Aaron Musick: Divisional play killing the Avs
Send the coach packing

can anyone see this team making the playoffs this year?
can anyone see Stastny leading this team any time soon?

yes (as a group) they are one of if not the youngest team in the league, but thats only a statistic

they gambled with Varly and so far, they've lost as they are floating around the last play0ff spot and really, is that what management thought when they made this summers moves? to float around 8th spot? if so, then shame on them.

Time to step up and make players, coaches, management accountable ! !

get rid of the dead weight at every level and move on ! !

as a fan, im tired of this crap - what happened to the 9division titles in a row days! ! !

can anyone see this team making the playoffs this year?
can anyone see Stastny leading this team any time soon?

yes (as a group) they are one of if not the youngest team in the league, but thats only a statistic

they gambled with Varly and so far, they've lost as they are floating around the last play0ff spot and really, is that what management thought when they made this summers moves? to float around 8th spot? if so, then shame on them.

Time to step up and make players, coaches, management accountable ! !

get rid of the dead weight at every level and move on ! !

as a fan, im tired of this crap - what happened to the 9division titles in a row days! ! !
- 10baci

They traded and bartered picks for 5-6 years to get there, didn't draft well and are now paying the price. They keep treating the side effects of what's wrong with this team but not the disease. That's the problem.

actually their drafts havent been too bad - problem is, they hang on to the wrong ones too long waiting for them to develop and get rid of the right ones too soon.

last 7 years.
2005 - stastny
2006- c.stewart
2007-shatty
2008 - nobody worth mentioning
2009 - duchene, o'reilly, elliot
2010 - hishon (injured so we dont know)
2011 - landy

I know stewie is struggling in st. louis, but IMHO i believe this team would have been better off if it was Stastny who went the other way instead of Stewie.

AVS need a proven GM, a proven coach, and some toothless bastards who can play and know the meaning of giving it all ! ! ! too much of the same type of players on this team ! ! what exactly is Stastny? he's not a goal scorer?? he's not a set up man, meaning he doesnt make the other guys on the ice with him better, he's not a captain, he's not a leader, he's a lets keep him so we can maintain our salary to the floor for salary cap purposes ! ! get rid of him ! !

actually their drafts havent been too bad - problem is, they hang on to the wrong ones too long waiting for them to develop and get rid of the right ones too soon.

last 7 years.
2005 - stastny
2006- c.stewart
2007-shatty
2008 - nobody worth mentioning
2009 - duchene, o'reilly, elliot
2010 - hishon (injured so we dont know)
2011 - landy

I know stewie is struggling in st. louis, but IMHO i believe this team would have been better off if it was Stastny who went the other way instead of Stewie.

AVS need a proven GM, a proven coach, and some toothless bastards who can play and know the meaning of giving it all ! ! ! too much of the same type of players on this team ! ! what exactly is Stastny? he's not a goal scorer?? he's not a set up man, meaning he doesnt make the other guys on the ice with him better, he's not a captain, he's not a leader, he's a lets keep him so we can maintain our salary to the floor for salary cap purposes ! ! get rid of him ! !
- 10baci

I was talking before Billington came on:

2003: Liffiton in round 2 (no first) Jones and Richardson only NHLers from that class
2002: Jonas Johansson (remember him?) Gilbert and Boychuk only NHL
2001: Budaj in round 2. Svatos only other NHLer
2000: Nedorost. Sauer, Liles only NHL
1999: Mikhail Kuleshov

That's killer five years of crappy drafting.

Also there were many factors for Stewart moving and Stastny is as good as his wingers/system.

as a fan, im tired of this crap - what happened to the 9division titles in a row days! ! !
- 10baci

Different ownership with a different philosophy. What bothers me is that this team can hang around a playoff spot during the early mid season, bit when other teams ramp up for the end of season push, the Avs are seemingly unable to answer. I'm starting to believe they just aren't that good. And I think they might be starting to think that way too. You can only ask people to over achieve for so long.

