Hi guys. Relatively new here as a poster but been around the boards for a bit. Die hard AVs fan here and I must say I could tell it was coming but today when I saw we lost my heart sunk and I felt horrible. It's sad knowing we have to wait so long till next season.
Anyways I wanted to create a thread on things you all think we should change for next year. Things like coaches, players etc. Also who you realistically think we might trade for or acquire. Keeping in mind that Sherman trades usually come out of nowhere
A few things I would like to see changed are rather small but maybe some of you agree...
1. I think our team focuses to much on the past. We have these pictures of Sakic and the glory days and I also think his locker is kept in the locker room for nostalgia or something like that. I would like this team to start focusing on making their own statements and carving out their own place in history. I'm just not a big glory days guy.
2. Step 2 of this is a new Jersey redesign. I think our jerseys are dated. I love the logo and colors but just an updated design would go a long way. Also our third jersey is just ugly. I'd like to see them bring in a black armor 3rd with the yeti foot print as the main logo and put the A's on the shoulders. I just think that would be so legit.
3. This would also mean bring the yeti back. I hate that dog Bernie I think and I know I am not into nostalgia but the yeti is an awesome beast and I think we need our players to become little beasts on the ice. Now thats a great mascot.
4- do what we can for Parise. I love Suter but I am a firm believer in Parise being better for us over Suter. I would freak out if we could get him. Also bringing in someone like a boedker or someone like that instead of Jones would be amazing.
Well these are a few things I'd love to see change.
5. Forgot one. I live in California but I hear that ticket prices are ridiculous in Colorado. I think the prices should be lowered if that is the case. We need some sellouts and there is nothing better than a packed house...
1. I think the fans focus on the past because of how much better it was and we were than we are now. Right now, we have missed the playoffs three of our last 4 years, and the year we made it, we got bundled out on the first round. It's really difficult to find positives with such an inconsistent, habitual loser - and right now, that's what we have.
2. Jerseys. Happy either way. Just means more for my collection, which is always a good thing.
3. Bernie vs Yeti in a caged Hell in a Cell match to decide? Bare knuckled brawl.
4. If people think any marquee blue chip player in the primes of their career's (Weber, Suter, Parise etc etc etc) would consider a team who only knows how to lose, has the lowest payroll, the youngest team, a putrid coach, and an extremely poor owner who won't spend, then they are kidding themselves.
Honestly, we'll struggle to keep our UFA players in Hejduk (he'll stay, or retire), Jones, McClement & O'Brien - I'm ok with Hunwick/Mcleod going. These players have the opportunity of shedding a losing culture and potentially going to a winner. Heck, if I were McClement, I'd be getting my manager to call Hitchcock, to see if I could get a spot back in St Louis.
5. I'm Australian. Imagine how I feel. It would cost me around $6,000 to watch a game live.
My things to change:-
+ I was a Sacco advocate at one, but he's crap. Plain and simple. He couldn't inspire a pig to eat. Get rid of him.
+ Stan Kroenke and his brood, Lacroix and his brood, and all the other waste of space guys in their ivory towers.
+ Marketing and communication. Anything would be better than nothing, so the only way is up, here.
+ Set a higher standard. I'm sick of, "oooh, we hope we scrape into the play-offs for experience". Man up, and win the thing.
+ Stop the flipping dump and chase ! OMG, why has this been our system for the past 1/2 a decade?
+ Play specialist centers, at center. Don't throw them on the wing, because you lack other options.
+ Communicate with your players. Mueller today said (and I understand where he's coming from - he just got 7 points in his last 10 games) that he had NO idea why he was scratched. Either do I Peter, don't worry. I'm also sick of players (Quincey, Brunette, Lappy, Anderson & co. taking parting shots at us when they leave about the lack of communication). Hell, I've written two letters to Sherman, and have received nada in response. The blokes a swine.
+ Key injuries cruelled us again, but these dreaded Joe Sacco style losing streaks (heck, we've hit 4 straight right now) are boring, ordinary and useless.
+ DON'T give up your 1st rounder. Seriously, just don't.
Do these things, and we MAY see slight improvement. Our players over achieved this year, so I fear a regression next season. There needs to be a complete cultural overhaul. You would have thought we'd won today listenning to Sacco on Mile High. Disgusting.
All valid points imo... sad thing is these issues have been outstanding for quite awhile (especially marketing/communication!).. really looking forward to this offseason when the CBA is sorted, mainly so we can finally ascertain whether the Avs penchant for not spending was prudent and smart or really just an excuse to be cheap. In turn should be interesting to see how aggressive the front office will be in the offseason to re-establish the standards the Avs used to set in going for the cup or bust.
