Good news everyone! Ryan Wilson is off IR and he is ready to come back to the lineup.
He probably will not start in tonight's game against the Blackhawks but he will get back into the lineup sometime relatively soon.
This brings up a rather peculiar question, one which the Avalanche just dealt with not but two weeks ago. The Avs are doing well, in fact they are doing better than well, they are doing great; 9-2 in their last 11 games great. How do you put a key guy like Wilson back into the lineup.
When Wilson went out he was one of if not the best defenseman for the Avs. He could irate other teams with his full-contact, clean body checks and he can also contribute offensively. Over the years he's learned defensive positioning so that he can play the game even better.
When he went out of the lineup after being boarded by the Canucks Maxim Lapierre, Wilson was the team's leading point getter by a defenseman. He was also the leader in team plus/minus with a plus-5 rating, now only second to rookie Gabriel Landeskog's plus-9.
So it comes down to this question: who should sit for him?
The easy choice is Matt Hunwick. Whoops, that's already been done. After that, the Avs absolutely cannot sit Erik Johnson, Shane O'Brien or Kyle Quincey as they are the leaders on defense and on the bench. All three are also playing well to boot. Quincey has put up points in three straight games since his return the lineup. O'Brien leads this defense on and off the ice and is the best thing to happen to Erik Johnson in a long time, as O'Brien is teaching him how to play tough defense.
Johnson could stand to skate more and watch less but he still is hitting and playing good defense. He needs to start producing and getting his plus/minus closer to 0 but given his recent play and what the Avs gave up for him, he has to stay in the lineup.
That ultimately leaves three options: rookie Stefan Elliott, Ryan O'Byrne or Jan Hejda. Elliott might not be the most polished player but his offensive dynamic and skating ability make this team a lot harder to defend and provides a dynamic that no other defenseman has, possibly even since Ozilinsh, no one has possessed Elliott's skating and shooting ability.
Jan Hejda was one of the Avalanche acquisitions this past offseason and to say he's been a little disappointing has been an understatement. His minus-12 and has looked lost out there a number of times. On the other side of the coin he and O'Byrne have formed the Avs' first penalty kill unit, one that has killed 90% of powerplays during the Avs' recent winning ways.
O'Byrne is a story similar to Hejda. He is a big guy without a lot of speed and makes some big mistakes. He is still young and learning the game and cannot learn that sitting in the press box, watching the games.
The choice is tough but coach Joe Sacco will have to do it, possibly starting tomorrow in St. Louis.
Colorado Avalanche Blogger • 
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