thing. His numbers in his first AHL season are encouraging (NCAA to AHL is usually a very hard transition), but good AHL numbers don't always translate into good NHL numbers -- especially for small forwards. Nyquist's official bio: 5'10", 169.

----
In short:

Not all these worst-case scenarios will necessary come true; we might be surprised by a rebound year from one of the vets or a big campaign from Nyquist.

But when I look up and down at the roster, look at the players, ask myself how likely each one is to improve, plateau, or decline ... and I'm left with the impression that the Wings MUST find significant outside help. Doing nothing (or doing very little) will probably mean the Wings get worse. Going out and getting another top winger might only keep them where they are now.

And this is just the forwards. Losing Stuart and potentially Lidstrom on the back end? You just can't replace that in one offseason. All I can say is that the Wings had better get Suter and Smith had better be the second coming."

"Que the EVIL Avalanche fans laugh here"

And this is the team the media thinks has the best chance at Parise & Suter? Hmmm I could not of refuted that idea better than this post has done. Nope.. No way muaHAHAHA =)

Click here to check out the Blog this was posted on

Lets play fill the hole

CobraAcesS — Mon, 07 May 2012 01:14:03 -0000

No one really wants to see any of Stastny, Duchene, O'Reilly, Landeskog, EJ, & Varlamov traded.

(Well maybe a couple when it comes to Stastny but I strongly disagree with that and I think plenty of other people do as well.)

However Hejduk is likely gone and Jones is not a great option. Jones works next to Stastny or in a checking role but no where else. No one really believes O'Reilly should be just a 3rd line center any more either. So if all three centers are kept then we need to actually surround them with the talent to succeed.

No one really wants to see any of Stastny, Duchene, O'Reilly, Landeskog, EJ, & Varlamov traded.

(Well maybe a couple when it comes to Stastny but I strongly disagree with that and I think plenty of other people do as well.)

So there is two questions at Right Wing. How should we answer them without trading anyone I list? (Trading any of these guys would only create another hole. So if you trade one you need to show how that hole is filled.)

Alex Semin is my answer to one of them.. (IMO) The other is exponentially harder considering the player needs to be 2nd line worthy and fairly competent defensively.

McGinn - Stastny - Semin

Mueller - Duchene - Right Winger

Landeskog - O'Reilly - Downie

(Olver - McClemment - Kobasew / Just for visual purposes)

I really don't like the idea of playing Mueller - Duchene - Semin together if we were to acquire Semin. How many more goals would that line score than they actually let in? You could move Landeskog to that spot and retain Jones, but then like I said O'Reilly would then be truly a 3rd line center with nothing special as far as offensive help on his line.

There is really no one expected to hit the free-agent market that fits this two-way second line winger role either. (Unless I missed someone) So it's like a puzzle.. No one really available in free agency (Aside from Parise), a lot of the pieces you need to use to trade with only create another hole in the lineup.

We don't have any prospects that fit this role either. (Unless we are lucky and Hishon or Sgrabossa are somehow ready and then are able to play out of position and on their off wing side. Both are left handed.)

The reason I ask this question is because I am out of ideas. Without trading one of our centers for a 1st line winger this question is very hard to answer. Breaking my own rules I would do something like O'Reilly for Ryan. Then picking up Parise would be easier actually giving us two solid top 6 lines. We would need to then either rely on McClemment to be our 3rd line center or go after someone like Stoll or Kelly. Either of which is a lot easier than answering the question I propose.

Parise - Stastny - Ryan

Mueller - Duchene - Landeskog

McGinn - Jay/UFA - Downie

(I do realize this is a lot of "What if" but at the same time. The holes and weaknesses in our lineup are not what ifs they are glaring deficiencies in our forward group.)

So what say you?

TSN : Play of the Year - Malkin Vs Duchene

CobraAcesS — Sat, 05 May 2012 18:00:53 -0000

TSN : Play of the Year - Malkin Vs Duchene

Personally Duchene beats 3 guys all waiting for him in their zone and a lot closer to him.

The players Malkin beats are a lot more spread out.

Both Goals are equally sick but lets try and combat the masses here VOTE FOR DUCHENE!!

(If you open a new tab and go back to it. They let you vote again. Ive done it 5 or so times so far. =)

Stastny's Value (Not what you think, and a little positive mojo about our team and where we are headed)

CobraAcesS — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 02:55:05 -0000

Honestly just about everywhere from here at MHH to HF-Boards and including periodic chatter from actual NHL insiders has speculated as to Stastny being on the trade block. His value has been discussed over and over as well..

