Rumor: Avs Proposals/Rumors/Free Agents 18-19 part XVII| Are We Sellers?

[Frenchy]

At some point Sakic may have to choose from three options:

1) Let this season ride and see what happens, while addressing needs through the draft, and UFA.

2) Make a trade and give up assets he doesn't want to for a top 6 C/W. Assuming this is why he hasn't done so, because he doesn't like the asking prices.

3) Fire the coach.

1 and 3

 

[Foppa2118]

When Cole steps in and is one of your best defeseman all year, you know you need upgrades.

The problems with this team have stemmed from the defense for a long time. It was the biggest problem a few years ago. Then they improved it a lot and had a solid year last season.

It's no coincidence though that all the defenseman from last year are having a worse season, and the team is starting to struggle again. Girard is close to about the same, but he's had some trouble adapting to the larger role at times.

 

[cgf]

I know, I think we joke about Sakic being indecisive, but I don't think he's really just sitting there with no idea what to do. I think it stems from not liking the asking price, or the offers for his players like Duchene.

I don't either. I think he's sitting on his hands until the perfect deal falls in his lap or he's forced to act. Proactivity just doesn't seem to be his forte.

Sakic might be slow, but he is effective.

That's depends on what you mean by effective. If you just mean judging him based on the trades that were made, then yes he gets good value...but that doesn't account for the trades that didn't happen that could/should have.

If Soda (who imo is so so underrated for all he has done for the team) is still doing well they can resign him, other wise Bowers has looked great and so has Compher. There will be a lot of options there.
[snip]

Soda has been carrying an insane load under Bednar and they don't really have a replacement.
[snip]

So is Soda irreplaceable or do we have a lot of options there?

 

[Meeqs]

I don't either. I think he's sitting on his hands until the perfect deal falls in his lap or he's forced to act. Proactivity just doesn't seem to be his forte.


That's depends on what you mean by effective. If you just mean judging him based on the trades that were made, then yes he gets good value...but that doesn't account for the trades that didn't happen that could/should have.



So is Soda irreplaceable or do we have a lot of options there?

Short term they don't have someone who could replace him. If he were to go down to injury it would be a massive hit to the team.

Long tern (so in 2-3 years), they will have a few players who will likely be able to fill that role as they continue to develop

 

[Meeqs]

I hope the Avs do something with the defense other than trade Barrie. If Barrie goes the Avs should add at least 1 experienced top 4 defenseman.

Girard EJ
Zads Makar
Cole Timmins
Barbs Graves
Meloche (Nemeth??)

Like I get that is a young group but how long do you really think you'll need a top 4 guy for? 1 year tops?

 

[Meeqs]

I'm just gonna keep saying it until I'm blue in the face: Soda is not a shutdown center. He's not even that great a penalty killer, to be honest.

His defensive numbers aren't that great. His value is in putting up points. Roy realized that, Bednar has not.

And I don't buy this "But who else would you put there!?" argument. They could stack the top two lines, roll out a 3rd line that would do decent defensively, and be fine.

If they don't have a viable replacement (or better yet, upgrade!) by the time a 35-year-old Soda is up for a new contract, then that is an abject FAILURE by management. There has to be a decent option at 3C between Compher, Kerfoot, Jost, Bowers, Kamenev,

Soda faces some of the toughest QoL of any player in the NHL over the past year or so, heavily defensive starts, grinder wingers and still puts up points. You may not feel that he is a shutdown guy but he has played the role for a while now and puts up great results.

 

[Avsboy]

The only reason to trade Barrie is if he wants to get to FA or wants north of $8 million.

 

[The Abusement Park]

Girard EJ
Zads Makar
Cole Timmins
Barbs Graves
Meloche (Nemeth??)

Like I get that is a young group but how long do you really think you'll need a top 4 guy for? 1 year tops?

I mean Makar could be a top pairing guy, but out of all the players in that group none are more than 2nd pairing guys at best most likely. Timmins could be but who know when he'll be able to play. Our D is solid right now but if you move Barrie for a fwd that means we have to play Nemeth/Barbs and the other scrubs more. Which is not a good thing.

 

[cgf]

Again you're not thinking about your timelines meeqs. The window where EJ will still be a highend blueliner and where not just Makar but also Timmins will be ready for regular roles on a cup contender might not ever exist. We're talking about threading the tiniest of needles.

Short term they don't have someone who could replace him. If he were to go down to injury it would be a massive hit to the team.

Long tern (so in 2-3 years), they will have a few players who will likely be able to fill that role as they continue to develop

I wonder how many years away we'll be in 2-3 years...

 

[CB Joe]

Girard EJ
Zads Makar
Cole Timmins
Barbs Graves
Meloche (Nemeth??)

Like I get that is a young group but how long do you really think you'll need a top 4 guy for? 1 year tops?

Long term. I don't like Zadorov or Makar in the top 4 for next season. EJ and Cole will begin regressing.

 

[Freudian]

If the team heals up and Graves keep playing decent hockey, I wouldn't be opposed to trading Nemeth at trade deadline. Might fetch a decent pick if the market is there.

 

[Balthazar]

If the team heals up and Graves keep playing decent hockey, I wouldn't be opposed to trading Nemeth at trade deadline. Might fetch a decent pick if the market is there.

Would never happen. We aren't trading depth for picks, especially if we make the playoffs.

 

[LTC Pain]

Graves is going to take Barb's or Nemeth's job by the trade deadline!

 

[CB Joe]

Would never happen. We aren't trading depth for picks, especially if we make the playoffs.