I was talking before Billington came on:

2003: Liffiton in round 2 (no first) Jones and Richardson only NHLers from that class
2002: Jonas Johansson (remember him?) Gilbert and Boychuk only NHL
2001: Budaj in round 2. Svatos only other NHLer
2000: Nedorost. Sauer, Liles only NHL
1999: Mikhail Kuleshov

That's killer five years of crappy drafting.

Also there were many factors for Stewart moving and Stastny is as good as his wingers/system.
- martok2309

OMG LOL - I almost forgot about "skipper" in 2002 - yeah you're right those were some pathetic years - and i realize that there were many factors in the Stewie trade, but as a fan, we only see the end results on the ice, just like we dont know why they traded Anderson, only that he's playing better than any of the two we have now, and Brian Elliot, who knew? sometimes it would be nice to hear from management or the players as to why trades develop - i realize sometimes its personal, but hearing that its personal is good enough for me, at least it puts to bed stupid rumors ! ! or atleast minimizes them and gives the fans a better understanding of whats going on ! ! !

Sacco likes players like Kobasew, Wilson, Winnik, and VDG. These guys are nice but they flat out do not score. So long as guys like that get ice time over Elliot, Galiardi, and some of the guys in the minors, this team will continue to fall short. They just don't make enough plays.

We have two choices, get some offense and skill on this team, or expect our defense and goalies to hold other teams to 2 goals max. Sacco seems far to stubborn to make the changes this team needs to win.

sorry... and to your point about Stastny being as good as his wingers/system - what did they use as a rationale when they signed him to the "steve austin" type contract? as far as skill goes, i would rate Duchene and O'Reilly as having a better skill set than Stastny. Regardless of Sacco's inability to coach, Stastny is what he is - clearly not a $6million dollar man. If by any chance there is a GM in this league not named Mike Milburry who is willing to take this player - I suggest the AVS do it and do it fast - as you can see, the AVS have some pending RFA's that they must retain and pay ! !

The biggest issue with Sacco is his favored play style. We are not a grinding team and since that is the only style he knows thats what we do. It is the reason we have been one of if not the most injured team in the NHL during his tenure. He has to go and I don't want Roy as coach.

Stastny can be point per game, but with constant shifting lines and a style of play that doesn't promote offense it looks like he isn't doing well. We could score alot more if we had an open style and everyone would have higher point totals.

The biggest issue with Sacco is his favored play style. We are not a grinding team and since that is the only style he knows thats what we do. It is the reason we have been one of if not the most injured team in the NHL during his tenure. He has to go and I don't want Roy as coach.

Stastny can be point per game, but with constant shifting lines and a style of play that doesn't promote offense it looks like he isn't doing well. We could score alot more if we had an open style and everyone would have higher point totals.
- HarvP

But, as we've seen in the past, that would lead to a lot of 5-4 losses instead of 4-2 losses. Giguere would blow a groin trying to stop all the shots, and Varlamov would look a lot like Theodore.

I think things will change after the new CBA is announced. Colorado is obviously waiting to see what changes (if any significant ones) occur before signing any expensive, long term contracts. They were burned by that badly last time, which in part is why they're where they are now. Colorado isn't a sinking ship; they're one that has required an extensive overhaul and, once the weather is clear, will steam out of port guns a'blazing with the pieces needed to win.

But, as we've seen in the past, that would lead to a lot of 5-4 losses instead of 4-2 losses. Giguere would blow a groin trying to stop all the shots, and Varlamov would look a lot like Theodore.

I think things will change after the new CBA is announced. Colorado is obviously waiting to see what changes (if any significant ones) occur before signing any expensive, long term contracts. They were burned by that badly last time, which in part is why they're where they are now. Colorado isn't a sinking ship; they're one that has required an extensive overhaul and, once the weather is clear, will steam out of port guns a'blazing with the pieces needed to win.
- Puckenstuff

We have better D-Men now than when we were losing 5-4.

The biggest issue with Sacco is his favored play style. We are not a grinding team and since that is the only style he knows thats what we do. It is the reason we have been one of if not the most injured team in the NHL during his tenure. He has to go and I don't want Roy as coach.

