Additions: RW PA Parenteau, D Greg Zanon, C John Mitchell
Subtractions: C Peter Mueller, C Jay McClement, C Kevin Porter, C Ryan Stoa, G Cedrick Desjardins
UFAs: LW David Van Der Gulik, RW Joakim Lindstrom
Promotion candidates: D Tyson Barrie
As
soon as free agency opened, Colorado wasted no time picking up winger
PA Parenteau
from the New York
Islanders. Parenteau, at 29 a veteran on this team, had a huge
2011-12, scoring 67 points (18 goals, 49 assists) as the sidekick to
budding star John
Tavares. "PA is a skilled winger who will instantly improve
our offense," Sherman told reporters. "He's a dynamic
player who will help our power play and complement our young
centers." The young center in question is likely Duchene, whose
frustrating campaign – 14 goals and 28 points after a 67-point
season in 2010-11 – reflected a team-wide struggle to score.
Colorado finished 25th in goals (199), and Landeskog led the
Avalanche with a relatively meager 22. To that point, Sherman signed
Steve Downie
and Jamie
McGinn, players acquired in trade-deadline deals who injected
offense over the second half of 2011-12, to two-year deals. Downie
came over from the Tampa
Bay Lightning and joined Reilly and Landeskog to fill out one of
the League's most explosive young lines. McGinn set career highs for
goals (20) and assists (17) splitting time between the San
Jose Sharks and Colorado, and his 13 points for the Avalanche
from March 1 to season's end tied Paul
Stastny for most on the team. "Jamie made an immediate
impact from the time he joined our organization," Sherman said.
"We look forward to Jamie building upon last season's
performance and are pleased to have agreed to contract terms."
Though O'Reilly has yet to be signed, the rest of the key players are
in place. With the addition of Parenteau and another season under the
young players' belts, the Avalanche should be an improved team in
2012-13. Time will tell if that improvement is enough to lead
Colorado back to the playoffs.
After
an offseason spent extending contracts and re-signing key free
agents, the Colorado
Avalanche will enter 2012-13 looking very similar to the team
that narrowly missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs last season: very
young, very raw, and very talented. Will another year of experience
for the young core be enough to put Colorado over the top? Can they
survive a grueling season in the Western Conference? Can goaltending,
defense and offense put it all together and return the Avalanche to
the playoffs for the first time in three seasons?
It
was a relatively quiet offseason for Colorado in terms of trades and
free agency, and some fans are undoubtedly concerned that not enough
was done to improve the Avs' 11th-place finish in the West. Upon
closer inspection, the organization took a few steps – albeit small
ones – toward a return to the postseason. Two trade deadline deals
injected a vital boost into a tiring offense. Steve
Downie joined from the Tampa
Bay Lightning and scored seven points in his first four games,
tying Theo
Fleury for the best start in team history. Colorado then picked
up Jamie
McGinn from the San
Jose Sharks, and his 13 points from March 1 to season's end were
tied for the team lead (with Paul
Stastny). Colorado preserved all the pieces of its offensive
puzzle, signing McGinn and Downie to two-year deals and bringing back
defensive-scoring leader Erik
Johnson, potential franchise player Matt
Duchene, and steady winger David
Jones. Only Ryan
O'Reilly remains unsigned. Add PA
Parenteau's acquisition in free agency and Colorado's offense is
looking a lot more potent this season than last.
The
No. 2 pick in the 2011 NHL Draft, Gabriel Landeskog, made a seamless
transition to the next level, earning a place on the Avalanche with
four goals in his first eight games. Unlike No. 1 pick and Calder
Trophy nominee Ryan
Nugent-Hopkins of the Edmonton
Oilers, Landeskog stayed healthy and consistent all season. He
led rookies in shots on goal (270), tied Nugent-Hopkins for most
points (52), and got his due when he was named rookie of the year.
Can Landeskog continue that pace into 2012-13? He played in all 82
games in 2011-12, 20 more than he had ever played in a season. He
went on to take the assistant captain post for Team Sweden at this
spring's World Championships, where the 19-year-old forward had a
goal and four assists in eight games. Recent history would point to a
letdown. Jeff
Skinner of the Carolina
Hurricanes scored 20 fewer points in his sophomore campaign, and
the 2009-10 Calder winner, Buffalo
Sabres defenseman Tyler
Myers, saw his plus-minus drop from plus-13 to 0, and he scored
11 fewer points. However, Landeskog should be comfortable if the
young, exciting line of he, O'Reilly and Downie remains intact.
