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PostPosted: Wed Jul 01, 2015 1:08 pm 
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May as well start this since everyone else is.

So far the offseason is this:

Departures:

O'Reilly, McGinn (trade)

Arrivals:

Zadorov, Grigorenko (trade)

Beauchemin, Comeau (free agency)

2015 draft picks:
W Mikko Rantanen (10th)
W Anthony-John Greer (39th)
D Nicolas Meloche (40th)
C Jean-Christopher Beaudin (71st)
D Andrei Mironov (101st)
D Sergei Boikov (161st)
W Gustav Olhaver (191st)

Avs have definitely beefed up their stock of LHD with the acquisitions of Zadorov and Beauchemin. Whatever it takes to bump Stuart down to the third pairing and Guenin/Holden into the press box or the AHL is fine by me.

Among the draft picks, I'm obviously excited about Rantanen, but I'm hoping Olhaver is more than just another late-round nobody. BIG kid, apparently very good skater as well, and he's making the jump to the CHL playing for the Seattle Thunderbirds, where he'll be coached by former Av Steve Konowalchuk.


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PostPosted: Wed Jul 01, 2015 2:29 pm 
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Sakic says the Avs are done. According to GF they have roughly $9.8 million in cap space with Grigorenko the major RFA left to sign.

The big test for the Avs brain trust begins next offseason. MacKinnon, Johnson, and Barrie will all be seeking new deals.


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PostPosted: Wed Jul 01, 2015 2:33 pm 
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The Beauchemin signing was necessary. He's 35, though. They still need another depth D man.

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PostPosted: Wed Jul 01, 2015 2:52 pm 
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E.L. wrote:
The Beauchemin signing was necessary. He's 35, though. They still need another depth D man.


Eh, they got enough of those.

Beauchemin - Johnson
Zadorov - Barrie
Stuart - Redmond
Guenin
Holden

Redmond is a great skater and puckhandler with an uncannily accurate outlet pass, yet Roy inexplicably kept him on a short leash while he allowed Nate Guenin and Nick Holden to bumble around the defensive zone for vast stretches of the season. He's a bottom-pairing guy for sure, but with sheltered minutes the guy should be more than adequate. Basically the Avs' one good move last offseason got buried under all their bad ones.

Also, the window is wide open for Duncan Siemens. He had a great camp and then proceeded to have an uneven year in the AHL. And of course, he got hurt. Again. I think they're making a mistake focusing so much on Siemens and letting Elliott fall by the wayside, but whatever.

I haven't read up yet on what's going to happen to top D prospects Mason Geertsen and Chris Bigras, but I assume they will play the entire season in San Antonio.

Y'know if not for fucking Stuart I'd have liked for the Avs to bring Jan Hejda back for one last kick at the can. Alas...


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PostPosted: Wed Jul 01, 2015 3:03 pm 
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I still don't see how this team has addressed any of its underlying issues. Hopefully those D kids can plug holes. Guess we will find out in 12-13 weeks.

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PostPosted: Wed Jul 01, 2015 3:38 pm 
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harmfuljays wrote:
I still don't see how this team has addressed any of its underlying issues. Hopefully those D kids can plug holes. Guess we will find out in 12-13 weeks.


Well, they at least have addressed the problem of a D-corps that was solid on the right side and absolutely abhorrent on the left. There are still some freakin' boat anchors on the blueline, but at least it's not a contender for worst D in the league anymore.

As far as other issues, they definitely took a hit overall in losing O'Reilly, but appear to be using the trade and cap space to fill out a more balanced roster. The test will be if Soderberg can handle tough minutes playing alongside Landeskog. I'm told Grigorenko has some good two-way ability as well, but obviously he hasn't proven he can play in the NHL at all yet.

Bottom line though this is a team that still doesn't quite have a strong farm system. I think they're doing a pretty solid job of fixing that but it ain't gonna happen overnight. The key this year will be to eradicate the garbage off the roster as best they can (Cliche, Guenin, Holden, Stuart) and incorporate what little talent is waiting on the farm.

But possibly the biggest question will be if Roy has matured as a coach. He finally had to admit his M2M system wasn't cutting it in the NHL, certainly not with the garbage defense he had. He tweaked it and it worked for a little bit, but overall he should be incorporating more aggressive tactics. He went from being a fearless gambler his first season to Claude Noel-level conservative, though I am going to assume that he absolutely deplored that style and will switch to a more attacking style this upcoming season.