Hopefully what comes next reminds us all how valuable and rare a top flight center can be. Him struggling (in my mind due to lack of a finisher since Stewy left) has everyone hoping they could pry him from our hands at a discount price. It's been going on so long that some of us fans are jumping on the bandwagon of destroying a core of center depth teams dream about.

Most of these stats people are probably fairly aware of.. but I am hoping that this reminds all of us to maybe be a little more patient as thankfully our GM has been.

Since his draft year he ranks 4th in production.. Let me give you the names ahead of him.

Sidney Crosby

Anze Kopitar

Nicklas Backstrom

Paul Stastny (Even struggling the last couple of years his PPG. AVG. is still .887 and he has scored 11 in his last 10.)

I must give Kane and Toews credit because they are right behind him.. At the same time they have had each other or Hossa & Sharp the last couple of years. While Stastny has has Porter, Winnik & Hejduk along with a host of different people for different stints.

I recently read a blog on Hockeybuzz in which the guy talks about the most productive draft picks since 2005. Ive proposed a lot of trades in the past but Ive NEVER been on the band wagon for trading Stastny. I was even starting to get close to thinking about it before I read the post.

Along with actually taking a look at this for FYI compared to other names being thrown around. These guys have been talked about in a trade for Stastny or just shopped and compared to value wise. (Mind you they are both a year older as well. 27 vs 26)

Stastny's career PPG AVG - .887

Nash's career PPG AVG - .810

Carter's career PPG AVG - .734

Do you still want either of those two one dimensional players over Stastny? Also consider that as over paid as Stastny has been for his production as of late. Nash is -21 this year with one more point than Staz and one more game played. Carter?.. Well yeah 10 year contract and even worse than a one dimensional winger? He is a one dimensional center with an attitude.

Check my inspiration for this here, it's a pretty good. - http://www.hockeybuzz.com/blog/Steven-Hindle/NextGen-The-Most-Productive-Draft-Picks-Since-2005/139/41990

----------

I am all for a move, but there are certain guys who are definite keepers. (In bold - Prospects are not included because they are not proven.)

Duchene, Stastny, O'Reilly, Landeskog, Johnson, Varly, and with the way the kid has been producing Mueller just maybe a part of this core for a very very long time. Honorable mentions are Hejduk, Jiggy. Then worth keeping because it's not going to be easy finding anyone better or more versatile if kept to their roles, Galiardi, Winnik & McClemment. After that for character purposes and my personal preferences O'Brien & Quincey. All of these guy after losing them we would just have to find other guys EXACTLY like them to fill their void. Look at what happened to Chicago when they gutted their bottom 6. We are seeing now we need two more wingers to give both Duchene and Stastny the support to succeed. We may get lucky and get it in Free agency big time or we may not but giving up and going for a true top 6 instead of a disgustingly deep and talented top 9 will not win us a cup against these teams with grit and depth.

----------

Hopefully this reminds us all to sit back. Drink some Kool aid and wait until we address our winger depth to really put a judgment on Stastny's value and this team. As well as shopping one of the best centers in the league. How many teams can say they have a two way center like Stastny plus another center (Duchene) who is on his way to being as good or better offensively. THEN add a center drafted in the 2nd round that will arguably be in the Selky discussion this year? There are a few teams with that kind of depth at center but not many. I can tell you this, they are all contenders.

Poll

Shortly after posting this I decided to add a poll. Who does not like polls? I am also curious to know how many people actually think trading Stastny is a good idea. So "Yes" or "No" as to trading Stastny for a winger.

Yes

17 votes

No

142 votes

Trade Stastny for a younger top 6 potential center and a winger if possible.

20 votes

179 votes | Poll has closed

A stroll down Fantasy lane (Build a team)

CobraAcesS — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 00:52:11 -0000

Ok I decided to fantasize a little and see what kind of team I could build within the salary cap. Also using some realistic possible pickups in free agency. (With maybe a pipe dream trade thrown in =)

It's actually pretty interesting how good of a team you can build spending all the way to the salary cap. (Hmm)

So here goes,

Nash - Duchene - Hejduk

(7.8m - 5m - 3m)

Semin - Stastny - Ruutu

( 6m - 6.6m - 4m)

Landeskog - O'Reilly - Galiardi

( 3.5m - 3.5 - 1.5m)

D V G - McClement - Winnik

( .8m - 1.5m - 1.5m)

Forwards come in at 44.7, Hopefully Hishon fits in next year and Galiardi takes that spot on the 4th line LW if not its not the end of the world. Still a good deep forward group. Imagine the intangibles and what each player could bring there. Alex Semin is worth a couple years at 6m its a risk but I think Staz could make use of him.