I don't feel like the Avs have in anyway overachieved, more so finishing as pegged by most..there is light for next season as you can see the potential for good things to happen with the nucleus developing
I sort of agree with Drizzt1 on point 4, but at the same time, I want to qualify that a bit.
It's certainly true that as a "blue chip" player, you're not necessarily looking to head from somewhere that's really on the up and up (like New Jersey or Nashvile) to a team that is still completing a rebuilding process and hasn't really started to show a winning spark just yet. Even if you're offered big bucks, that's probably not something you really want to do. After all, look at the pay CUTS that multiple players took to come to the Avalanche back in the golden days because winning was what was important to them.
But at the same time, I don't think that this Avalanche team is far away from the winning years. Granted, I don't think we're going to see a return to outright dominance like the team had going from 96-05, but we're not far off from seeing a winning Avs team that is a playoff team. In fact, I don't see why playoffs couldn't be a realistic possibility next year. And, a blue chip player could really help that cause a lot. After all, we just saw a Denver team add a sure blue chip player a week ago and all of a sudden, they are the talk of the league. They certainly were not a highlight, hotshot team by any means, but they have a decent nucleus.
And that brings me to why the Avs could potentially have a shot at a Parise. The Avalanche already have a solid nucleus. I think that what would put the team over the top could very well be the addition of just one really huge name. Compare these two teams:
If you subtract out the first two players from the first team, (and keep in mind that one certain somebody would be way at the top of that list as well) how different are the points for the players on each of these teams?
And that, in short is what the Avs lack. A bona fide superstar. Now, Landeskog could very well be one in the future, but that is a few years off. Now, if you could also get a hold of a few more pieces: a couple or three 30-40 point producers, you could all of a sudden make the team more attractive to a superstar as well. And fortunately, the Avs have money on hand to do that. Whether they actually do or not is a whole separate issue, but they do theoretically have the potential to do so.
It all starts at the top with ownership, and it just isn't there for this team. Plain and simple. Kroenke is more interested in starting a sports empire than to win a championship.
4. If people think any marquee blue chip player in the primes of their career's (Weber, Suter, Parise etc etc etc) would consider a team who only knows how to lose, has the lowest payroll, the youngest team, a putrid coach, and an extremely poor owner who won't spend, then they are kidding themselves.
Really? The Owner is willing to spend. It's the GM who isn't.
1. Fire Sacco: Bring in a new coach that brings with him a actual system and get rid of the dump-and-chase styl that has been in place for too long. I feel like the players are also losing faith in him and as a result their confidence is dropping.
2. Resign Core: No brainer. Lock up the core RFAs this summer to 3+ year contracts depending on performance and contract amounts.
3. Free Agency: Bring in help. Nows the time to spend and bring in help on the wing and/or defense with a big signing. We have plenty of space to do it.
I think the core of this team has the talent to get back into contention soon. We have done a great job of drafting and bringing in some nice pieces through trades (McGinn and Downie). Now it's time to bring in help through free agencies to push us to the next level. To not spend more this offseason is giving every other team out there an advantage. We just need a coach with experience to push us to the next level.
Our dmen have combined for 109 pts. That is pathetic...not even the 150 minimum.
The Avs had puck moving smallish, fast d-men who would put up alot of points prior to this year, that didn't work out as well because the team gave up the most goals in the league.
They sacrificed the offense from the blue line by getting rid of those smaller d-men who could put up points and brought in bigger, slower, tougher d-men to get better on D.
You could say they did actually improve on D a little bit this year, and over all this year was better than last year, but still the team is gonna miss the playoffs.
If Avs can somehow get a guy like Suter next year, they'll make the playoffs.
A new coaching staff. Sacco doesnt need to get fired he just doesnt need to be resigned. The unfortunate thing about that is who would we hire? I want a system. Im tired of seeing ALL our D get the green light to go in the offensive zone its cost us too many games this season. As far as im concerned the only guys who should have the green light are Johnson, Hunwick, Barrie and Elliott. Hejda, ROB and especially SOB have no business behind the opposition goal lines as far as im concerned. The captaincy also needs to be reso;ved this offseason if Hejduk retires. None of this we will wait to see who emerges crap. Give it to Johnson, ROR or Lando and be done with it.
A new coaching staff. Sacco doesnt need to get fired he just doesnt need to be resigned. The unfortunate thing about that is who would we hire? I want a system. Im tired of seeing ALL our D get the green light to go in the offensive zone its cost us too many games this season. As far as im concerned the only guys who should have the green light are Johnson, Hunwick, Barrie and Elliott. Hejda, ROB and especially SOB have no business behind the opposition goal lines as far as im concerned. The captaincy also needs to be reso;ved this offseason if Hejduk retires. None of this we will wait to see who emerges crap. Give it to Johnson, ROR or Lando and be done with it.
