Avs at the deadline

[Pokecheque]

Let me ask this, should we extend Tanguay?

Definitely not right now. Avs better have learned their lesson on pulling the trigger way too soon on extensions.

Also, not like speed was ever part of his game but holy crap is Tanguay slow. That shorthanded breakaway he had, if it could be called that, he looked like he was stuck in quicksand. In a couple years he could be even slower. Yeesh.

 

[StayAtHomeAv]

Forget about trading McLeod and Stuart... Roy signed them to extensions before the season, their new contracts haven't even started yet.

So, just forget about that!

I think they might be rethinking those extensions.

Stuart, while he has played good, isn't exactly what we thought we were getting. We thought we were adding a LD, but he really is a lot better on the right side, where we have good players. We thought we were getting a top4 defender, but he has looked bad in that role. He just doesn't fit as expected. They might be willing to move him and resign Hedja instead, who is better on the left and in the top4.

As for McLeod, his playing time has dropped quite a bit this past month. And it's been a lot less this year as a whole compared to last year when he was getting 12+ minutes on a semi regular basis (29 times last year compared to just 3 times this year). His ES ice time is down from 8:48 to just 7:40 and his total ice time is down into single digits as well. And this year we have had tons of injuries in the bottom 6, meaning his ice time should have increased. We also have guys like Rendulic and Everberg fighting for a roster spot, and Hopefully Winchester by next year.

Berra just got an extension as well, but it sounds like he is all but gone. It wouldn't surprise me to see these guys traded (or in McLeod's case just demoted if no trade is available). That said, I certainly wouldn't expect to see these guys off the roster.

 

[henchman21]

Stuart, while he has played good, isn't exactly what we thought we were getting. We thought we were adding a LD, but he really is a lot better on the right side, where we have good players. We thought we were getting a top4 defender, but he has looked bad in that role. He just doesn't fit as expected. They might be willing to move him and resign Hedja instead, who is better on the left and in the top4.

Stuart's stat line since returning 11 games 1G 5A +5 21:14 Average ice time. Pretty sure that is getting used in a top 4 manner. He may take the majority of his shifts with Holden/Redmond, but he gets moved up in key situations and will play with Hejda after a PP that EJ just finished.

 

[Freudian]

It would be good if Stuart + Barrie would work. Then you get Barrie playing on his natural side which should help settle him down. I think him being able to protect the puck with his body on the right side helps his offensive game. Then the third pairing can be a mix of the other three, which is where they should be.

 

[henchman21]

It would be good if Stuart + Barrie would work. Then you get Barrie playing on his natural side which should help settle him down. Then the third pairing can be a mix of the other three, which is where they should be.

Agreed, but Stuart looks far more comfortable on the right side. I said this earlier in the season, but when Bigras breaks into the league (I think next season) Stuart would be a perfect partner for him to get his feet wet.

 

[Pokecheque]

I think McLeod could be moved easily. Guys like him almost always have value and it's not like his cap hit is all that bad. Stuart would probably be a tougher sell, but it wouldn't be impossible. The good news is those deals and Holden's are not crippling in terms of cap space, even though they were still very bad decisions, especially McLeod's.

And on top of that, I'm still very impressed with the fact that hardly any players on the roster have trade protection. The only ones I can think of at this point are Iginla and Landeskog (limited NTC) for sure, and possibly Tanguay, Briere, and Stuart, and all those may be void since those players had to waive them. You have to give them praise for that as opposed to organizations like Calgary and Boston who gave trade protection for even marginal players just to get any sort of cap hit concession. I mean, c'mon...Cory frickin' Sarich had to waive his NTC before the trade with Colorado could be done.

 

[StayAtHomeAv]

Stuart's stat line since returning 11 games 1G 5A +5 21:14 Average ice time. Pretty sure that is getting used in a top 4 manner. He may take the majority of his shifts with Holden/Redmond, but he gets moved up in key situations and will play with Hejda after a PP that EJ just finished.