Defense,

Johnson - Hjda

( 3.5m - 3.2m)

Quincey - O'Brien

( 3.5m - 1.1m)

Wilson - O'Byrne

( 1.5m - 1.8m)

Elliott - .9m

Defense is 15.5 and our Goalies cost us 4 so its a total of 64.2 Million for that roster.

The cap will probably be around 65 million next year if nothing drastic happens. Also this includes each players bonus so we have some room to go over the cap if needed but I am not sure how that works. Most of the guys would be getting raises and would be locked up for a few years so the roster could stick pretty close to that for the next 3-5 years easily. Depending on how well everyone plays and other things we cannot see right now.

I tried to be realistic in giving raises based on what a player is making and their value.. Plus considering how they played so far this year. That's why EJ is not getting 4 or 5 million but got about 1 million more than he makes now.

Pieces I traded to get Nash are.. Jones, Barrie and our 2nd in 2012 plus our 1st in 2013. Yeah it may not be enough or maybe it would be. Also on giving out draft picks.. Nash would be worth it also with this roster or something close we could be a contender based on depth and the ability to roll 3 pretty brutal lines. Add in that 4th line is as good or better than some teams 3rd line. We have depth with Hishon, Galiardi, and Winnik able to move around the line up here and there for injuries as well. I also did this trying to pretty much completely forget that there is even a draft this year. Because with the fact that this years draft is pretty much a bust for us management seems to want to win now. Adding Nash this season plus some luck could get us into the playoffs or at least give us a boost to get back in the fight.

I did not proof read this really well or any of that. So my apologies in advance.

Well flame away.. Agree, disagree.. Make your own..

Our top 6 (NOT TOP 9) Projected pt totals & Line juggling

CobraAcesS — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 00:26:32 -0000

Skaters	GP	G	A	+/-	Pts
M. Duchene	17	6	7	-2	13
M. Hejduk	17	7	5	-1	12
K. Quincey	17	3	9	-1	12
R. O'Reilly	17	2	10	-1	12
P. Stastny	17	5	6	-4	11
D. Jones	17	6	4	-3	10
R. Wilson	17	1	9	+3	10
G. Landeskog	17	5	3	+2	8
E. Johnson	17	0	8	-9	8
D. Winnik	17	3	4	-2	7

_____________

I ripped this off of the Avs website. Just for fun I was going through and looking at the projected point totals for our TOP six forwards.

_____________

Duchene - 29G / 34A / 63P (I think everyone would like to see him hit 70 this year or better. Add 4G 6A? 73P)

Hejduk - 34G / 24A / 58P (Odd for Hejduk but a good year non the less)

O'Reilly - 10G / 48A / 58P (Good point total but I think it may even out a little. More like 20/40 or something similar)

Stastny - 24G / 29A / 53P (Another sub-par year for the Staz if he keeps that up. But notice his goals? More Asst. w/better lines.)

Jones - 29G / 19A / 48P (Actually not a bad year for Jones but I think we all know he could do a little better. 30/20?)

Landeskog - 24G / 15A / 39 (Good rookie year for Lando. I could see 5-10 more assists very easily.)

As you can see It would not take much of a production boost to get these guys numbers up. But that small boost could mean playoffs or no playoffs for this team.

_____________

Now I think what this shows is that no one as of right now is projected to have an outstanding year. Except O'Reilly as kind of a breakout year. I cannot help but wonder though if these 6 were playing together night in and night out.. They might developed more chemistry which would help the guys breaking out just as much as Duchene and Stastny are struggling.

A lot of us have been harping on the fact that this should be our top two lines and there is pretty much only one configuration that seems to make sense keeping Lando and Radar together. Also all the points that all the other scrubs have maybe able to be plugged in amongst these six boosting their point totals a little more. Obviously not all but some would be. Besides the added points that hopefully would come from playing with more consistent and talented line mates for each player. The only two that have been that way so far are Landeskog and O'Reilly. One is a 18 year old rookie and his point total is pretty good for a rookie. At the 60 point mark that is a breakout season for Radar. Interesting how consistency when combined with talent creates results huh?

