GDT: Game 1: Avs @ Rangers - Thursday, October 5th, 5pm MT - We Get Hockey Again!

[StayAtHomeAv]

https://www.nhl.com/avalanche/news/avalanche-rangers-preview/c-291598506

Player to Watch

Colorado
Defenseman Nikita Zadorov
Colorado's physical, hard-hitting defenseman missed the final 25 games of the season with a broken ankle. Zadorov still finished first on the team with 153 hits, which was tied for ninth among NHL defensemen at the time of his injury. Now entering his fifth pro campaign, Zadorov will be one of the Avs' top blueliners and heavily relied on as part of a defensive corps that's been infiltrated by a lot of youth.




Gonna be hard to watch him tonight

 

[Avs91]

https://www.nhl.com/avalanche/news/avalanche-rangers-preview/c-291598506

Player to Watch

Colorado
Defenseman Nikita Zadorov
Colorado's physical, hard-hitting defenseman missed the final 25 games of the season with a broken ankle. Zadorov still finished first on the team with 153 hits, which was tied for ninth among NHL defensemen at the time of his injury. Now entering his fifth pro campaign, Zadorov will be one of the Avs' top blueliners and heavily relied on as part of a defensive corps that's been infiltrated by a lot of youth.




Gonna be hard to watch him tonight

Avs' Twitter linked this story... he's scratched right? #wtfisgoingon

 

[StayAtHomeAv]

Correct

 

[Bender]

Scratching Z? GD you Bednar. My excitement level for tonight went down quite a bit. Barberio on the top pariring... oof...

Yup and I'm sure a lot of guys on that roster just got a 'deflating' feeling as well.

Bednar gonna Bednar.

 

[Pokecheque]

What the f***!? Zads is scratched!?

 

[CobraAcesS]

Of course there's a difference between being in shape and being in hockey shape but I don't know if that's actually the case here. He's not sucking wind out there.

The reason I have an issue with this is Patrik Nemeth. Guy has been here less than a week and gets a top-4 look on opening night while Z is scratched? Are you kidding me? That's why I don't like this nor do I agree.

It goes back to what I said in the Nemeth thread about favouring a waiver pickup over your own internal options. It sends the wrong message and IMO, does NOTHING positive.

This is exactly the problem I brought up before about Bednar. He thinks he needs to be more strict with the players, yet there are all sorts of exceptions to the rule in actual practice. Waiver pickups, former stars, etc.. When asked what he learned from last season as a coach, his first thought is to talk about how the players are lazy fat asses.

I'm not sure how he can think benching Z, and then playing a guy who hasn't practiced with the team isn't being a total f***ing hypocrite.

~ Jared Bednar, vacuous imperātōrem

 

[Vaslof]

Claiming someone from the waivers who you aren't going to play would be stupid too.

 

[Avs_19]

Waivers guy on the top pairing, waivers guy on the second pairing, two rookies on the third pairing, Zadorov healthy scratched, and Duchene still sounding miserable as ever.

Happy new season, Avs fans! Enjoy.

 

[JLo217]

I'm tuned out already. Thank goodness its dry fly fishing season and Kokanee season.

 

[Raucherhusten]

It's getting harder and harder to defend Bednar if he makes decisions like this. Scratching a guy like Zad for someone who's on the roster for 2 focking days is kind of unacceptable. And usually i'm not on the "Bash Bednar Train" but it looks like i'm getting there.

 

[dahrougem2]

Claiming someone from the waivers who you aren't going to play would be stupid too.

Not really. Let the player you claimed from waivers get acclimated to the team in practice and used to the guys. Don't healthy scratch the young defensemen who was here all last season and has the highest ceiling out of all defensemen on this team in favour of a guy who has been here less than a week.

 

[InjuredChoker]

lol, bednar.

maybe zadorov actually really isn't in shape but after last season, i think the more likely option is that bednar just went full bednar.

bucs-pats just to #1 on my priority list for the day.

 

[dahrougem2]

lol, bednar.

maybe zadorov actually really isn't in shape but after last season, i think the more likely option is that bednar just went full bednar.

The Bednar Blender is out in full force prior to the start of game 1

 

[RoyIsALegend]

Time to discipline Zadorov and make an example of him.

God, we are such a train wreck. Game 1 hasn't started and we are already a laughing stock.

 

[Bubba Thudd]

Avs' Twitter linked this story... he's scratched right? #wtfisgoingon

 

[hawk30]

It's a long season, guys. Chill out.

 

[rmthomson21]

One would think that the objective would be to develop players who will be impactful down the line... scratching Zadorov is not a good start. Not freaking out, but if this is what's setting the tone for the season, I'm not loving the approach.

Not worried about wins this season - of course I want the team to be fun to watch, but that aside, continuing forward with this sort of stuff is a good way to keep a team in the basement.

 

[LieutenantDangle]

It's alright everybody. I've solved today's riddle: Bednar is scratching Zadorov until Duchene gets traded, because he doesn't want other teams running our star players in retaliation of Zadorov's bone crushing hits on their own star players.... So obvious, I can't believe it took me this long to figure out

for the slower folks out there the implicit argument is that any trade would be dissolved if duchene got injured from a retaliation cheap shot

 

[Avs91]

Not that Zadorov's feelings are the most important part of the equation, and I realize it's game 1, but it's a little disconcerting to me. Especially when it's the guy who just barley managed to sign a contract, says he wants to stay in the NHL, but then kind of gets last minute 'snaked' of his spot by a waiver pick up? Not cool if you ask me...

 

[Bubba Thudd]

Kinda hard to believe that Bednar truly thinks Nemeth is a better option then Zadorov tonight.

 

[Balthazar]

The team got rid of all the trouble makers from last year and if they scratch Z and Soda they must have a reason. The truth is, we have no idea about what's happening off the ice.

It's easy to sit behind your computer and call them idiots when you don't even know what's happening.

 

[The Mars Volchenkov]

If it's only one game, then fine, but who knows how long this thing drags out.

 

[Former Ladder]

Bednar said earlier in preseason that his vision was that EJ and Zads would be a pairing. I am sure that Bednar is not happy about doing this either.

Yes, Zadorov is better than some of the guys we are playing even if he is not "caught up" yet but Z is still developing and this is what the coaching staff thinks is best right now for whatever reason. I would venture that Pratt has a lot more to do with this call than Bednar.

 

[CobraAcesS]

The team got rid of all the trouble makers from last year and if they scratch Z and Soda they must have a reason. The truth is, we have no idea about what's happening off the ice.

You are absolutely right. Jared Bednar could easily be blackmailing Sakic into allowing him to keep his job. Good point

 

[Taak19]

They've changed the player to watch to Kerfoot.