Stastny can be point per game, but with constant shifting lines and a style of play that doesn't promote offense it looks like he isn't doing well. We could score alot more if we had an open style and everyone would have higher point totals.
- HarvP

i agree with "..had an open style" but not with "..have higher point totals". You can open up your style of play all you want, but if a guy has hands of stone, then it is what it is. Putting McLeod with Stastny is not all of a sudden going to make McLeod a goal scorer. Gretzky had Semenko on his line quit a bit in his day and no one called Semenko a goal scorer, but lets not confuse Gretz with Stastny nor Semenko with Mcleod as far as im concerned

sorry... and to your point about Stastny being as good as his wingers/system - what did they use as a rationale when they signed him to the "steve austin" type contract? as far as skill goes, i would rate Duchene and O'Reilly as having a better skill set than Stastny. Regardless of Sacco's inability to coach, Stastny is what he is - clearly not a $6million dollar man. If by any chance there is a GM in this league not named Mike Milburry who is willing to take this player - I suggest the AVS do it and do it fast - as you can see, the AVS have some pending RFA's that they must retain and pay ! !
- 10baci

The guy who signed Stastny to 6.6 mill for six years is the same guy who signed Brett Clark for three years at 3.5 and Hannan four at 4 mill. This is why the guy is currently working as a scout not a GM or accountant.

Stastny is overpaid, yes but if he were to get a coach that would work with him not against him and/or a scoring winger he'd be just fine.

Since Mueller has come back, Stastny does have two goals, nine points in nine games. He's been quietly better. He could fetch a good price as he's got the talent to be a good second line center in spite of the price tag.

Sacco is not a great coach. But in all honesty, I prefer him to Quenville, and certainly over Granato.

I would be all for letting him go if I knew the Avs were going to get a better coach...but I know they'll just promote some craphead from within the system.

Unfortunately, this young Avs team has been put into an unfortunate situation. They're basically in a must win now, situation. There is no high pick at the end of the tunnel other wise. At first we wanted Varly to do well and earn the trade himself. Now, we could careless who wins, as long as we win. I think Varly is going to be a good goalie for the future. Technically and physically he's there. He needs to work on little things. But, who knows what will come out of the picks we sent to Washington.

The Avs played a mediocre game yesterday with a couple a brutal shifts and stupid penalties. That's what happens to a young team, they've got to deal with it.

Can the Avs make the playoffs? Yes. Will they do any serious damage in the playoffs? Very unlikely. But the main thing is getting there and getting the kids some experience in the playoffs for the future. You want to create an winning culture. It's not easy to lose, lose, lose, lose and continue on with beneficial development.

They didn't play like the desperate team yesterday and until they start, you're going to see more of what happened yesterday. Duchene is by far the most dynamic player on the team offensively. When he comes back, this team will already look a lot different.

They should 125% be buying at the deadline. Time to get it done, or hand over assets to the Caps...

The guy who signed Stastny to 6.6 mill for six years is the same guy who signed Brett Clark for three years at 3.5 and Hannan four at 4 mill. This is why the guy is currently working as a scout not a GM or accountant.

Stastny is overpaid, yes but if he were to get a coach that would work with him not against him and/or a scoring winger he'd be just fine.

Since Mueller has come back, Stastny does have two goals, nine points in nine games. He's been quietly better. He could fetch a good price as he's got the talent to be a good second line center in spite of the price tag.
- martok2309

I wouldn't even say quietly better. Stastny has been one of the best players on this team as of late, very obvious to me...

I can see why avs fans are frustrated. Its important to realize what the real problem is. This roster IS good enough to make the playoffs. The problem is that we have a coach that refuses to play a system that is best suited for the players we HAVE, not the current one which is the way he wants to run a team. He is really a lot like another ex denver coach McDaniels.

We have a team that is young, creative, fast, and passes well. None of these skills are really useful in a dump and chase grind system. Also Sacco doesn't have the ability to motivate the team.

