OffThePost.org

Time to get prepared for 2012-13!

http://avalanche.nhl.com/club/news.htm? ... L|COL|home

# Rd Pick Player Pos Team (League)

1. 2 41 Mitchell Heard C Plymouth (OHL)

2. 3 72 Troy Bourke LW Prince George (WHL)

3. 5 132 Michael Clarke C Windsor (OHL)

4. 6 162 Joseph Blandisi C Owen Sound (OHL)

5. 7 192 Colin Smith C Kamloops (WHL)

Don't have a clue who any of these kids are, but I find it interesting the Avs went all forward this time. Like last season this looks like a draft influenced by need as much as talent. _

The Avalanche also made their first big re-signing--getting Matt Duchene to ink a 2 year, $7 million deal.

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=399066

Interesting to see what happens if they sign O'Reilly for more years and more money.

http://blogs.denverpost.com/avs/2012/06 ... gn=twitter

Matt Duchene apparently has the same agent as Sidney Crosby, and now has the same trainer as well. Guess those core exercises are getting real popular.

Squeezing Buttman's head out of your asshole is quite difficult.

Though it does stimulate the prostate...

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Thanks Chuck, E.L. and Harmy!

Bourke might be a player. He's one of a handful of young guys in the W who were relied on way too much by their teams for offence, so you can't really tell how good they actually were since there was such a dearth of talent around them. When the Blades were in that period of their history, they produced Green and Setoguchi, so you never know.

I remember hearing Clarke's name a few times during the year but really didn't look into him any. Smith played with Bozon, I guess he was an overager. Was one of the W's top scoring centres.

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Injustice? Cobain died and Eddy Fucking Vedder lived to haunt us with his shitty fucking voice, trite lyrics and his Eddy Vedderness.



- Ancient Chinese Proverb

Some more interesting developments: Peter Mueller and Kevin Porter not tendered QOs, which leaves the, UFAs July 1. Not surprised at at all. Mueller's risk simply isn't worth his reward, not his fault, just the way things worked out. Porter is simply not an NHL player. So there ya have it folks, the trade of Wolski for Mueller/Porter ends up a lose-lose for both sides.

Also, Ryan Wilson re-signed for 3 more years. Good depth defender, though he too is garnering a few too many concussions.

Good to hear about Bourke, some of the guys on HF were squawking about him. Don't know anything about Heard except that he's likes to drop the gloves. A lot. Guess the Avs like what they saw in Olver and wanted more of that little, scrappy rat-type of player.

And another member of last year's defense returns!

http://avalanche.nhl.com/club/news.htm? ... L|COL|home

SOB is locked in for three years.

I don't really see the Avs making a big splash for a free agent defender...we'll see if they spring for a forward. I find it a bit annoying though that the Avs are basically putting together the same D that forced the Avs to rush Elliott/Barrie to the big show because it was so inept offensively.

Downie re-ups for two years.

http://avalanche.nhl.com/club/news.htm? ... L|COL|home

Only O'Reilly, Johnson, and McGinn remain among the RFAs. I'd be just a little worried about an offer sheet on EJ or ROR.

What a great start to the proceedings. Avs break that they've signed Matt Carkner, and his agent immediately denies it. Matt fucking Carkner can't even sign on the dotted line.

Avs actually did make a signing:



John Mitchell signs a 1-year, $2.2 million deal.

http://www.denverpost.com/sports/ci_209 ... s-center-2

If that's what we signed McClement's replacement for, I shudder to think what Jay-Mac is going to get.

For a cap-floor team, we got one very expensive 4th line. $1.5 million/$2.2 million/$2 million

For all intents and purposes, if the Avs stop now and re-sign all RFAs, they got a full lineup, though not a very impressive one:

McGinn - Stastny - Jones
Olver - Duchene - Hejduk
Landeskog - O'Reilly - Downie
McLeod - Mitchell - Kobasew

Johnson - Hejda
O'Brien - O'Byrne
Wilson - Hunwick
Carkner(?)

