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PostPosted: Fri Apr 05, 2019 2:16 pm 
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Whew. Cannot believe they went out of their way to make this one interesting (a goddamn too many men penalty in the final minute-and-a-half in a tie game where you HAVE to get a point!?!?) but in the end...they made it!!!! But not before Winnipeg was one post and a insane scramble in front of the net away from winning it in regulation.

In a weird way, getting that penalty allowed the Avs to win it. Because they killed the 4-on-3 penalty and there was never a stoppage in play, which meant it was 4-on-4. Sure enough, MacKinnon and Johnson get a 2-on-1 and EJ puts it away for the win.

The good news is, as Bednar joked, they didn't wait until the final game of the season to make it in. :lol:

Now we see if they can leapfrog the Stars. I doubt it happens as they have to enter the House of Horrors, aka the Shark Tank, where they never win. And I'm guessing they might sit a couple guys.


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PostPosted: Sat Apr 06, 2019 10:55 am 
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I hope they whoop some ass!

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PostPosted: Tue Apr 09, 2019 12:07 pm 
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Draft Lottery show TONIGHT! Thank the Hockey Gods the league came to their senses and didn't do another lame playoff intermission show like last year.

Avs may not get the first overall pick, in fact there's only an 18.5% chance they do. Either/or, they'll have a shot at a very, very good player even if it falls to #4, and the trade is still an unmitigated success. That said, if it falls outside the top two it'll still be a huge bummer.

Just...please...not goddamn Edmonton again. ANYONE but them.


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PostPosted: Tue Apr 09, 2019 12:13 pm 
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I'll add it's a grand irony that in the newfangled lottery system that screwed the Epic Fail Avs out of first overall (thanks Buffalo) landed them 4th overall which may have yielded them the best player in that draft (personally I think Pettersson will still be the best player from the Class of 2017 when all is said and done but I'm suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuper excited to see Makar do his thang). Unfortunately I do not think getting 4th overall will have the same effect this time around. Watching Jack Hughes live sold me on the kid 100%.


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PostPosted: Tue Apr 09, 2019 10:55 pm 
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And the transaction is now complete. The Avs unfortunately get screwed by the lottery gods again for the 2nd time in 3 years, and the Devils win it once again. Taylor Hall has some major juju that we just didn't know about.

I won't lie, I'm pretty frustrated. Even though they keep telling us the odds of it happening are slim to none, this is the second time in three tries since they implemented the new rules that one of the teams near the bottom of the list made an absolutely MASSIVE jump into the top three. I'm just relieved Chicago won't be getting Hughes or Kaako. Seeing Hughes live here in Nebraska just sold me on the kid. He's going to be an absolute BLAST to watch.

That said...it seems really greedy of me to look at this Duchene deal as anything other than a massive success. In addition to a player that has a decent chance of being an elite talent, the Avs got Sam Girard, Vladislav Kamenev, and they still also get the Sens' third rounder. They parlayed the 2nd they got from Nashville as part of the deal to get Philipp Grubauer. Girard has already proven at just 20 years of age he's a top four defenseman, and Kamenev, if he can just stay healthy, may yet be an excellent two-way depth forward. It's a massive win no matter how you look at it, especially considering that the team that traded for Duchene doesn't even have him any longer.

It should also be added that the Avs didn't exactly get a bad player the last time they fell in the lottery, so...

So it turns out our dreams of Jack Hughes or Kaapo Kaako in an Avs sweater must end. The pick, depending on who the Blackhawks select, could be winger Vasili Podkolzin, center Kirby Dach, center Dylan Cozens, or defenseman Bowen Byram. I'm fairly confident in saying they will go with a forward, but we'll see. Based on what I've read on each player, I'm pulling for them to select Cozens.


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PostPosted: Mon Apr 15, 2019 3:29 pm 
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In other news, the Avs' brand-new AHL affiliate, the Colorado Eagles, qualified for the playoffs this weekend. And like the parent club, they had to bounce an Arizona team to do it.

The Utah Grizzlies also made the postseason, so that means the Avalanche organization has all three professional teams in the playoffs, and I think that makes them the 7th club in the NHL to accomplish that.

An amazing run by the Eagles that doesn't get talked about enough. They've been in three different leagues (CHL, ECHL, AHL) and have made the postseason in every one. I can't verify it yet but I believe they've made it to the playoffs every single year of their existence.


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PostPosted: Mon Apr 15, 2019 3:42 pm 
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Pokecheque wrote:
In other news, the Avs' brand-new AHL affiliate, the Colorado Eagles, qualified for the playoffs this weekend. And like the parent club, they had to bounce an Arizona team to do it.


Has Nic Meloche worked his way back into prospect conversation? Always liked that kid.

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PostPosted: Mon Apr 15, 2019 4:37 pm 
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E.L. wrote:
Has Nic Meloche worked his way back into prospect conversation? Always liked that kid.