The problem isn't with any of the current players, as pretty much every players numbers are down.

Quenville is a good coach, who had a bad avs team. The avs didn't really become a playoff team until we drafted Duchie and Raydar.

You can make all the high risk trades you want and dump players who are having an off year but it still wont change the problem with sacco's failure of a style. Don't trade the players for having low numbers, fire the coach for not giving them the best opportunity to play their game.

Also under sacco the avs are BORING as hell to watch when this team has the potential to be one of the best.

Also to point out, Stewart will always be streaky as hell and its for the better that he is gone, even though we now need a goal scorer, stew beef would have never been the player we truly needed. Our goaltending now is better than it ever was. Anderson and elliot maybe doing well this year but they were never the answer. Varly is still young and Avs actually have had good goaltenting this year.

Also to point out, Stewart will always be streaky as hell and its for the better that he is gone, even though we now need a goal scorer, stew beef would have never been the player we truly needed. Our goaltending now is better than it ever was. Anderson and elliot maybe doing well this year but they were never the answer. Varly is still young and Avs actually have had good goaltenting this year.
- Meeqsb

Yes.

Sacco is not a great coach. But in all honesty, I prefer him to Quenville, and certainly over Granato.

I would be all for letting him go if I knew the Avs were going to get a better coach...but I know they'll just promote some craphead from within the system.
- BraxtanFILM

Most people celebrate but I cringe to say this: Patrick Roy is probably where they look, given their track record.

Most people celebrate but I cringe to say this: Patrick Roy is probably where they look, given their track record.
- martok2309

I'm leery of having any beloved legends running this team. Because if they aren't good at it, they get a much longer free pass than the average Joe (pun).

I can see why avs fans are frustrated. Its important to realize what the real problem is. This roster IS good enough to make the playoffs. The problem is that we have a coach that refuses to play a system that is best suited for the players we HAVE, not the current one which is the way he wants to run a team. He is really a lot like another ex denver coach McDaniels.

We have a team that is young, creative, fast, and passes well. None of these skills are really useful in a dump and chase grind system. Also Sacco doesn't have the ability to motivate the team.

The problem isn't with any of the current players, as pretty much every players numbers are down.

Quenville is a good coach, who had a bad avs team. The avs didn't really become a playoff team until we drafted Duchie and Raydar.

You can make all the high risk trades you want and dump players who are having an off year but it still wont change the problem with sacco's failure of a style. Don't trade the players for having low numbers, fire the coach for not giving them the best opportunity to play their game.

Also under sacco the avs are BORING as hell to watch when this team has the potential to be one of the best.
- Meeqsb

i'll agree that Sacco and his dump and chase system both have gotta go, but im not so sure we have a roster that IS good enough. I know Duchene is out and he is a very KEY piece. But we can and should upgrade on guys like Kobi, Van Dur Gulik, McLeod, Mcclement, Winnik, Porter. Some teams are forced to dress players like this as they are up against the CAP , but the AVS are nowhere near the CAP and therefore, either now or before the start of next season, they BETTER upgrade the talent on this team, or one by one, fans will be jumping ship. You can only sell in inferior product for so long.

Also to point out, Stewart will always be streaky as hell and its for the better that he is gone, even though we now need a goal scorer, stew beef would have never been the player we truly needed. Our goaltending now is better than it ever was. Anderson and elliot maybe doing well this year but they were never the answer. Varly is still young and Avs actually have had good goaltenting this year.
- Meeqsb

Andy was the answer his 1st year with the AVS, had issues last year that i dont believe were ever revealed (he did take 2 peronal leaves from the team) and has rebounded this year with Ottawa...not sure what happened, but his play indicates to me, they made the right decision 3 years ago when they went out and got him...again, giving up to soon on some guys and hanging on to the wrong ones too long.

Most people celebrate but I cringe to say this: Patrick Roy is probably where they look, given their track record.
- martok2309

with the troubles in Montreal, I see him going there first after Gauthier and the english speaking coach get terminated ! !