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PostPosted: Wed Jul 01, 2015 3:40 pm 
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I can't help but think Comeau was signed to allow Roy some flexibility with Rantanen.


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PostPosted: Wed Jul 01, 2015 5:24 pm 
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As per Rick Sadowski, Avs qualify the following RFAs:

Stefan Elliott
Mikhail Grigorenko
Andrew Agozzino
Sami Aittokallio
Mat Clark
Freddie Hamilton (Dougie's bro)
Calvin Pickard

The only notable ones IMO are Elliott, Grigorenko, and Pickard. Actually quite pleased they kept Stef as I feared they were going to let him walk for nothing. He still is likely to move elsewhere but at least it won't be for squat.

Pickard did reasonably well for the Avs once Varly and Berra both went down with injuries. Definitely benefited from Allaire's tutelage. No idea where Aittokallio fits in, but he's definitely fallen off the rails in terms of development.

And I assume with those qualifiers in addition to the earlier one made for Joey Hishon, that means Mitchell Heard and Tomas Vincour are following Jordan Caron out the door.


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PostPosted: Fri Jul 03, 2015 12:49 pm 
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I just read Andre Tourigny was officially named as an assistant in Ottawa. Roy has still not named a replacement. I've heard Benoit Groulx's name bandied about, but take that with a grain of salt.


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PostPosted: Tue Jul 07, 2015 6:35 pm 
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Avs hire former Leafs assistant Dave Farrish to replace Andre Tourigny.

http://www.denverpost.com/avalanche/ci_ ... coach-2015

New video coach hired as well but I've already forgotten his name.


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PostPosted: Fri Jul 10, 2015 3:08 pm 
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I just hate shit like this.

http://www.denverpost.com/avalanche/ci_ ... wn-way-pro

The NCAA needs to buy a clue. They could afford to.


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PostPosted: Tue Jul 21, 2015 3:22 pm 
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Avs renew their affiliation with the Fort Wayne Comets Komets. That was up in the air for a while.

Still super-bummed the Cutthroats folded as quickly as they did.


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PostPosted: Tue Aug 11, 2015 1:20 pm 
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Interesting...the new rumored Stadium Series jersey isn't for that at all, but actually a new third jersey.

http://www.icethetics.co/blog/2015/8/11 ... on-the-way

I dig it, but still wish they'd change the home/away sweaters.


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PostPosted: Tue Aug 11, 2015 2:51 pm 
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They should have gone a little more down-home, and put what CO is now really known for: A pot leaf. They could have trolled the Maple Leafs and used a similar jersey with a pot leaf.

Would an Avalanche of pot leaves be more appropriate to their name?

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PostPosted: Mon Aug 17, 2015 1:09 pm 
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A rather insightful entry that reminds us Avs fans that while the team did reasonably well this offseason, last offseason's biggest mistake is still on the roster.

http://www.milehighhockey.com/2015/8/17 ... rad-stuart


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PostPosted: Fri Sep 18, 2015 1:10 am 
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Avs offer PTOs to Andrej Meszaros and Jack Skille. Fine by me--both would be improvements on some of last year's players


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PostPosted: Tue Sep 22, 2015 5:43 pm 
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Erik Johnson, heading into the last year of his current deal, has reportedly signed an extension.

http://www.milehighhockey.com/2015/9/22 ... -avalanche

Nice not to have to worry about that anymore. Hope he can build upon last season's performance, which was absolutely stellar.


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PostPosted: Wed Sep 23, 2015 11:49 am 
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Johnson's new extension (yes, I know): 7 years, $6 million AAV and salary.

So there you have it. Neither frontloaded nor backloaded. Not sure yet if there's trade protection or not.


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PostPosted: Wed Sep 23, 2015 12:03 pm 
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The AAV is reasonable, but they had to give him an extra year or two.

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PostPosted: Wed Sep 23, 2015 1:32 pm 
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E.L. wrote:
The AAV is reasonable, but they had to give him an extra year or two.


Yeah, even so he'll be around 35 when the deal ends I think, which sounds about right.

Next up for re-up: Nathan MacKinnon. This upcoming season will decide quite a bit.

Preseason opener against the Ducks ended up being a barnburner. Avs won in OT. Hard not to get at least a little excited at this point.


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