Colorado Avalanche: How to Finish Out the Season
Jan 6, 2017; Denver, CO, USA; Members of the Colorado Avalanche celebrate the overtime period win over the New York Islanders at the Pepsi Center. The Avalanche defeated the Islanders 2-1 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
The Colorado Avalanche have no chance of making the playoffs this season. However, there is a lot the team can do with the remaining games they have on their schedule.
The Colorado Avalanche aren’t making the playoffs. That’s not exactly a news flash. With 45 games played, the team has a 13-30-2 record. While they haven’t been mathematically eliminated yet, they probably have a higher probability of winning the lottery. I mean all of them.
The team’s own general manager, Joe Sakic, stated before they’d played their 41st game, “We’re not making the playoffs this year.” If your own GM doesn’t think the season is worth platitudes, there’s not a lot of hope for us to hold out for.
Here’s where it gets sticky. A hockey season is 82 games. Now, you all know I’m not a math wiz, but my calculator tells me that leaves 37 games remaining. That’s a lot of hockey — not in a good “There’s a lot of hockey left and we could still go on a run” way, but still more hockey than we’ll be seeing in July when we’re all tweeting #IsItOctoberYet.
In other words, we, as fans, ought to watch Colorado Avalanche hockey while we can. Come April 10 — the day after their last regular season game — it’s going to be in the rearview mirror.
Here’s the other half of the conundrum. The Avalanche have to actually play those games. As center Nathan MacKinnon pointed out, the players have been bred to win. Small victories are still victories.
Not only that, the team is in the rebuilding process. There’s no reason to wait until the offseason to work on that process.
So, let’s see at three things the Colorado Avalanche should work on through the remainder of the 2016-17 season.
Mar 18, 2016; Calgary, Alberta, CAN; Calgary Flames left wing Lance Bouma (17) and Colorado Avalanche defenseman Eric Gelinas (44) fight for position during the second period at Scotiabank Saddledome. Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports
Make a Trade
Ok, let’s get the big one off the table first. The Colorado Avalanche should probably make a trade.
Now, I’ve gone on record as stating the team should not trade a core player:
Avs Should Avoid Trading Core Player
Yes, part of that is sentimentality — I really like Matt Duchene, Gabriel Landeskog and, especially, Erik Johnson, the main trade bait candidates. However, the cold, hard truth is I also don’t trust Joe Sakic to pull off a trade that truly benefits the Avalanche. We could lose a trade that sees one of those players go to another team, and we’d be even worse off.
It’s understood that left wing Jarome Iginla will be traded at the deadline to a contender. Hopefully the Avs can get a draft pick for him. Aside from that, I outlined four players I think Colorado needs to find a way to unload:
4 Players the Avs Should Unload
There are a few other options besides. As we near the trade deadline on March 1st, teams will be looking to address needs they have going into the playoffs. They might be willing to trade a draft pick for a veteran rental outside of Iginla — maybe center John Mitchell or defenseman Fedor Tyutin.
Teams might also be interested in cheap depth players such as defenseman Eric Gelinas, defenseman Patrick Wiercioch or forward Joe Colborne. Wiercioch and Gelinas are up for new contracts this summer — if the Avs don’t plan on signing either player, they could get a late-round draft pick.
Colborne is signed through 2018, but teams might take interest in a big, young player for depth. And I don’t think the Avalanche would be giving up a key piece if they traded Joe for a draft pick.
For bigger fish, I think the majority of us would like to see Semyon Varlamov and his wonky groin go. It’s doubtful that trade could be pulled off without the Avs retaining salary, though.
At one time I might have agitated for Tyson Barrie to go on the trade block. However, when writing about Kevin Shattenkirk, I discovered that our little rover is pretty similar statistically.
Let’s look at another step the team can take to start getting better for next season.
Jan 17, 2017; Denver, CO, USA; Colorado Avalanche left wing Matt Nieto (83) scores a goal against Chicago Blackhawks goalie Corey Crawford (50) during the second period at Pepsi Center. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports
Pick up Waiver Options
More from Mile High Sticking
Picking up another team’s castoffs can be tricky. That team put the player on the waiver wire for a reason.
Now, a lot of time that reason is that said player didn’t fit in with that team’s specific needs at the time. We saw it last year when Colorado picked up Chris Wagner on waivers from the Anaheim Ducks. When the Avs later put him back on waivers, Anaheim snapped Wagner back up. He’s played 25 games for the Ducks this year.
This year the Colorado Avalanche have already picked up Matthew Nieto on waiver from the San Jose Sharks. Nieto was a fifth wheel in San Jose, but he’s slotted in nicely in a top-six role with Colorado. He has a goal and an assist in seven games. If he keeps it up, Matt is likely to be offered a contract at the end of the season.
That’s where picking up waiver options becomes a savvy move. As long as the player is cheap enough — meaning his salary doesn’t put the Avs over the cap limit (They have $692,831 in projected cap space, according to Cap Friendly.)
If Colorado sees a player who might slot into their future plans come across the waiver wire, it makes sense to pick him up as a tryout. It’s doubtful they’ll get a star, but they need depth help anyway.
Speaking of trying guys out…
Oct 5, 2016; Dallas, TX, USA; Colorado Avalanche defenseman Chris Bigras (3) keeps the puck away from Dallas Stars center Jason Spezza (90) during the second period at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Try out Prospects
The Colorado Avalanche did not draft well before the Roycic era, and even the Patrick Roy-Joe Sakic tandem made a few blunders, (Sorry, Conner Bleackley.)
That said, the Avs do have some likely prospects in the system.
Now, Colorado recently gave goalie Spencer Martin a go at showing his stuff by starting him in back to back games. I didn’t like the move, but readers did point out that maybe the team was seeing how he’d do as Calvin Pickard‘s backup.
Forward AJ Greer and defenseman Chris Bigras are two more players who seem likely to make the move to the NHL next season. Both have seen NHL time already. I’d like to see them getting some more NHL experience this season, even if it’s somewhat limited.
Forward JT Compher, who was part of the Ryan O’Reilly trade, is another prospect who could use some NHL seasoning. He made the move from college to pro last spring.
Poor Duncan Siemens. For the life of me I can’t figure out why the Colorado Avalanche offered the defenseman a qualifying offer last offseason. He’s languished in the AHL all year. Honestly, just give the poor kid a chance in the NHL since he’s in the system anyway.
Now, I realize the cap ceiling is hindering Colorado’s maneuverability to call up this players. However, if they’d unload someone they’re not planning on signing anyway in a trade, they’d have a roster spot.
MORE FROM MILE HIGH STICKING: How the Avs Can Augment the Core
The Colorado Avalanche shouldn’t waste the remaining games to them. They’re not making the playoffs. It would be better for the team’s future if they could use the time to improve their depth now as they move toward the offseason.
By Nadia Archuleta for Mile High Sticking
