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Colorado Avalanche Blogger •
After a long off season and disappointing “blog” season for me last year, I am back. I am ready to start the season with a clean slate and ready to perform.
So here we are, Game 1 for the Avs against an opponent that there is virtually no familiarity with, that seems to be the only thing that the Avs have different going into this season then last.
In reality Colorado stuck with the same players, hired a coach from within and stuck with the same game plan as last off season. When I saw the signing of Per Ledin in the summer, all I could think of was Hlinka last year. Hlinka was not a factor last year but it seems like management wants to be able to find that gem from Europe to make it with the team, so this year they try Per Ledin. Ledin did not make the team although I think he will get called up at some point. The only gem from Europe that Colorado should concentrate on is Forsberg. I am sure he will be back in an Avs uniform once his foot is in playing condition (A.K.A. once he feels like playing again and the Avs are in playoff contention)
Andrew Brunnette, who had a solid offensive side, was replaced with Darcy Tucker. Tucker won’t keep up with the stats Bruno leaves behind, but he matches the leadership qualities and is a true grinder who gives 100 percent every shift. So where will the points come from that Bruno provided? The answer is Wolski. He will play more with Granato and should. He is a great young player that deserves to play, for some reason he always was in Coach Quenneville‘s doghouse. Well now Coach Q has other things (DUI) to worry about then not playing Wolski. He will have a big season if he plays.
The Avs basically swapped Seventh defensemen with Jeff Finger, who got very wealthy in Toronto, for Daniel Tjarnqvist. Tjarnqvist has more NHL experience so this could help in the long run for the playoff push.
Goaltending is a big question mark. Is Budaj a true number one? I was shocked that The Avs announced Budaj as their starter early in training camp. I am a huge Raycroft fan and think he still can be a number one in this league. My gut feel also tells me that if Budaj ends up struggling they will look elsewhere for a number one goalie. But for now it’s Budaj’s time.
Last year many of you were upset when I had said Hensick wouldn’t make the team. I am just not sold on him as a day-to-day NHL player just yet, same thing this season as he is in the minors. I truly thought that the Avs would give a chance to Chris Stewart, but his camp wasn’t as strong as they hoped. The Avs invested in him this offseason by keeping him in Colorado to train and keep the weight off.
The Cody’s or we can call them the Mc’s are virtually the same player and at the beginning of camp there were really only two spots available between 6 players (McCormick, McLeod, Wilsie, Ledin, Stewart, Hensick). I was surprised that a trade wasn’t orchestrated to open a few spots. The Cody’s just worked harder in camp and will be good 4th line grinders along with Guite, Laperriere and Parker. Let’s see how long they last with the big club.
Granato’s first three lines are set
Hejduk-Stastny-Smyth
Wolski-Sakic-Jones
Tucker-Arnason-Svatos
Fourth Line will consist 3 of
McCormick, McLeod, Guite, Lappy, Parker (on injured reserve)
With not much change, it will be interesting to see if the new-old coach will make a difference in their on-ice performance. Will the Avs have the same result? Only a few hours away for all of us to find out.
A lot of questions going into this season.
-Can Joe Sakic be the same player? (I think he will be much more valuable with keeping his minutes under 20 minutes a night)
-Can Budaj carry the load?
-When will Foppa return?
-Is this Wolski’s breakout year?
-Will Granato be a different coach this time around?
-Can Svatos stay healthy?
-Are the Avalanche a playoff team?
What are your thoughts?
Cammi Granato, Brett Hull, Brian Leetch and Mike Richter will be honored by the Avs prior to faceoff as part of the team’s opening night festivities. The Bruins against the Avs on Versus tonight!
Go Avs Go
------------------------------------------------------------------
Chopper
choppershouse@gmail.com
So here we are, Game 1 for the Avs against an opponent that there is virtually no familiarity with, that seems to be the only thing that the Avs have different going into this season then last.
In reality Colorado stuck with the same players, hired a coach from within and stuck with the same game plan as last off season. When I saw the signing of Per Ledin in the summer, all I could think of was Hlinka last year. Hlinka was not a factor last year but it seems like management wants to be able to find that gem from Europe to make it with the team, so this year they try Per Ledin. Ledin did not make the team although I think he will get called up at some point. The only gem from Europe that Colorado should concentrate on is Forsberg. I am sure he will be back in an Avs uniform once his foot is in playing condition (A.K.A. once he feels like playing again and the Avs are in playoff contention)
Andrew Brunnette, who had a solid offensive side, was replaced with Darcy Tucker. Tucker won’t keep up with the stats Bruno leaves behind, but he matches the leadership qualities and is a true grinder who gives 100 percent every shift. So where will the points come from that Bruno provided? The answer is Wolski. He will play more with Granato and should. He is a great young player that deserves to play, for some reason he always was in Coach Quenneville‘s doghouse. Well now Coach Q has other things (DUI) to worry about then not playing Wolski. He will have a big season if he plays.
The Avs basically swapped Seventh defensemen with Jeff Finger, who got very wealthy in Toronto, for Daniel Tjarnqvist. Tjarnqvist has more NHL experience so this could help in the long run for the playoff push.
Goaltending is a big question mark. Is Budaj a true number one? I was shocked that The Avs announced Budaj as their starter early in training camp. I am a huge Raycroft fan and think he still can be a number one in this league. My gut feel also tells me that if Budaj ends up struggling they will look elsewhere for a number one goalie. But for now it’s Budaj’s time.
Last year many of you were upset when I had said Hensick wouldn’t make the team. I am just not sold on him as a day-to-day NHL player just yet, same thing this season as he is in the minors. I truly thought that the Avs would give a chance to Chris Stewart, but his camp wasn’t as strong as they hoped. The Avs invested in him this offseason by keeping him in Colorado to train and keep the weight off.
The Cody’s or we can call them the Mc’s are virtually the same player and at the beginning of camp there were really only two spots available between 6 players (McCormick, McLeod, Wilsie, Ledin, Stewart, Hensick). I was surprised that a trade wasn’t orchestrated to open a few spots. The Cody’s just worked harder in camp and will be good 4th line grinders along with Guite, Laperriere and Parker. Let’s see how long they last with the big club.
Granato’s first three lines are set
Hejduk-Stastny-Smyth
Wolski-Sakic-Jones
Tucker-Arnason-Svatos
Fourth Line will consist 3 of
McCormick, McLeod, Guite, Lappy, Parker (on injured reserve)
With not much change, it will be interesting to see if the new-old coach will make a difference in their on-ice performance. Will the Avs have the same result? Only a few hours away for all of us to find out.
A lot of questions going into this season.
-Can Joe Sakic be the same player? (I think he will be much more valuable with keeping his minutes under 20 minutes a night)
-Can Budaj carry the load?
-When will Foppa return?
-Is this Wolski’s breakout year?
-Will Granato be a different coach this time around?
-Can Svatos stay healthy?
-Are the Avalanche a playoff team?
What are your thoughts?
Cammi Granato, Brett Hull, Brian Leetch and Mike Richter will be honored by the Avs prior to faceoff as part of the team’s opening night festivities. The Bruins against the Avs on Versus tonight!
Go Avs Go
------------------------------------------------------------------
Chopper
choppershouse@gmail.com
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