I post a lot based on my opinion and not a lot of math and statistical data. In this case I feel it's hard to ignore the fact that the offense has been spread too thin trying to support rolling three scoring lines. With Muller in and contributing this may have worked. So I can see why Sacco did it in the beginning of the year. Now though? And probably about 6 or 7 games ago this should have been realized and adjusted for. THAT.. is coaching and the little amount of insight that Sacco has shown proves his inexperience and a general lack of feel for this team. Are you really going to tell me that he does not know who our best players are? I probably could have projected this top six as well as just about any other fan on here. Obviously with a little room for Muller thrown in for argument sake. (Also talking about points in that last statement) NO excuse at all as to why the adjustments toward this are just now being made and not even to the full extent because Jones is not playing with Radar and Lando.

Yes Duchene - Stastny - Hejduk works instantly.. I mean look at the talent on that line alone. Planting Jones with Radar and Lando may not work instantly though. The talent is still there and the type of players needed to make a second line is obviously there. They need to gel and be coached and work together. Who knows it may work right away.. BUT the sooner this gets done the sooner these two lines can start to gain chemistry on a nightly basis. Also each player gains security and confidence in his role on the ice each night. Right now all our forwards might as well be individual pieces. You wonder why the team is not playing like a team? It's not the players... It's the coaching and confusion and uncertainty that it's brought to the forward core.

The best people in hockey often talk of how valuable it is for a player to be clear on their role and what their suppose to do every night. How can a player develop that kind of confidence if he's wondering were and what he's suppose to do every night? Keeping the lines together for at least a few games and practices until it's obvious that something is wrong is key. The best coaches change their lines a bit. It really seems to be on a lot slower pace though. If one guy is coming on for a game the next game there might be a winger swapped out or something of that nature. Not 9 different guys playing with 9 different guys practically every night because your coach is worried he is going to lose his job. Gelling lines will work for long term success even if they struggle here and there. Because you fix that with coaching and work.. Yeah if you want instant production you may get lucky by throwing some hot guys together during a game to get something going. That to me sounds more like playing the lottery than building a solid structure for winning.

AND.. So far we just have not been lucky! Mix the bottom six all you want their job is defense and energy. The top six is suppose to be your skilled lines that put up the majority of your points. They need consistency and a chance to gel and work out their issues. Plus when they are producing it creates energy in the rest of the lineup.

Skaters	GP	G	A	+/-	Pts
M. Duchene	17	6	7	-2	13
M. Hejduk	17	7	5	-1	12
K. Quincey	17	3	9	-1	12
R. O'Reilly	17	2	10	-1	12
P. Stastny	17	5	6	-4	11
D. Jones	17	6	4	-3	10
R. Wilson	17	1	9	+3	10
G. Landeskog	17	5	3	+2	8
E. Johnson	17	0	8	-9	8
D. Winnik	17	3	4	-2	7

_____________

I ripped this off of the Avs website. Just for fun I was going through and looking at the projected point totals for our TOP six forwards.

_____________

Duchene - 29G / 34A / 63P (I think everyone would like to see him hit 70 this year or better. Add 4G 6A? 73P)

Hejduk - 34G / 24A / 58P (Odd for Hejduk but a good year non the less)

O'Reilly - 10G / 48A / 58P (Good point total but I think it may even out a little. More like 20/40 or something similar)

Stastny - 24G / 29A / 53P (Another sub-par year for the Staz if he keeps that up. But notice his goals? More Asst. w/better lines.)

Jones - 29G / 19A / 48P (Actually not a bad year for Jones but I think we all know he could do a little better. 30/20?)

Landeskog - 24G / 15A / 39 (Good rookie year for Lando. I could see 5-10 more assists very easily.)

As you can see It would not take much of a production boost to get these guys numbers up. But that small boost could mean playoffs or no playoffs for this team.

_____________

Something missing?

CobraAcesS — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 06:44:08 -0000

Whats missing? A scoring winger!! In all other areas of our team.. We at least have the potential to have success.

First off, I need to say that I am impressed with our team so far defensively. I really do think Duchene and Hejduk will pull Mueller along as they start to hit their stride. Being with Hejduk is probably best for The Muell because Hejduk knows that once Duchene starts scoring he can go back and fourth between play making and being that under rated veteran sniper we all know he is. He quietly adapts to his line mates and is a threat and a veteran presence where ever he has played. I think we seen Hejdy's veteran presence come out against Boston in that way. He stepped up and made it happen.