I agree. Depth is better than late picks at this point. But if we could swap Nemeth for an equivalent depth forward I'd be in favor or that.

 

[Freudian]

Would never happen. We aren't trading depth for picks, especially if we make the playoffs.

If Barbeiro is healthy, they have to send Graves down to the AHL. If they rather want him in the NHL a body has to be removed. Nemeth is the logical choice since he probably isn't coming back and will have some trade value.

I guess Bednar might want Nemeth around and it's just easier to demote Graves in that case.

 

[Cousin Eddie]

Can’t see Sakic (or Bednar) considering moving Nemeth.

Also don’t think it’s a bad idea for Graves to go back to the AHL. It’s rare for guys like that to come up and stick forever. Prime time to see a guy at the NHL level, evaluate his strengths and weaknesses and send him back to the AHL with a specific set of skills for him to focus on. Then the next time he comes up hopefully he’s a little more well rounded.

I like a lot of Graves’ game, but he takes way too many risks that will eventually catch up on him. I’d like to see him tone those down a little.

Whoever compared him to Holden made a very good comparison. Holden, while overused by Roy was absolutely an NHL player.

 

[UncleRisto]

I wonder how many years away we'll be in 2-3 years...

2-3 tops.

 

[Foppberg]

Can’t see Sakic (or Bednar) considering moving Nemeth.

Also don’t think it’s a bad idea for Graves to go back to the AHL. It’s rare for guys like that to come up and stick forever. Prime time to see a guy at the NHL level, evaluate his strengths and weaknesses and send him back to the AHL with a specific set of skills for him to focus on. Then the next time he comes up hopefully he’s a little more well rounded.

I like a lot of Graves’ game, but he takes way too many risks that will eventually catch up on him. I’d like to see him tone those down a little.

Whoever compared him to Holden made a very good comparison. Holden, while overused by Roy was absolutely an NHL player.

Even has that clean shaven baby face.

 

[Pokecheque]

Soda faces some of the toughest QoL of any player in the NHL over the past year or so, heavily defensive starts, grinder wingers and still puts up points. You may not feel that he is a shutdown guy but he has played the role for a while now and puts up great results.

This team has been known as one of the poorer defensive teams in the league for a while now, so again, while he may be the go-to guy on a team that still doesn't have a go-to shutdown defensive center, that doesn't mean he's "great" or even approaching "great."

Soda also is pretty lousy at faceoffs, speaking of defensive zone starts, which is astounding given how much he tends to cheat on them and still manage to lose.

I WILL say that given the facts that he is saddled with a huge defensive load, starts his shifts in the wrong zone, and wingers who do so many chest shots that even a porn shoot would consider them excessive, his offensive numbers are simply astounding. Just imagine how productive he'd be if he had wingers with actual offensive creativity.

It's not all on Bednar though. I'm sure if Kamenev had continued his upward trajectory JB would have considered putting him on the third line and Soda would've seen more offensive opportunities. That injury, much like the one to Conor Timmins, is hitting them a lot harder than we'd like to admit.

 

[AvsMakar08]

If Jacob Trouba has no long term plans with Winnipeg I am wondering if Avs can somehow trade for him as he is still RFA. Avs can give him ice time to play on the top line and to choose which side he wants to play on. He would be our number 1 Dman.

 

[Goulet17]

SIAP - For you entertainment, from Larry Brooks (Brooks has covered the NHL for nearly 40 years, he should really know better at this point IMO) -

"The Avalanche, one of the league’s most dramatic early surprises, had lost six straight (0-4-2) and held the Western Conference’s first wild-card spot, but were just two points clear of a playoff berth. Colorado, driven by the dominant first unit of Gabriel Landeskog, Nathan MacKinnon and Mika Rantanen, is desperate for support-scoring and an intriguing potential trade partner for any one of the Blueshirts’ hypothetically available forwards including Hayes, Zuccarello, Vlad Namestnikov or Chris Kreider.

Colorado, of course, holds Ottawa’s first-rounder as a result of last season’s three-way deal that included Nashville and in which Matt Duchene went to the Senators and Kyle Turris went to the Predators. With the Senators having crashed as winners of none of their past six (0-5-1) and three of their past 14 (3-9-2), Ottawa is in a prime position for the pre-lottery top slot. It is inconceivable that Colorado general manager Joe Sakic would move that pick in a deal for, say, Hayes or Kreider, should the Blueshirts make the latter available. For both? Hmmm.

But the Avalanche’s own first-rounder could turn into a top-15. So that might be a place to start, especially since top righty defense prospect, Cale Makar of UMass, seems off-limits and another promising young righty defenseman, Conor Timmins, has missed the entire season with post-concussion issues."

https://nypost.com/2019/01/04/david-quinn-talk-gives-jimmy-vesey-new-view-on-benching/

 

[Foppberg]

It makes a lot more sense with the typo.

Yes, it is inconceivable that Sakic would the Ottawa pick for either of Hayes/Kreider.

 

[CB Joe]

Just a speculation piece. I think common sense would dictate that the Avs would hold on to the Sens pick unless a special player was available. Neither Hayes or Kreider falls into that category.

 

[UncleRisto]

Now watch me do it.

I don't think Jeff Gorton would trade Kevin Hayes for Patrik Nemeth or Colin Wilson. Both though? Hmm...

 

[Nicky Molitoris]

Hey so I wasn't sure where to post this, but I think I know a way to guarantee Landy gets in the all star game. On the NHL app after you place your 10 votes you simply press the last man in button in the menu again and it let's you place 10 more votes. If it's nothing more than a glitch, oh well. Buy if it is placing actual votes, I've placed at least a hundred today.