Do the Avs Lack Creativity?

El Travo

Why are we still here? Just to suffer?
Aug 11, 2015
14,156
17,501
Can it be fixed? Is it a coaching thing or is it the cast of players having the offensive originality of the colour beige?

Every powerplay zone entry is identical to the point where they look like lost children when the opposition takes away the drop pass. A majority of our chances come from point shots with the hope of a dirty goal. Even the top line would use the same exact plays over and over until they stopped working.

Why is it that 3rd-liners from other teams can make the highlight reel, yet our entire team seems to struggle with basic one-timer plays?

Do the guys not have free-reign to try new things or are they just incapable of it? Can a skills coach be hired to help?
 

Foppberg

Registered User
Nov 20, 2016
24,089
26,539
Summerside, PEI
Why is it that 3rd-liners from other teams can make the highlight reel, yet our entire team seems to struggle with basic one-timer plays?

Do the guys not have free-reign to try new things or are they just incapable of it? Can a skills coach be hired to help?

We get that too!

HappygoluckyInfiniteArmyworm-size_restricted.gif
 

The Kingslayer

Registered User
Aug 26, 2004
76,328
55,959
Siem Reap, Cambodia
Can it be fixed? Is it a coaching thing or is it the cast of players having the offensive originality of the colour beige?

Every powerplay zone entry is identical to the point where they look like lost children when the opposition takes away the drop pass. A majority of our chances come from point shots with the hope of a dirty goal. Even the top line would use the same exact plays over and over until they stopped working.

Why is it that 3rd-liners from other teams can make the highlight reel, yet our entire team seems to struggle with basic one-timer plays?

Do the guys not have free-reign to try new things or are they just incapable of it? Can a skills coach be hired to help?
The following players have skill and creativity.

Mackinnon
Rantanen
Girard
 

Cousin Eddie

You Serious Clark?
Nov 3, 2006
40,142
37,285
They lack pure talent. Talented players usually have more creativity than non talented players.

So yes in a nutshell I think it’s fair to say they lack creativity.
 

McMetal

Writer of Wrongs
Sep 29, 2015
14,052
11,946
I still think it comes down to coaching. Every bottom six in the league is offensively challenged in some form or another, or else they'd play higher in the lineup. But somehow, teams still manage to get 30ish points out of their third liners, and somehow we can't, despite some of them, like Kerfoot and Ghetto, supposedly being offensive-minded.

It feels like the team just has no plan in the offensive zone. They have three options: a seam pass, pass to the point, or dump it around the boards to the other side. I refuse to believe that the players are so uniquely dumb that the coaches can't teach them a fourth option. 5 on 5 this team is a one trick pony and it's getting old.
 
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expatriatedtexan

Habitual Line Stepper
Aug 17, 2005
16,355
11,684
When I read the thread title I was planning on coming in here with guns blazing for Sakic but then realized you were talking about the players.
 

Pokecheque

Whack it Hard to Girard
Sponsor
Aug 5, 2003
45,817
28,813
The Middle West
www.armoredheadspace.com
I really do wonder why the Avs have almost always made the one-timer look like the hardest damned thing in the world. It shouldn't be. I realize it takes a truly elite talent (Hull, Stamkos, Bondra, Kucherov, Ovechkin, etc.) to really rip that shot without the benefit of a perfect setup pass, but geez...even when they did have a guy whose one claim to NHL fame was a devastating one-timer in Nail Yakupov, they managed to work it into their offensive scheme in maybe two games, one of which was perfect (the goal with less than two seconds remaining or something like that).
 
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The Kingslayer

Registered User
Aug 26, 2004
76,328
55,959
Siem Reap, Cambodia
Barrie. You have to give him that.
Nah I left him off on purpose. Barrie is a pretty basic bitch these days. He can skate and carry the puck up ice well but thats about it. He doesnt really do creative stuff out there anymore. When he was younger he used to have more of an imagination it seems. When was the last time you seem Barrie do something creative? Its been awhile.
 

El Travo

Why are we still here? Just to suffer?
Aug 11, 2015
14,156
17,501
It really doesn't take a lot of talent to be creative. Hell, I'm pretty damn creative on the ice and I'm nowhere near being considered good. It'd be one thing if they tried and failed, but they don't seem to take a second to think about trying something out. Even Yakupov made an effort and he was awful.
 

HartKinnon

Registered User
Nov 25, 2010
358
250
I still think it comes down to coaching. Every bottom six in the league is offensively challenged in some form or another, or else they'd play higher in the lineup. But somehow, teams still manage to get 30ish points out of their third liners, and somehow we can't, despite some of them, like Kerfoot and Ghetto, supposedly being offensive-minded.

That's actually not true. Avs have played crappy hockey for a quite long stretch but still if the guys played full 82 game season with their current PPG paces they would have these point totals:

Soderberg 25 goals and 47 points
Kerfoot 14 goals and 43 points
Compher 22 goals and 43 points
Calvert 12 goals and 30 points
Nieto 5 goals and 29 points
Wilson 17 goals and 32 points
Jost 12 goals and 27 points
Andrighetto 8 goals and 14 points
Kamenev 7 goals and 17 points
Dries 7 goals and 14 points
Bourque 0 goals and 10 points

All the numbers have been rounded down even if there were point total like 14.99. Calvert and Söderberg are the only ones with the first line who have played all the games this season. All other forwards have missed some games. Potentially we could have those 30ish point third liners but usually good third liners have also a good defensive game along with those 30 points and that i think we are lacking more than those points. We are missing the second line with PPG of 0.6-0.7.
 
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S E P H

Cloud IX
Mar 5, 2010
30,714
16,240
Toruń, PL
In terms of generating scoring chances, I don't think Avs lack creativity. In terms of scoring in many different ways they absolutely do and you could ultimately answer the question as yes because of this. I am all for getting smarter players and if Avs end up with Hughes (or Kakko to a degree) he fixes a lot of problems about any potential minimum amount of creativity on this team.
 

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