OffThePost.org

It's just really a formality, but Joe Sakic was given the official title of General Manager, with Greg Sherman getting the bump to Assistant GM, aka "Get me a sandwich, bitch."

http://blogs.denverpost.com/avs/2014/09 ... -gm/19401/

Really, I just wanted to start a new thread for the upcoming season.

The Avs' payroll for this upcoming season went up in a big way, going from near the salary floor to near the salary cap in just one year's time.

http://www.denverpost.com/avalanche/ci_ ... cket-sales

The fans had plenty of reason to stay away...no longer. Wonder if there'll be smokin' tailgate parties outside the Pepsi Center this year?

As for me, I have heightened, but tempered expectations for this year. Most every team in the division did something to improve themselves this offseason, while it feels like the Avs, if anything, only made sideways moves. And that's fine...the improvements should come from within, and #1 defenders are about the hardest thing to find in the NHL. Whatever that case, I hope they realize they won't be getting bailed out by Varlamov like they did last season, and God only knows if Reto Berra will even be worth the investment.

Whatever the case, I'm expecting big things from #29...or #22 if he chooses to go with his old number, it's freed up now that fucking Hunwick is finally gone.

Avs not off to a rollicking start in the preseason. Two losses to the Ducks, with the Habs coming up. It's preseason, so I'm not remotely concerned.

No surprises among the cuts so far. One to note was Chris Bigras, who had a very strong camp last year and was returned to junior not long before the season began. This time around though he was returned fairly quickly. Could be that he didn't have quite as strong a showing, or the team is a little more confident in their blueline corps this year (yes, the blueline corps that's going to feature Brad Stuart as a top-pairing guy). Either way, no reason to rush the kid. He and Mason Geertsen (also returned) will hopefully be mainstays on the Avs' blueline in the next year or so.

Reportedly the O'Reilly-Duchene-Iginla line is clicking quite well. I still think the team should put O'Reilly at center, pair him with Landeskog, and give the "softer" minutes to Duchene and MacKinnon. But whatever, that line should be fun to watch regardless.

Oh, so Roy made it clear he wasn't happy with Bleackley and Bigras, went as far to say Bleackley wasn't in adequate shape.

http://www.denverpost.com/avalanche/ci_ ... ris-bigras

I guess Brent Sutter weighed in on Bleackley, but really, there's nothing here that's much of a surprise. Too bad the kid didn't seem to use it as fuel for the fire.

http://prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com/2014 ... assertion/

I promise this isn't some knee-jerk reaction to one bad showing by a teenager in training camp, but I think the Avs definitely erred in taking Bleackley over Scherbak. The team is fine at center, even with Paul Stastny leaving, but not great in terms of scoring forwards, except for a few pint-sized longshots. Also, I think if you look at it purely in terms of best player available, you still take Scherbak, from what I've heard at least. I can't help but think the uncertainty surrounding Ryan O'Reilly prompted the Avs to take another two-way guy as a long-term contingency plan. That may come to bite 'em in the ass later, but hey, Bleackley could still end up being a really good player. I doubt he'll be as good as Scherbak though.

Guh....I know it's only preseason, but geez guys, hold a fuckin' lead please.

Did the Sakic standing O in Quebec City not warm your heart, at least?

And I know it's only preseason, but holy hell the Habs have some mad skillz. (Not sure about the D).

_________________

http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=7317 ... l:topheads

Some of the stuff here is rather alarming--especially the whole let's-thumb-our-nose-at-the-advanced-stats-crowd mindset. I think they're a bit mistaken when it comes to dump-and-chase hockey. I'm certainly glad they don't play that style, but the advanced stats people don't like it either. The lone exception is L.A.

I just hope they realize they can still be aggressive AND cut down on shots against. They played their best game of the year by far against St. Louis by staying aggressive in the neutral zone. It was those games when they decided to hang back and let the opposition hit the defensive zone with speed that they got into trouble.

The truth is becoming known....its Varly saving their bacon or bust!

_________________
No AI has been used in the making of this post

Yes. Yes they do.

And it's good to hear about Sakic getting the standing O, but also makes me as an Avs fan feel kinda guilty.

Colorado does some stupid things today, re-upping two plugs for multiple years before the season starts (Stuart/McLeod) and then waiving Stefan Elliott, who makes people perform better when he gets the rare chance to play:

https://twitter.com/saskhab/status/516629597941927936

_________________
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

Yet another thing Ryan Wilson has managed to fuck up. Anyone would look bad paired with him. The sad thing is, Roy is singing his praises because Wilson listened to him and came into camp in prime condition. Still doesn't make up for his supreme lack of speed and mediocre skill set.

Don't understand why Stuart got re-upped when he has yet to play a regular season game. The Avs got him, reportedly, because Roy wanted a "crease clearer." Thing is, you don't need to clear the crease if you limit shots and keep the puck out of your own end. As for McLeod, meh...whatever.

I knew it was shit-or-get-off-the-pot time for Elliott, but this is the one move I didn't think the Avs would make. Better to trade him for something or try and incorporate him into the lineup as a 7th guy instead of possibly losing him for absolutely nothing. The Avs have spent a lot of time and money developing him, and he was actually quite good in Lake Erie. It was the rest of the team and coach who were awful.

