Full tank mode
- 22sabresQ

nahhhh, thats GMTM style, Sakic doesnt play that game

Because he sucks as much as benning, if not more.

Ek, did you really talk to Avs players? Just because they're wearing a jersey doesn't mean their on the team eh

Might be the best Article I have read by Ek in all my years reading Hbuzz. Not a lot of random rumors that will never happen. No Philly plug in the middle of it. A bunch of valid great points with number of contracts, 3 d-men, Stevie Y comparison. I actually enjoyed this blog. Someone send it to the Avs.
- niteislander

an islanders fan loving some sakic bashing...im shocked

What team would that be? I would like to hear more about this? Is this a legit team with legit players and prospects, or some team that didn't have any real quality to offer. Sick and tired of hearing about how Sakic is blowing it, but never any actual details of the deals he supposedly turned down. Were they crap deals with crap players and crap prospects? Details please!
- dsavage30

I am guessing this was the Isles at the Trade Deadline last year. When Snow finally called him and said.."Fine, you can have Hamonic +, + ... ".

No team has met the ask. They have given "their version" if the ask. But they are really throwing junk players and prospects.

Sakic should hold out for what he wants.

an islanders fan loving some sakic bashing...im shocked
- DDM-Coga

It's nice to see another GM make head scratching decisions.

pssst I actually like the majority of moves Joe has made post Roy.

Get rid of Holden
Move Berra for Grimaldi
Move McLeod for Girard
Move Martinsen for Andrighetto
The Nieto and Barberio Claims
Colin Wilson Trade.
Bernier and Yakupov Signing.

They are minor moves but there is a theme there. Get rid of the slow dumb guys that Roy loved, focus on speed and skill vs big body grinders.

It will take more moves to undo the roster construction of the Roy era. Im willing to be patient, to undo a roster as bad as they were the past few years, it takes time
- DDM-Coga

Agreed! I think Joe has made great moves post Roy. I like the direction of the team, especially with the young guys coming up, Rantaanen, Jost, Bigras, Lindholm, andrighetto. Utilizing that youth, speed and talent as apposed to our older slower players will be huge step up for this team.

Because he sucks as much as benning, if not more.
- classic321

If he sucked as much as Benning he would have traded him for a package of poop already...and thrown in their own Second rounder.

No team has met the ask. They have given "their version" if the ask. But they are really throwing junk players and prospects.

Sakic should hold out for what he wants.
- Iggysbff

Yeah didn't they say last week that Ryan Murray was the key piece from Columbus??

It's nice to see another GM make head scratching decisions.
- niteislander

Whats that? Undo the mess of Patrick Roy inspired era?
Is Sakic perfect, no....but hes not some bumbling idiot that everyone is pointing him out to be.

Roy and him messed up, but one is still here trying to fix the mistakes they made, the other ran home to Quebec

No team has met the ask. They have given "their version" if the ask. But they are really throwing junk players and prospects.

Sakic should hold out for what he wants.
- Iggysbff

Snow met the ask last trade deadline. If Hamonic is a "junk Player" than I guess we robbed Calgary blind.

Might be the best Article I have read by Ek in all my years reading Hbuzz. Not a lot of random rumors that will never happen. No Philly plug in the middle of it. A bunch of valid great points with number of contracts, 3 d-men, Stevie Y comparison. I actually enjoyed this blog. Someone send it to the Avs.
- niteislander

Sakic will use Philly in a 3 team trade to deal Duchene. Likely Ghost. MAF involved? I'm buzzing myself at 4. More to come...

Sakic like the GM of Blackhawks???

Yeah didn't they say last week that Ryan Murray was the key piece from Columbus??
- mgriffen

nope, no one said Key Piece, just idiots on this site who lack reading comprehension and ran to Hockeybuzz to post LOLorado

Snow met the ask last trade deadline. If Hamonic is a "junk Player" than I guess we robbed Calgary blind.
- niteislander

No he didnt...they didnt want Hamonic. They want a Dman under 25 or an NHL ready D Prospect.

Hamonic is neither of those. Hes a decent Dman but hes slowing down, injury proned, and turning 28

How is that meeting their demands when he doesnt fit the general description of the Dman they want

I think the real worry I would have with the Avs at this point is the perception war. It appears Sakic is being obstinant and playing hardball and not willing to actually work out a deal. Sakic is full on in the spotlight and taking the blame, and he will do so regardless of if he moves Dutch or he hangs onto him. Move him, it won't be enough for him and the trade gets flogged like a 20 year old dead horse repeatedly. Don't trade him its his failure and he sucks etc etc.

Small moves have seemed good though I am not sold on Bernier at all. Like him but if Varly goes down and he has to carry the load for the team? I don't think this is really going to go well at all. That would be the only concern there.

Its still a long way off and still plenty of time, and since nobody really knows what the convos have been, or the offers, hard to really say what Sakic is doing. People need to just let the GM work and see how it plays out.