If next year they ice the exact same team Hejduk as the captain again and Sacco behind the bench, it's gonna be more of the same like this year. They will try hard and still miss the playoffs.
If next year they ice the exact same team Hejduk as the captain again and Sacco behind the bench, it's gonna be more of the same like this year. They will try hard and still miss the playoffs.
I can't see Hejduk wanting to come back after this season unless he was hiding an injury. I hate to say it but he was awful these last couple of months.
Really? The Owner is willing to spend. It's the GM who isn't.
That doesn't even make sense. What reason would a GM have NOT to spend money? When a team is at the cap floor for three straight years, it's not the GM, it's the owner.
That doesn't even make sense. What reason would a GM have NOT to spend money? When a team is at the cap floor for three straight years, it's not the GM, it's the owner.
That one had me scratching my head, too. Mind you, I don't think Greg from Accounting would go crazy and spend to the cap, because he has a long-term vision in mind which involves keeping our core together. At the same time, I am sure he would have liked to add an additional veteran or two through free agency or trades, in addition to Hejda and Kobasew. None the less, I am fine with the approach which has been taken.
Since the draft, out went JM Liles, Kyle Cumiskey, Kyle Quincey, Daniel Winnik, TJ Galiardi, Peter Budaj, Brian Eliott; in came Jan Hejda, Shane O'Brien, Jamie McGinn, Steve Downie, Chuck Kobasew, JS Giguere, Semyon Varlamov.
Since the draft, out went JM Liles, Kyle Cumiskey, Kyle Quincey, Daniel Winnik, TJ Galiardi, Peter Budaj, Brian Eliott; in came Jan Hejda, Shane O'Brien, Jamie McGinn, Steve Downie, Chuck Kobasew, JS Giguere, Semyon Varlamov.
The difference in quality isn't subtle.
Plus the additions of Erik Johnson, Jay McClement, and Ryan O'Byrne throughout last season.
That doesn't even make sense. What reason would a GM have NOT to spend money? When a team is at the cap floor for three straight years, it's not the GM, it's the owner.
Because there is no CBA yet and they have only been at the cap floor for 2 years. Plus they have to re-sign all the young guys.
Totally agree with the_fan about D-Men and I agree with TPS.
This team is on the right track, and they made the right offseason moves on defense. Call me old fashioned, but I like defensemen who actually play defense. The defense's job is to minimize GA, not increase GF. Let's not forget, the Avs last year were not too bad at scoring goals... the problem was Swiss Cheese goaltending and terrible defense. In fact, the Avs were worst int he league with 288 goals against, 19 more than any other team. And, there is absoultely no question as to which team was better.
Really, while there's still more that can be done with the defense, like signing Suter, forwards are what are needed most. The Avs are 14th this year in goals against/game, but 24th in goals for/game (while being 7th in the league in shots!) I've said it elsewhere on this forum that the Avs' main problem this year has been finishing. You shouldn't average 2 more shots per game than your opponents yet fail to make the playoffs.
That's why I would say you can even keep the defense exactly as is as long as there are additions up front. For the Avs, Parise>Suter.
Totally agree with the_fan about D-Men and I agree with TPS.
This team is on the right track, and they made the right offseason moves on defense. Call me old fashioned, but I like defensemen who actually play defense. The defense's job is to minimize GA, not increase GF. Let's not forget, the Avs last year were not too bad at scoring goals... the problem was Swiss Cheese goaltending and terrible defense. In fact, the Avs were worst int he league with 288 goals against, 19 more than any other team. And, there is absoultely no question as to which team was better.
Really, while there's still more that can be done with the defense, like signing Suter, forwards are what are needed most. The Avs are 14th this year in goals against/game, but 24th in goals for/game (while being 7th in the league in shots!) I've said it elsewhere on this forum that the Avs' main problem this year has been finishing. You shouldn't average 2 more shots per game than your opponents yet fail to make the playoffs.
That's why I would say you can even keep the defense exactly as is as long as there are additions up front. For the Avs, Parise>Suter.
Age related. The Younger players will start to realize that they have more time than they think and concentrate on putting the puck in the net instead of desperately flailing at it. It's a good thing that we have no trouble creating scoring chances.
I would be ecstatic if we picked up Parise or Suter but won't be butthurt if we miss out. I am confident that we will be a playoff team next year.
) how different are the points for the players on each of these teams?