Yeah, I get the ice time (I was actually going to point out that he is getting over 20 minutes a game and top 4 ES minutes as well a couple days ago), though I've been wondering where all the extra time is coming from. I never notice him with EJ or Barrie or Hedja, not that I'm really looking though. But his standard position seems to be 3R, which will probably continue to keep Redmond off the ice fairly regularly. He would fit so much better on the left side, but his play does seem noticeably worse on that side. 4 of our 5 best Dmen play the right side, and none of them seem to be good options on the left, so one of them will be sitting simply because the side they play on.

 

[The Mars Volchenkov]

It would be good if Stuart + Barrie would work. Then you get Barrie playing on his natural side which should help settle him down. I think him being able to protect the puck with his body on the right side helps his offensive game. Then the third pairing can be a mix of the other three, which is where they should be.

Barrie is playing his natural side already. It's been Guenin whose been playing his off-side.

 

[henchman21]

Yeah, I get the ice time (I was actually going to point out that he is getting over 20 minutes a game and top 4 ES minutes as well a couple days ago), though I've been wondering where all the extra time is coming from. I never notice him with EJ or Barrie or Hedja, not that I'm really looking though. But his standard position seems to be 3R, which will probably continue to keep Redmond off the ice fairly regularly. He would fit so much better on the left side, but his play does seem noticeably worse on that side. 4 of our 5 best Dmen play the right side, and none of them seem to be good options on the left, so one of them will be sitting simply because the side they play on.

You don't have to look any further than his goal last night. It happens about 3-6 times a game where he gets shifted up. Really the Avs use the Guenin-Barrie and Stuart-_____ pairings interchangeably. When the Avs need an offensive spark Barrie's pairing (sometimes with Stuart) gets more ice time, and when they need to hold on to a lead, the Stuart pairing is out there more often.

When it is all written, Stuart will probably end up with the 3rd/4th most ice time per game on the team right with Barrie.

 

[Foppa2118]

Let me ask this, should we extend Tanguay?

Well they've got another year to figure that out, and they shouldn't re-sign him early. At that age things can decline quickly with even the best players. They should wait until after next year. He's not gonna want to leave, and he won't ask for a lot of money. Plus as I said earlier, he's developed his game to be suited for a 3rd line if need be.

If he has a decent season next year,l and doesn't have another big knee injury, I'd say definitely re-sign him. Take it on a year to year basis until he retires like Hejduk.

 

[umdieecke*]

Do we still have a 2nd rd pick? Don't worry. It's burning a hole in Roykic's pocket. If we do, it's not for long.

 

[Avs_19]

Let me ask this, should we extend Tanguay?

That's one of those where there's no need to do it early. I think you can even let next season play out and then decide just prior to him becoming a free agent.

 

[tigervixxxen]

Stuart said in an interview recently he prefers playing on the right side.

 

[tigervixxxen]

That's one of those where there's no need to do it early. I think you can even let next season play out and then decide just prior to him becoming a free agent.

I agree. Just thought it was a good Q for those that think he's too valuable to trade, which then lends itself to not letting him walk away if he still holds value.

 

[shadow1]

If Colorado makes a move at the deadline, I'd prefer they trade away a reclamation project - like Stefan Elliott or Joey Hishon - rather than draft picks. I don't regularly sit in on front office meetings, but one has to assume neither player is part of the plan moving forward.

A smart move would be dealing a player like one of those guys for a veteran defenseman who can help this season and they have a shot at re-signing.

I will continue to beat the Zbynek Michalek drum until someone trades for/signs him.

 

[Pokecheque]

If Colorado makes a move at the deadline, I'd prefer they trade away a reclamation project - like Stefan Elliott or Joey Hishon - rather than draft picks. I don't regularly sit in on front office meetings, but one has to assume neither player is part of the plan moving forward.