On to SOS, Staz is being over taken by Duchene. We all know that and can see it, I am sure Stastny can too. The guy has been a quiet soldier for our franchise and has not had descent and consistent wings for a while now. Ive never been on the trade Stastny bandwagon really but more in the GET SOS A SNIPER camp. If we want SOS back we need to fit the center with the gun he needs and deserves. Subasew just does not cut it!! I don't care if he scored 20 goals twice before A LONG TIME AGO. 20 goals is the bottom end of a top 6 scoring winger and if that was him at his best he still does not fit the bill. Never mind the fact that of the two games so far he seems like he is responsible.. but I don't want responsible in a scoring winger!! SOS and Jones are both capable of that. I want someone who is going to take risks and fire the puck.. press plays and make SOS feel like its worth sending those creative but dangerous passes their way. BTW someone smack Jones and tell him "Dude we know you have gunz but you play your best hockey when your USEING THEM and driving hard to the net!"

I hope management sees that the Subasew experiment is failing before it grows mold and costs us irreparable damage. I am more for giving a kid that is motivated the chance. I.E... Lindstrom.. I do remember some chemistry between SOS and Lindo early on and hearing Staz said that he enjoyed playing with the kid. At least that is fun and interesting to watch.. Try this.. and maybe it gives SOS a boost and we build a solid winger in Lindstrom. If the kid produces even a little bit. He will be valuable enough as trade bait or can hold us over until we can make a trade at the deadline or pickup someone in the off season.

Stastny is a pure play-maker and he needs a pure sniper on his wing. I think he still has that reputation with the players and just about any sniper out there "I think" would look at playing with Staz as a huge bonus. I think Alex Semin is the best fit. I don't care about the media and speculation of him being enigmatic. This is another guy that is in the same boat as Staz. Playing on the second line buried behind Ovi and Backstrom. Ive read a lot of post by Washington fans that say hes even gotten a lot better defensively. Besides I don't think we have many more options. Parise would be nice but I don't see him leaving NJ especially since they branded him their captain. NJ is showing him just how valuable he is to their franchise.

A new start for Alex Semin and we get to show Stastny that he is still valuable to our franchise by going out and buying him the finisher that he needs. If its by trade or in the off season I would put 20$ on Alex wearing our colors by next year. He and Varly are friends. I think with the thumb of the media and a franchise already being scrutinized for inconsistency in the playoffs on his back. Playing with a friend and on a team and line that sets him up for success would sound pretty good. There is also that whole money thing witch allows us freedom other clubs will be very envious of really soon.

1.) Like it or not this would also prove that management is willing to spend money on our beloved Avalanche.

2.) A trade may not make sense at this point. Or does it? We may be a threat to make the playoffs now without this piece.. or we may still be held back by our training wheels. We would have to weaken our prospect pool even more to do this without gutting the roster. Its a gamble either way...

3.) Am I missing something or does this seem like one of the final pieces we need to really be a threat to go deep in the playoffs? It could be.. Or maybe the wheels fall off like Washington 2.0?

I am always optimistic (not patient) but there is something missing even if our core reaches its full potential.

Whats missing? A scoring winger!! In all other areas of our team.. We at least have the potential to have success.

1.) Like it or not this would also prove that management is willing to spend money on our beloved Avalanche.

3.) Am I missing something or does this seem like one of the final pieces we need to really be a threat to go deep in the playoffs? It could be.. Or maybe the wheels fall off like Washington 2.0?

I am always optimistic (not patient) but there is something missing even if our core reaches its full potential.

Poll

Could this be the final piece? Should we...

Go for it and pull off a trade ASAP!

8 votes

Wait until the trade deadline!

20 votes

Wait for the off season and just try to make losing our first rounder sting as little as possible.

10 votes

Our core is fine.. With a little development our current core will make us a contender in time.

17 votes

55 votes | Poll has closed

Coaching Dream?

CobraAcesS — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 21:01:14 -0000

I will start by saying that this is not another "BASH Sacco blog" BUT...

Dear hockey gods I have a dream, Please get my beloved Avalanche a coach that can keep up with us"

I know there are a lot of us that feel he is not quite what the team needs IE.. A good coach but realistically I don't think he has the experience needed to adapt his system as the season goes on. What I mean by this is he seems a little one dimensional when it comes to the ups and downs of a season. I am sorry but if the Pens can still put a good game on the ice after losing their best players why couldn't we? Its up to the coach to take what he has and sharpen the pencil if you know what I mean. Sacco has not shown that ability at all. OK enough Sacco bashing as I promised because I do think he is a good coach and would make a ABOVE average assistant coach to a more experienced bench boss like... WAIT FOR IT.... DAVE TIPPETT.

