Good news everyone, Matt Duchene is back! Duchene, after missing seven weeks with a left knee injury will return to action tomorrow in Winnipeg. No word on Mueller or what line Duchene will be on. Will update tomorrow as news comes available.
As Eklund would say, more to come...
A year ago today the hockey world was shocked (when it woke up at least) by a trade between the Colorado Avalanche and the St. Louis Blues.
At about 1 a.m. mountain time on Feb. 19, the Avs announced they had made a deal at 11 a.m. the previous day that sent away promising power forward Chris Stewart, burgeoning defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk and a conditional second round pick for former first round pick Erik Johnson, defensive forward Jay McClement and a conditional first.
Now we know that trade also includes Ty Rattie being selected by the Blues and defenseman Duncan Siemens selected by the Avs.
This is a trade that shocked the NHL just because of the sheer level of talent involved. Stewart at the time was an up-and-coming power forward, Shattenkirk was establishing himself and Johnson was a first overall selection.
During the first part of the season it looked as if the center pieces of either trade were going downhill. Erik Johnson was minus-15 with no goals and Chris Stewart was struggling with less than ten goals to his name. The only players actually helping their teams were Shattenkirk and McClemet. Shattenkirk was a catalyst to the Blues powerplay and McClement a leader on defense.
As the year went along, Stewart has continued to struggle but Johnson has stepped up his game. Currently he is on a three game goal scoring streak, the longest of is career. in the second half of the season he is plus-9 and is one point shy of the team lead in defensive points.
Johnson took some time this season to establish his defensive game, especially the physical aspects of the game. When Johnson was with St. Louis, he was characterized as a big defenseman that didn't play like it. Now, Johnson plays the body, using his 6'4 230 pound frame to move people from the puck or the front of the net. Combine that with a sudden Pronger-esk understanding of the other team's offense and suddenly Johnson is playing to his ability.
Meanwhile, Stewart has been demoted to the fourth line. Stewart has been floating through games and not contributing in any way. In short, everything he did about the time he was traded last year. He has a lot of talent but his work ethic doesn't match it. When he is on he can be outstanding and score goals in bunches. That's the double-edged sword with Stewart: he's hot or cold, nothing in between.
For the Avs this was a trade that changed the way their team was constructed. in 2010-11, they were team built for scoring and they did score- in bunches. The Avs midway through 2010 were scoring near five goals per game. Then, teams adjusted to them and the offense got harder and suddenly they had to play defense.
When they had to play defense, it was clear this had no leader on defense, especially with Kyle Quincey out with a shoulder injury. Now, the Avs have three in Johnson, Quincey and Shane O'Brien.
General manager Greg Sherman decided he wasn't happy with that so he dynamically changed the roster and the mindset. Today the Avs are better-defensive team that is looking for ways to score more goals. He moved out Stewart and replaced him with rookie Gabriel Landeskog, who is playing better all around hockey as a rookie than Stewart ever did.
For the Blues, they wanted scoring and powerplay help. They thought Stewart would be a consistent presence but it is Shattenkirk that has been providing it on a consistent basis. Stewart might be frustrating but Shattenkirk is the antithesis of Stewart. The Blues might trade Stewart at this deadline, as it has been rumored but Shattenkirk will not be.
Shattenkirk is their offensive defenseman for years and the Blues, along with Rattie can love the trade just for that.
It's only been a year but the true shape of this trade is taking hold. Johnson is stepping up for the Avs, Shattenkirk is amazing for the Blues and Stewart is frustrating. It will still take years, when Rattie and Siemens are fully developed, to see who really "won" this trade. Right now it is too tough to tell.
Colorado Avalanche Blogger • 
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