A smart move would be dealing a player like one of those guys for a veteran defenseman who can help this season and they have a shot at re-signing.

I will continue to beat the Zbynek Michalek drum until someone trades for/signs him.

Glad I'm not the only one.

 

[Foppa2118]

If Colorado makes a move at the deadline, I'd prefer they trade away a reclamation project - like Stefan Elliott or Joey Hishon - rather than draft picks. I don't regularly sit in on front office meetings, but one has to assume neither player is part of the plan moving forward.

A smart move would be dealing a player like one of those guys for a veteran defenseman who can help this season and they have a shot at re-signing.

I will continue to beat the Zbynek Michalek drum until someone trades for/signs him.

The one thing that worries me about Michalek is his injuries the last few seasons, and how much that nagging hip injury has affected his mobility. Those hip injuries seem to really affect the mobility of some defenseman into their 30's because of how much pressure they put on their hips for all the pivots in their own zone defending nowadays.

He only played 34 games in 12-13 because of "lower body injuries" and then had hip surgery in the off-season. Then last year in 13-14 he had hip injuries nag him all year and only played 59 games. He's only missed a couple games so far this year with an upper body injury though, so it doesn't appear to be bothering him much.

You have to wonder how it will hold up long term though. Have you watched him much this season? How's his mobility? I haven't caught too many of his games.

 

[member 116861]

If Colorado makes a move at the deadline, I'd prefer they trade away a reclamation project - like Stefan Elliott or Joey Hishon - rather than draft picks. I don't regularly sit in on front office meetings, but one has to assume neither player is part of the plan moving forward.

A smart move would be dealing a player like one of those guys for a veteran defenseman who can help this season and they have a shot at re-signing.

I will continue to beat the Zbynek Michalek drum until someone trades for/signs him.

I highly doubt that Stefan Elliott and/or Joey Hishon will get us Zybnek Michalek.

 

[InjuredChoker]

The one thing that worries me about Michalek is his injuries the last few seasons, and how much that nagging hip injury has affected his mobility. Those hip injuries seem to really affect the mobility of some defenseman into their 30's because of how much pressure they put on their hips for all the pivots in their own zone defending nowadays.

He only played 34 games in 12-13 because of "lower body injuries" and then had hip surgery in the off-season. Then last year in 13-14 he had hip injuries nag him all year and only played 59 games. He's only missed a couple games so far this year with an upper body injury though, so it doesn't appear to be bothering him much.

You have to wonder how it will hold up long term though. Have you watched him much this season? How's his mobility? I haven't caught too many of his games.

he gets beaten outside. never been the most mobile defender either. wouldn't sign him to an extension, as he's RD anyway.

 

[shadow1]

The one thing that worries me about Michalek is his injuries the last few seasons, and how much that nagging hip injury has affected his mobility. Those hip injuries seem to really affect the mobility of some defenseman into their 30's because of how much pressure they put on their hips for all the pivots in their own zone defending nowadays.

He only played 34 games in 12-13 because of "lower body injuries" and then had hip surgery in the off-season. Then last year in 13-14 he had hip injuries nag him all year and only played 59 games. He's only missed a couple games so far this year with an upper body injury though, so it doesn't appear to be bothering him much.

You have to wonder how it will hold up long term though. Have you watched him much this season? How's his mobility? I haven't caught too many of his games.

I've barely watched him this year, but he hasn't looked slow when I have. I know he is averaging 21 minutes per game and is minus-3 (Yandle and OEL are a combined minus-26).

I highly doubt that Stefan Elliott and/or Joey Hishon will get us Zybnek Michalek.

Then send Redmond.

 

[Colorado Avalanche]

Sell all the crap we can get something. This team and organization really lacks depth. Briere for whatever, Hejda for whatever. Well, actually we don't even have that many pieces, which we could move. At least sell those, should be bring us back at least one good pick and one 5th round pick or something.