You're not the only one. Had a strong season with the Eagles and stands to make the team out of camp next season. He had an up-and-down season in Loveland but I believe he's a top pairing guy for them now. He's a big, defensively-minded guy with a heavy shot and is right-handed, I just feel like (and maybe it's just because he's also Quebecois) that he's destined to be Sam Girard's defensive partner going forward.

The question will be if there is an opening to be had. Nemeth hits UFA this summer and he's likely gone (he better be), Zadorov had a pretty contentious contract negotiation two years ago and I doubt he'll play at a discount, so it comes down to what the Avs want to pay for a talented, big, physical defenseman with some serious consistency issues. Then there's Ryan Graves, who's a great bottom pairing guy with a big shot. Barberio is signed for next season but I don't think he's on the roster next season, either gets waived or traded.

The only guys we know for sure will be back next season are Barrie, Johnson, Girard, Cole, and Makar. And of course Barrie is entering the final year of his contract and trade talk is already at a fevered pitch. Personally, I think they should be looking to deal Erik Johnson. He just looks like he's beginning to show the signs of what could be a very serious decline. He's almost 30 and has suffered quite a few injuries so it shouldn't be surprising. But he has the ol' NTC to worry about so that limits things.

Long post, but here's my prediction: Meloche starts the season in Loveland, ends it in Denver. If he does indeed make it to the NHL that'll be such a huge win for the Avs oft-maligned developmental staff. He had stints with both the AHL and ECHL previously.


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PostPosted: Mon Apr 15, 2019 4:51 pm 
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Oh, and then there's also a guy by the name of Conor Timmins who could still yet be an impact player in the NHL, but he's had lingering concussion symptoms for well over a year now. That's not a good sign at all. Avs remember all too well how a concussion essentially ended the career of a top prospect (Joey Hishon) before it even started. In any event, he's probably gonna need at least a year in the AHL, if not longer, but that clock doesn't start until he's actually ready to play.


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PostPosted: Thu Apr 18, 2019 4:01 pm 
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BTW, I'll politely disagree somewhat that the Flames are just laying down in this one. No, they're not playing their best hockey, but the Avs are also making some great adjustments. Someone pointed this out on HF, and I think it's an apt analysis.

Bednar has gotten some flack about not being great at on-the-fly tactical changes, but he did just that in game 4. Peters set up a trap to slow the Avs down and for an extended period, it worked to perfection. They stymied the Avs' attack and then sent their forecheckers to rain hell on the Avs' d-men who had real trouble getting the puck out of the zone. But then, Bednar used the one weapon that can break a trap and started double-shifting Barrie and Makar, and also put the right-handed Makar on the left side. The effect this had is that they couldn't just pin bodies along the boards to stop breakouts, and the speed and passing ability both guys have forced the Flames back, and if you give the Avs' top producers room, they'll make you pay. As a result, the trap busted and the Avs once again began pouring it on.

Some people said playing Makar for what could have ended up being as little as 2-3 games, burn a year of the deal and also risk exposing him in the expansion draft was a bad idea. No one is saying that right now. I'll admit I wasn't thrilled about it at first but anticipation ultimately won out.

I will say this about Treliving's plan thus far and the decision to not really tank it. They've missed out on getting at least one more superstar IMO, which was compounded even further by losing a high first rounder (which either ended up being Noah Dobson or Oliver Wahlstrom, I can't remember) and other acquisitions like James Neal are not bearing fruit as of yet. There's still hope yet, I still think Valimaki will be a star and Monahan, when healthy, is as good a top line center as you can ask for. And I DO think Johnny Hockey can make waves in the playoffs but right now he just doesn't have any help. But I do think they may end up regretting not getting one more major piece. Time will tell--they're not done yet, and this would not be the first or even the second time the Avs blew a 3-1 series lead.


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PostPosted: Thu Apr 18, 2019 4:05 pm 
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Here's some irony for ya. Bednar actually has more experience as an NHL head coach in the playoffs than Peters. :laugh:


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PostPosted: Thu Apr 18, 2019 5:05 pm 
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Here's an example of trap-busting. Makar finds a seam, makes a PERFECT stretch pass and Rantanen gets a clean shot at Smith.

https://twitter.com/AvalancheReview/sta ... 9773716481


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PostPosted: Thu Apr 25, 2019 12:08 pm 
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Bummer...the Colorado Eagles are down 2-1 in a best of five against the Bakersfield Condors (aka, the Baby Oilers). They try to stave off elimination this Saturday.

The Eagles have gotten solid contributions defensively and in goal (new addition from overseas Pavel Francouz is likely taking Varlamov's place with the Avs next year, unless he bolts and gets a better offer this offseason, which is entirely possible) but have never gotten on-track offensively. Hopefully that changes with a whole slew of prospects set to join the team next season.


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PostPosted: Tue Apr 30, 2019 12:47 pm 
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I'm reading online that Sven Andrighetto is set to join the KHL...kinda strange that this would be coming out now of all times.


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