Whats that? Undo the mess of Patrick Roy inspired era?
Is Sakic perfect, no....but hes not some bumbling idiot that everyone is pointing him out to be.

Roy and him messed up, but one is still here trying to fix the mistakes they made, the other ran home to Quebec
- DDM-Coga

Sakic has the same issue Snow does. He thinks his players and prospects are the best in the NHL. As a long time Isles fan it was nice for a while to not have a GM trade everyone of worth away before they became legit (... Milbury.. cough Cough.. milbury). Once you get to a certain point thought you have to make some moves and neither of these idiots are capable of pulling the trigger. If the Avs have Duchene in October than Sakic should be fired.. period.

Agreed! I think Joe has made great moves post Roy. I like the direction of the team, especially with the young guys coming up, Rantaanen, Jost, Bigras, Lindholm, andrighetto. Utilizing that youth, speed and talent as apposed to our older slower players will be huge step up for this team.
- dsavage30

Exactly. This whole blog is just terribly misinformed.

mironov was brought over to play..but Ek is still yamering on about 3 NHL Dmen.
Sakic menions Bigras and Lindholm, Siemens as guys they want to take the next step.

Again just looking at cap geek and seeing hey only 3 NHL dmen here. For a guy who is suppose to follow hockey to not even fact check based on words Sakic said himself at a presser....I mean shocking stuff

No he didnt...they didnt want Hamonic. They want a Dman under 25 or an NHL ready D Prospect.

Hamonic is neither of those. Hes a decent Dman but hes slowing down, injury proned, and turning 28

How is that meeting their demands when he doesnt fit the general description of the Dman they want
- DDM-Coga

They 100% did want Hamonic. Staple reported that was a MUST from the Avs in the trade. They also wanted Barzal and Pulock which is a riot.

Hamonic is Not NHL Ready.. LOL. You are as insane as Sakic.

Interesting take. I wonder who is spoon feeding Ek this crap? Sakic knows that his team will not be playoff caliber even if he takes on left over free agents and bad contracts. Its called a rebuild through the draft (see Penguins, Blackhawks, Oilers for recent examples of this template. Duchene is a 30 goal scorer, All-star, Olympian and lead the league in face offs. He's a good guy and signed to a reasonable contract for two years. Sakic should absolutely refuse to be low balled with left overs like Murray or Harmonic. The pressure is on teams like Nashville, Islanders, Hurricanes, and Blue Jackets to get legitimate scoring. Talented top 3 draft picks in the prime of their career are a rare commodity. Nashville keeps saying, for instance, that they won't move a top four D man. Ok, if their not serious about fixing an anemic offense with a top 6 forward that's their choice. But there's no pressure on Sakic to move Duchene just so a bad team can get worse. The return has to blow him away. And the pressure is on those teams who are playoff contenders but not cup contenders. They're the teams with a window. Sakic knows someone will budge. His assistant GM played the same game with Nash a few years back. Sakic is actually doing the right thing.

Snow met the ask last trade deadline. If Hamonic is a "junk Player" than I guess we robbed Calgary blind.
- niteislander

And threw in junk with Hamonic if I recall...

Sakic has the same issue Snow does. He thinks his players and prospects are the best in the NHL. As a long time Isles fan it was nice for a while to not have a GM trade everyone of worth away before they became legit (... Milbury.. cough Cough.. milbury). Once you get to a certain point thought you have to make some moves and neither of these idiots are capable of pulling the trigger. If the Avs have Duchene in October than Sakic should be fired.. period.
- niteislander

I dont think Sakic is like that at all. He wants fair value for Duchene thats all.

Hamonic and throwing other stuff at it isnt what they are looking for, its no disrespect to him as a player but they dont want to take a bunch of stuff a team can live without for arguably one of the best avalanche players to but on a uniform since Sakic.

If they have Duchene in October is bc other GMs are trying to buy duchene at pennies on the dollars based on last year vs looking at his ability. A guy who puts up solid nunbers his whole career and then low ball bc of a bad season on the worst team in the cap era...yeah we are keeping him and happily so if a team doesnt want to pony up fair value

They 100% did want Hamonic. Staple reported that was a MUST from the Avs in the trade. They also wanted Barzal and Pulock which is a riot.

Hamonic is Not NHL Ready.. LOL. You are as insane as Sakic.
- niteislander

Lol. Staple. If I had a nickel for every time he was wrong I'd be rich.

They 100% did want Hamonic. Staple reported that was a MUST from the Avs in the trade. They also wanted Barzal and Pulock which is a riot.

Hamonic is Not NHL Ready.. LOL. You are as insane as Sakic.
- niteislander

They did not want Hamonic, Dater and the BSN guys desputed that and his whole article. Going on about how Sakics agent is pissed (same agent as Tavares).

Yeah Staple got spoon fed some crap on that one. Its funny its always the other teams beat writers who have the insider detail of exactly how the trade talks have gone and fell apart.