This is where the dream starts to form. We have a team with a lot of the right pieces in place. (Yes there is more to add) Our center core is one that many teams only wish they had. As a core our team is up and coming and we all know we have a lot to look forward to but the team really needs a driver for this machine that can keep pace. On the ICE and in the locker room that is the coach. SO how hard would it be to pry arguably one of the best coaches around today away from the sinking ship that is the Phoenix Coyotes? Realistically or Unrealistically how ever you see this I would throw everything INCLUDING the kitchen sink at this guy. "Hey Dave we here at the Avalanche organization will double what ever they are paying you and look at all the new pieces we have for you to play with! Plus there is more on the way!". I am not an official or even a business man.. Just a RABID hockey fan. So my perspective is through Burgundy and Blue shades, but even our rebuilding team has to look like a life raft compared to what Phoenix is looking like.

The guy is obviously good with both veterans and rookies and knows how to get a team most would count out every year into the playoffs. What could he do if he actually had a team that was skating in the right direction building year to year?

As most things like this go this is probably more dream than possibility but if the right people brought their heads up out of the sand. I don't see how it could be a bad move in the direction of making our team into a power franchise again. Every fast car need its driver and Sacco just does not seem to be able to keep up. I don't know anything beyond what I can see and know as a fan but the Phoenix coaching tree looking ripe for the picking. What do you think? Mid season if the team still feels the least bit unstable will they actually try something like this??

OK! So I bashed Sacco a little but I tried my hardest to keep to the point. =)

I will start by saying that this is not another "BASH Sacco blog" BUT...

Dear hockey gods I have a dream, Please get my beloved Avalanche a coach that can keep up with us"

OK! So I bashed Sacco a little but I tried my hardest to keep to the point. =)

2001 Stanley Cup on the front of Hockeynews

CobraAcesS — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 21:18:07 -0000

On a positive note, I really enjoyed seeing some Burgundy and Blue on the front of the Hockey News website.

Ok here is my rant: One "Assumed" Bruins fan posted a comment saying that Bourqe's Stanley Cup moment was tarnished because he asked to go to a Stanley Cup contender "Colorado Avalanche". (Again nice to even read those words =) All in all I feel that this fans comment is a slap in the face to not only a franchise and a player.. But to hockey fans as whole. WHO EVEN SAYS EVER!! "Tarnishes a Stanley Cup moment"!? There are many cuss words that could follow but I will leave that out. All in all I cannot help but point this out because I think I am not the only fan who would be outraged by a statement like that. I really hope that is not an example of how Bruins fans are as whole.

2001 was an AMAZING year for me. I graduated HS and got to watch my hockey team win it all before entering into the U.S. Army for the last 10 years. What about you?

Avalanche fans ROCK!! And here is hoping that our defense flattens the opposition this year and we get to see our teams bright future blossom in their wake!!!

On a positive note, I really enjoyed seeing some Burgundy and Blue on the front of the Hockey News website.

2001 was an AMAZING year for me. I graduated HS and got to watch my hockey team win it all before entering into the U.S. Army for the last 10 years. What about you?

Avalanche fans ROCK!! And here is hoping that our defense flattens the opposition this year and we get to see our teams bright future blossom in their wake!!!

Ryan O'Reilly Top 10 in Takeaways per 60 Min Last Season.

CobraAcesS — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 20:32:29 -0000

There is not much to read about but this is definitely something that highlights what a special talent we have as a 3rd line center. Considering the company he keeps on this list I thought it was worth discussing. This kid might well be the best 3rd line center in hockey some day.

All we need to do now is give this kid some consistency in his wingers and the talent to support his growth. I feel really bad for the kid. He has had to play with a lot of 4th liners that he is forced to carry during the first two years of his career. I would like to see Galiardi on his wing on a consistent basis along with someone like Jones to give the kid a chance to not only play defensive hockey but put up some offensive numbers that we all know he is capable of.

We as fans tend to focus a lot on the wingers for the first two lines. A lot of people would put Jones up with Stastny. That is all fine but we need to spread the talent around a bit. I hope we are deep enough this year that we can see Radar given some consistent support on the wings.

What do you guys think his wings should be? My vote..

Galiardi - Radar - Jones

Well here is the link to the TSN Story done by, Scott Cullen.

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=372128

What do you guys think his wings should be? My vote..

Galiardi - Radar - Jones

Well here is the link to the TSN Story done by, Scott Cullen.

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=372128