I think Roy is already making some egregious mistakes, both with the lineup and how he's deploying it. I hope he learns fast, but I'm not holding my breath.

HE CLEARED!

Glad to see even if the Avs make an inherently dumb move, there's still enough stupid to go around in the rest of the league so they don't necessarily pay for it this time around.

On a side note, I predict Brad Stuart will be only a marginal upgrade on Cory Sarich, if that.

Eghad.....The Flames and Avalanche were quite the mystery affair last night. Really bizarre to see Briere and the Tangs on the ice for the Avs. And then there were a bunch of unknowns on the Avs....so much so that Baertschi was talking heavy shit about the Avs on Flames TV during the 1/2 intermission. And of course Johnny Hockey had a beauty. Yeah....good luck with Reto Berra.....

_________________
No AI has been used in the making of this post

Didn't see the game but I heard Reto Williams: The Adventure Begins wasn't all that bad. Unfortunately the rest of the Avs were busy making Jonas Hiller look like Patrick Roy.

I just don't get at all why Roy REFUSES to put O'Reilly at center. He's the team's best faceoff guy, best defensive forward by a country mile, the best center (for now at least), and pretty much the team's best all-around player. But I wouldn't call him the team's best scoring forward...yet that's how Roy is using him. It's like taking J.J. Watt and using him only for run coverage. He wouldn't suck at the job, but there's something else he's much, much better at.

As I think I've posted before, Roy had the luxury to use ROR in a weird way because he had a comparable two-way player in Stastny. He doesn't have that safety net anymore, but I thought one of the reasons they decided not to try too hard to keep Stazz is PRECISELY BECAUSE they have a better two-way player in O'Reilly. This really makes no sense. He's got an ace defensive forward and PK guy, one who creates shorthanded chances galore, and decides he'd rather use guys like Duchene and MacKinnon on the PK, both of whom are, to put it politely, below average defensively and have had little to no experience on the PK.

Currently arguing with HF posters who think breaking up Duchene and O'Reilly is tantamount to the entire west coast seceding from the Union. Same for Landeskog/MacKinnon...even though those two had Stastny in-between them last season.

WHAT!? Put O'Reilly back at center!? But...but...that'd mean he'd be on the third line!!!!!

Shootout loss against the defending SC champs, and coming up is FROZEN FURY, the annual Vegas preseason game against those same Kings that the Avs almost never win. But yeah...still winless in preseason probably going to stay that way.

Again, it's preseason, but already some very disconcerting things coming to the surface. Sakic channeling Burke/Nonis with the dreaded "eye test" quote. Roy, who was far less stubborn than anyone could have even dared to hope his first year, seems extraordinarily rigid going into this season. And the thumbing of the noses at advanced stats is far, far too reminiscent of the bullshit being spewed forth by teams like the Leafs last season. Roy seems to have concluded that the Avs were so poor defensively because they weren't big enough on the back end, rather than being far too slow and not talented enough. I'm pretty sure I could skate my way around a defensive pairing of Ryan Wilson and Nick Holden.

Duncan Siemens was finally sent down, and Roy was effusive with praise. It's likely he'll be the first callup if injury strikes. Conversely, he wasn't quite as enthusiastic about fellow Blades alum Stefan Elliott.

I'm at least buoyed by the fact that even if the Avs do take that likely step backward, they still have O'Reilly (who knows if he'll end the year with them), Duchene, Landeskog, and MacKinnon. They can't COMPLETELY suck with guys like that up front.

We're not taking fucking Los Angeles!

_________________

Wait, you won't take LA but you will take Bakersfield? That's some odd priorities.

Smart call on taking Missoula but not Helena or Butte, though. I really like Missoula.

_________________
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

Yuck, don't take Boise. Take Driggs, much prettier and you have a nice view of the Grand Tetons.

Avs reduce roster to 25: http://eurolanche.com/article.php?id=5267

Rendulic gets sent down along with Agozzino. I espect Rendulic will get a callup sometime soon. Vincour and some other guy get put on the injured non-roster list.

I think they still have to make one more cut--I'm guessing it'll be Everberg, though he's apparently been pretty amazing in preseason. Bordy is on the shelf for a while, so Winchester will probably take the role of face-puncher/guy who mashes undersized defenders into the boards.

So here is what the opening night roster will likely look:

O'Reilly-Duchene-Iginla
Landeskog-MacKinnon-Tanguay
McGinn-Mitchell-Briere
McLeod-Cliche-Talbot
Winchester

Stuart-Johnson
Hejda-Barrie
Holden-Wilson/Guenin/Redmond

Here is what I WISH the opening night roster would look:

Briere-Duchene-Iginla
Tanguay-MacKinnon-McGinn
Landeskog-O'Reilly-Everberg
McLeod-Winchester/Mitchell-Talbot
Cliche

Redmond-Johnson (probably not a good idea but hey, limited options)
Hejda-Barrie
Stuart-Holden/Guenin

Wilson fired into the sun, Elliott called up

And of course, there's Varlamov and OH SHIT Berra in between the pipes.

Something tells me Danny Briere will not make it through the season with the Avs and be a deadline deal, or injured reserve. It'd be weird if the Avs, for the first time since the cap was put into place, have to invoke LTIR.