I think AB hit it right on the head when he said he may very well be the Avs best defensive d-man. This is a very good signing.
Not even close. ROB and Hejda are ahead of him at this point in his career.
He's not bad, but he's pretty clearly a backup option that will fight with SOB in camp and be used as an injury fill in or an added dimension on the 3rd pairing if we let SOB Orr it up a bit.
Maybe Peter Chiarelli got on the phone to Sherman, and said:
"Hey, you know how you took Hunwick off our hands, and we ended up winning a Stanley Cup. Is there any chance we can dump Greg Zanon onto you, so we can buy some GOOD defensemen as well, and do something NEXT season?".
So they go from almost signing 6'4" 237 lb mean nasty, willing to scrap anyone Matt Carkner, to an average sized 5'11" 201 lb Zanon who isn't very physical at all. Zanon had 18 PIMS in 56 games last year. Carkner put up 136 PIMS in 50 games a couple seasons ago.
What are the Avs going for here? Anyone they can find that can't score? I feel a Bouwmeester trade for Wilson and Sgarbossa coming on.
Zanon is a quality NHL defensemen though. If Hejda, SoB, Wilson etc. struggle again like they did last year they can be sat or role diminished by Hunwick/Zanon. Carkner could not take minutes for Hejda it would be mental. Zanon, Hejda, RoB, and EJ sounds like a very good PK unit as well.
EJ still needs a partner though. As of now, it looks like Hejda will be paired again with EJ to start the season
Not even close. ROB and Hejda are ahead of him at this point in his career.
He's not bad, but he's pretty clearly a backup option that will fight with SOB in camp and be used as an injury fill in or an added dimension on the 3rd pairing if we let SOB Orr it up a bit.
Lol you guys sure do like to build guys up. First Jay McClement is some sort of defensive/PK DEMIGOD who is WORTH TWICE the amount he eventually got as a UFA and now Ryan O'Byrne is a defensive stalwart??
I like Hejda and RoB just fine but Zanon is at least as good as those guys defensively. You can believe what you want.
I feel bad for this dude. We are underwhelmed with his signing, but watch him be a tough, shot blocking, PKing menace for us. He's not a bad player at all.
I feel bad for this dude. We are underwhelmed with his signing, but watch him be a tough, shot blocking, PKing menace for us. He's not a bad player at all.
I agree. I think he'll end up being liked, while guys like SOB and maybe Wilson (depending which version we get) will be goats.
we didnt have him for long, but I liked him. im sure its been said but he is a good shot blocker and decent hitter. you can feel comfortable with him on the ice... will be a good 2nd or 3rd pairing dman
between him and PAP you guys look like you guys are gonna be in good shape this year.
Maybe Peter Chiarelli got on the phone to Sherman, and said:
"Hey, you know how you took Hunwick off our hands, and we ended up winning a Stanley Cup. Is there any chance we can dump Greg Zanon onto you, so we can buy some GOOD defensemen as well, and do something NEXT season?".
Sherman replies. "Yes sir, where do I sign".
Hunwick was pretty brutal post-trade but to be fair he was a breath of fresh air last season. The team needs transition and Hunwick provides it, he's a good bottom pairing option. Zanon is a defensive upgrade to pretty much everyone on the blue line with the exception of EJ possibly, the Zanon signing is great. We have redundancy in terms of O'Brien, Wilson, etc., but Zanon is a step above in defensive quality. Keep Zanon (obviously) and get rid some of the excess via some transaction that makes sense...strongly expect a trade in upcoming days.
I think there will be a trade. Like I said yesterday, Jan Hejda could be a candidate. Again, while he had a solid(ish) year, he's 34 and was -17.
As evidenced by a number of signings today - Souray at 3.66, Allen at 3.5, Kuba at 4.0 - I doubt a team desperate for defense will have any qualms about paying Hejda 3.25 for a few seasons. Even though I don't think it's the best idea, remove Hejda from the picture and Greg Zanon at 2.25 million isn't looking so strange, is it?
I think Sherman has a few defensive upgrades in mind and wants to keep his options open, so he signed a solid depth guy that he knows will be useful no matter what ends up happening. Maybe I'm wrong, but I'll be shocked if Colorado goes into the season with the seven veteran defensemen they have signed/hold the rights to.
Zanon is a quality NHL defensemen though. If Hejda, SoB, Wilson etc. struggle again like they did last year they can be sat or role diminished by Hunwick/Zanon. Carkner could not take minutes for Hejda it would be mental. Zanon, Hejda, RoB, and EJ sounds like a very good PK unit as well.
EJ still needs a partner though. As of now, it looks like Hejda will be paired again with EJ to start the season
Oh I won't argue that Zanon is a better defenseman. Was just trying to figure out how they went from Carkner to Zanon for the same role.
Yeah, seriously, let's be extremely thankful we ended up with Zanon as opposed to Carkner. Zanon can actually play.
Oh don't worry I'm extremely grateful we ended up getting Zanon, but the problem is we have one # 1-2 dman and a big void and a bunch of 5-6-7( ok maybe we have a#4 hidden in there) I like our depth, but missing one big piece lets hope Shermy has something cooking.
Redundant signing, even with Hejda being on the shelf to start the year potentially. Not sure what we're doing with our D, but it's kind of embarrassing.
Redundant signing, even with Hejda being on the shelf to start the year potentially. Not sure what we're doing with our D, but it's kind of embarrassing.
I came in here specifically to see if you were "not crazy about the signing"
Not even close. ROB and Hejda are ahead of him at this point in his career.
Are ahead of him at what?
Hejda? I can be on board with that, because in the last 30 games of last season, Hejda's defensive play was wholly acceptable. But, O'B?
Ryan O'Byrne is a decent depth player, and an easy guy to pull for. He plays about the same decent game every night, is reasonably positioned most shifts, and doesn't hurt the team in most cases. I like him...
<pause>
...when he's playing against depth lines or killing penalties, when his lack of mobility doesn't hurt him.
O'Byrne is a really slow and relatively non-mobile hockey player. I'm not trying to produce criticism out of pixie dust, but he's just limited in that way. Which is a big deal, when defending top offensive players. The man simply cannot play top D-line minutes, unless they're on the PK.
In short, I do not believe he is the equal of either Hejda or Zanon defenisvely.