The
major concern surrounding Semyon Varlamov in his two seasons with the
Washington
Capitals was one of fitness. On multiple occasions when he was
thought to be their next starter, the injury bug struck, and
eventually young goalies Michal
Neuvirth and Braden
Holtby surpassed "Varly" as Washington's
goalie-in-waiting. Now, after a full season in Colorado, the question
is no longer one of health but of ability. Varlamov has a chance to
pin down the starting goaltending job for the Avalanche. Will he meet
the organization's expectations in 2012-13? After a strong start
with the Avalanche in 2011-12, Varlamov went 2-8-1 in November and
was pulled in favor of aging goalie Jean-Sebastien
Giguere. Despite Giguere's repeated insistence that Varlamov was
the first choice for Colorado, it was Giguere who put Colorado into
playoff contention before a groin injury in February gave Varlamov
the starter's job again. The Russian kept the Avs in the race but
visibly faded while going later into an NHL season than he ever had,
losing five of his final six starts. For the season, Varlamov posted
a 26-24-3 record with a .913 save percentage and 2.59 goals-against
average. He won each of his eight shootouts, and allowing two goals
on 24 attempts. General manager Greg Sherman made no offseason moves
at the position, suggesting the organization believes in Varlamov and
in the mentor/backup qualities of 35-year-old Giguere. However, with
their American Hockey League affiliate, Lake Erie, bursting with
goaltending talent, Varlamov's No. 1 title is not a foregone
conclusion.
When
the Avalanche signed PA Parenteau to a four-year, $16 million deal on
the opening day of free agency, there was more to the deal than met
the eye. Yes, Colorado was in need of a creative winger who could
produce offensively, and Parenteau was a natural fit. The 29-year-old
exploded in 2011-12, his second full season in the NHL, scoring 18
goals and 49 assists for the New
York Islanders. More important than his individual numbers was
Parenteau's ability to help John
Tavares realize his full potential. The former No. 1 pick thrived
alongside Parenteau, hitting the 30-goal mark for the first time and
earning a trip to his first All-Star Game. Matt Duchene is a similar
player to Tavares and is coming off a disastrous, injury-shortened
2011-12 campaign when he scored 28 points. A skillful winger might be
just what Duchene needs to relocate his offensive touch.
Joe
Sacco already made the playoffs, in 2009-10, his first season
coaching at the NHL level after holding a number of posts within the
Avalanche organization. With low expectations, Sacco and the Avs went
43-30-9 and had the single biggest point increase (26)
season-over-season since the 2000 expansion. Ever since, however,
Sacco has underwhelmed. Colorado finished further back in 2010-11
than they went up the year before, ending with 68 points. The
Avalanche finished better in 2011-12, challenging for a playoff spot
after savvy acquisitions at the trade deadline. Just as a very young
team was finding its groove, they were exhausted after a long season,
and the playoffs again eluded them. Sacco appears to know how to get
the most out of his players, but in the grueling Western Conference,
Colorado will need all of its roster, young and old, clicking at a
high level. With another season of experience and a two-year contract
extension padding his confidence, Sacco can use this season to bring
Colorado back into the playoffs.
When
Jay McClement arrived in Colorado at trade deadline in 2011, the
Avalanche were the reluctant owners of the worst penalty kill in the
NHL. They finished that season last in penalty killing at 76.1
percent, and allowed the most power-play goals (75). McClement's
contribution to that turnaround cannot be overstated. The center's
3:06 per game of shorthanded ice time led all Avalanche skaters and
was third in the League among forwards. Landeskog was a distant
second, with 1:20 per game. In short, there is no replacing McClement
on the penalty kill, and the Avalanche know it. But there are
positives for the Avs. Colorado enjoyed a top-tier penalty kill last
season, but it might have come at the expense of a good offense. By
bringing Parenteau over from the Islanders and keeping the talented
young core intact, Sherman and the front office clearly focused on
the offensive zone. Jan
Hejda and Ryan
O'Byrne are back to anchor the blueline, and with a good training
camp, a prospect like Brad
Malone could take over McClement's shorthanded role. Of all the
personnel questions facing the Colorado
Avalanche heading into this season, the biggest is Matt
Duchene. Yes, there are concerns about a slow, sluggish defense.
There is a No. 1 goalie (Semyon
Varlamov) whose stamina and ability remain unproven. And there is
a Calder Trophy winner (Gabriel
Landeskog) in danger of a sophomore slump. But none of those
anxieties is as pressing as Duchene. Can he stay healthy? Can he
relocate his confidence? Can he buckle down and find his scoring
touch within a more potent offense? Colorado general manager Greg
Sherman showed the organization was without the answers this summer
by signing the forward to a modest, two-year, $7 million contract.
