The lockout shortened year, when ROR returned from the KHL thanks to a Calgary offer sheet, he looked pretty pedestrian -- big, slow, heck, he even scored the GWG on his own net in his first game back. An ankle injury he got in the KHL probably didn't help.
He had a similarly bad start back in the 2014-2015 season, where he looked every bit as lost as he does right now. Avs fans were mildly worried, yet also besides themselves with joy that he might be driving his asking price down ... before he put it all together and returned to the ROR everyone knows and loves around December. He was the best Av on the ice from that point forward.
His first year here in Buffalo, I thought he looked sluggish, his timing was off, and he wasn't winning those 1-1 battles like he normally does. Sound familiar yet? It took him about 10 games to really get going, at which point this board really fell in love with him, and the dissenting voices about the price Murray paid etc., began to disappear.
Point is, there's enough data points by now that I'm starting to think he just might be something of a slow-starter.
edit: the captain conspiracy nonsense is dumb and makes you guys look like Avs fans at the height of their childishness. Apparently it's contagious across fanbases ...