Guys like Hishon, Elliott, Malone, Barrie, and Sgarbossa could all see time with the big club.

EDIT: Whoops, guess it's a TWO year, $2.2 million deal. Okay, that makes a little more sense.

Judging by those top two lines, nabbing Parenteau wasn't a bad idea.

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Well, I was actually wondering if the Avs were interested in Parenteau. I was hoping for Kostitsyn, but PA is a less risky signing.

http://avalanche.nhl.com/club/news.htm? ... L|COL|home

Duchene played by far his best hockey with Fleischmann, a playmaking winger. One can only hope PA and him have similar chemistry. I imagine if he doesn't, Matty will be trade bait.

This also gives us an extra forward without having to call up any farmhands.

We signed Greg Zanon too?

http://blogs.denverpost.com/avs/2012/07 ... ncy/10951/

That's a whole lot of mediocrity on the blueline...methinks the Avs are gearing up for a trade, as Dater here is speculating. I'm fairly certain they will offer up either Elliott or Barrie (they damn well better not offer up both) in a trade, but no idea for whom. I can't imagine we're one of the destinations Rick Nash has approved. If there's no trade-a-brewing, these moves, especially the ones on D, make no sense. This blueline is still hurting badly for actual puckmovers, which forced them to move up Elliott and Barrie way too soon last season. They can't honestly be expecting Hunwick and EJ to do that again, can they?

Also, I think Cameron Gaunce deserved a solid chance to make the team. Now he's logjammed behind a lot of depth guys.

The only defender I see getting moved who's currently on the roster is O'Byrne. And IMO that would be a huge mistake.

Ah...NOW it comes out that Jan Hejda had wrist surgery right after the season ended and should be ready by the start of training camp. So maybe there's a trade on the horizon, maybe there isn't.

http://blogs.denverpost.com/avs/2012/07 ... nse/10957/

I have a bad feeling our poor interdivisional record will be even worse in 2012-13.

Parenteau is far better than he gets credit for. He might have benefited from being on Tavares' line, but now he'll probably be on Duchene's, right?

Bummer he didn't re-sign with the Isles. But, I hope he does well for the Avs.

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Posting your political views on social media is like sticking your head up your ass & whispering: You're just as likely to change someone's mind, and you'll always come out looking like a shithead.

Erik Johnson signs--you guessed it--a four-year deal.

http://www.denverpost.com/avalanche/ci_ ... -year-deal

$15 million, so that works out to a $3.75 cap hit. Relatively cheap given the market.

Now only McGinn and O'Reilly remain.

McGinn files for arbitration.

http://blogs.denverpost.com/avs/2012/07 ... rth/11029/

I'm fully confident that a deal will be worked out. Failing that I'm even more fully confident he'll be wearing an Avs sweater next season.

Here we go with the annual Stastny trade rumors, but this time the rumblings are coming from somewhere other than Toronto fans on HF throwing out endless trade proposals.

Right now it looks like the Avs are either trying to get Bobby Ryan from Anaheim or Thomas Vanek from Buffalo. I imagine there will have to be quite a bit more packaged with him to actually make it worthwhile for either team, but hey, for once, this Stastny fan is actually in favor of either of these two possibilities. Now, mind you, a lot of this chatter is coming from Mile High Hockey and Adrian Dater, so I don't know if there have been serious talks here, but these rumors feel more legit than ones in the past.

Speaking of Stazz, Ryan Stoa, who will likely be nothing more than "the guy we drafted in the 2nd round right before Stastny," signed with Washington after a stupendously sucky tenure with the Avs. I think even Jordan Krestanovich had a more distinguished career.

My prediction: Stastny will be traded, but next year since it's the final year of his deal...and I doubt the return will be anything big.

Now Dreger is saying the Avs are actively shopping Matt Duchene...sure hope to hell this isn't true. He might not pan out, but it seems way too soon to be giving up on the kid after one piss-poor, injury-riddled season. If we had given up on O'Reilly after one disappointing season he'd already be gone by now.