The conservative extension reflects the main question: Was Duchene's
2011-12 season an aberration or a sign of things to come? Duchene was
a disappointment last season. For the first time in his three-year
NHL career, he missed time because of injuries, first to his left
knee then to his right ankle. They nagged him throughout the spring
and hampered his production. "My weapons are my legs, and I
didn't have them," Duchene said after the season. "I kind
of had to learn a new way to play. It was a perfect storm. When
everyone else was elevating their game, it was pretty much me
starting from scratch." In 58 games, Duchene managed 14 goals
and 14 assists. The spotlight passed over him and shined instead on
Landeskog and Ryan
O'Reilly, younger players enjoying bigger seasons. When Jamie
McGinn and Steve
Downie joined the Avalanche at the trade deadline to give the
offense a much-needed boost, Duchene was one of the few who failed to
benefit. The season-long stumble came as a surprise, following a huge
2010-11 season in which he had 27 goals and 40 assists as the
offensive focal point on a struggling team. The addition of Landeskog
and the emergence of O'Reilly, another top-level center to go along
with Duchene and Paul
Stastny, may have hampered Duchene's output. With three talented
centers and a dearth of wingers, coach Joe Sacco juggled the forward
lines often, looking for the right fit, even moving Duchene to wing
at one point. The lack of consistency disrupted Duchene's rhythm from
October through the season. The addition of wing PA
Parenteau should help Duchene settle into the center position.
Parenteau helped John
Tavares flourish over the past two seasons for the New
York Islanders, and a creative, steady linemate might be just
what Duchene needs. Tavares and Duchene share many similarities:
position, age, talent level, and, until last season, point
production. The Avalanche must wait to see if Parenteau's play can
bridge that widening gap. Last season's skid could be a blessing in
disguise over the long-term. When Duchene surged for 67 points in
2010-11, Colorado as a team managed 68 in the standings. Last season,
the Avalanche narrowly missed the Stanley Cup
Playoffs,
but Duchene struggled. A frustrating season spent trying to skate
circles around opponents should help show him that a more direct
approach is the right one. At 21 years old, Duchene clearly has some
maturing to do, especially if he hopes to lead Colorado back to the
postseason this season. "As much as it's been hell,
individually, for me this year for the second half, I've also learned
a ton," Duchene said after the season. "You don't get
better in the good times. You get better in the bad times."
There
were several bright spots during the 2011-12 season for the Colorado
Avalanche, but also some disappointments as general manager Greg
Sherman tries to build a consistent winner again in Denver. Gabriel
Landeskog was the League's top rookie, and Ryan
O'Reilly took a big step toward stardom. Sherman made a bold move
to acquire a young goalie, Semyon
Varlamov, and he was able to stay healthy (a big knock against
him with the Washington
Capitals).
Still,
Colorado's more established young talent, Matt
Duchene, Paul
Stastny and Erik
Johnson, didn't produce to their potential, and the Avalanche
missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the fourth time in six seasons.
Sherman landed one of the top free-agent forwards available this
offseason and bolstered the team's depth on defense. Given another
year of development for one of the youngest teams in the NHL, it
could mean a return to the postseason, something that was a given not
that long ago in the Mile High City.
Forwards
Milan
Hejduk - Matt
Duchene - PA
Parenteau
Gabriel
Landeskog - Ryan
O'Reilly - Steve
Downie
Jamie
McGinn - Paul
Stastny - David
Jones
Cody
McLeod - John
Mitchell - Chuck
Kobasew
Mark
Olver
Defensemen
Jan
Hejda - Erik
Johnson
Shane
O'Brien - Stefan
Elliott
Ryan
Wilson - Ryan
O'Byrne
Greg
Zanon - Matt
Hunwick
Goaltenders
Semyon
Varlamov
Jean-Sebastien
Giguere
NOTES:
Before last season, O'Reilly was this franchise's Jordan
Staal, a really nice No. 3 center behind two with bigger
pedigrees. He took a big step forward last year while the others did
not. The Landeskog-O'Reilly-Downie trio had great chemistry at the
end of the season, and the Avalanche have the depth to ice three
formidable scoring lines. Parenteau worked well with John
Tavares on the New
York Islanders, so he could be moving alongside the player taken
one pick after Tavares at the top of the 2009 NHL Draft, Duchene.
Stastny has the talent (and the salary) to be more than a No. 3
center obviously, but Colorado could play that trio more than a
typical third unit and give him ample time on the power play to
augment his role. The Avalanche have seven defensemen on one-way
contracts, but Elliott and Tyson
Barrie are talented enough to force their way into the everyday
lineup, and the arrival of Duncan
Siemens is on the horizon. NHL-quality depth on defense will not
be a problem after adding Zanon and with the expected development of
those two prospects. Varlamov had elite potential for years, and he
was finally able to stay relatively healthy last season. The problem
for Varlamov was Giguere actually outplayed him for a while. The
Avalanche re-upped Giguere for another year, so expect this to be a
strong tandem through 2013-14.
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