GDT: Game 41: Avs vs Blues | 8 PM MT | January 6, 2016

[tigervixxxen]

I am going to have to find a way to watch this game once I get home from the beach. Looking at the boxscore, Tanguay was only player besides Barrie to be +2, yet everyone is saying he was terrible. Toss me some timestamps so I can nit-pick his mistakes like everyone else

You would only need to see 5 minutes of game to see he absolutely wasn't moving last night. He would literally stand next to the puck and couldn't even move it. Just watch the beginning of OT and you'll see it.

 

[tigervixxxen]

I have a hunch that he wore out quickly in the first half of last year and couldn't maintain this type of play so they let him go. I really like Skille a lot too though, I hope he can maintain it going forward.

My most memorable play last night of him was when McLeod communicated for Skille to switch wings with him and Skille intercepted the puck and got it out of the defensive zone so McLeod could get a new stick. That 4th line is perfect and shouldn't be broken up for any reason.

Injuries, he only played 45 games last year. He's only played that much the last 4 seasons.

 

[Pokecheque]

Based on what I saw, good game, bad goalies. St. Louis just can't seem to find a truly reliable guy to mind the net for them.

 

[The Kingslayer]

Based on what I saw, good game, bad goalies. St. Louis just can't seem to find a truly reliable guy to mind the net for them.

I remember that one poster that flipped out when I said the Blues havent had a goalie since Jon Casey haha. Teams like Philly and STL dont seem to ever figure out their goaltending. Philly might have with Mason

 

[AvsGuy]

On that note, we really lucked out with Varlamov. We hadn't had anything close since Roy (1 season from Anderson doesn't count), and I give the guy a lot of credit for sticking it out through some ups and downs and really grabbing the reins for the Avs.

 

[The Kingslayer]

On that note, we really lucked out with Varlamov. We hadn't had anything close since Roy (1 season from Anderson doesn't count), and I give the guy a lot of credit for sticking it out through some ups and downs and really grabbing the reins for the Avs.

The person we should thank is Sherman. He put balls on the table when he made that deal. I still remember the TSN panel laughing at him about making the trade.

 

[Pokecheque]

I think, more importantly than finding the right goalie, is finding the right goalie coach. Varly was very good beforehand, he's been downright elite since Allaire showed up. You gotta have a guy like that who not only makes the goalies on the roster better, but plays a large part in how they're acquired and developed.

Doug Armstrong is a very bad GM. He turned the Stars into a small, soft, ineffective squad (that had a surprising amount of Finns on it), and somehow parlayed that disastrous stint into a dream FO job in STL where he was given a very talented team and enormously deep system built by Pleau and Kekalainen. Slowly but surely he's whittling that wealth of resources down to nothing. His one and only attempt so far to fix the glaring hole between the pipes didn't quite work out. Even so, it would be ridiculously easy to upgrade their goaltending from what it is currently...they're just unwilling, or somehow still convinced that Brian Elliott is anything more than a mediocre backup and rebound factory.

 

[RoyIsALegend]

The person we should thank is Sherman. He put balls on the table when he made that deal. I still remember the TSN panel laughing at him about making the trade.

Sherman put his marbles out there all the time. Big trades and very good contract extensions for the most part. Our most important two defensive players, EJ and Varly, were all him. Deserves a bit of credit.

 

[22FUTON9]

Yeah, I never understood the hate for Sherman. He had a few bad trades and signings here and there but who doesn't? Lets not forget he actually did fire Sacco in the end and essentially built the core of this team.

 

[RockyMtnRedhawk]

The Avs are 3rd in goals scored in the West and 5th in goal differential in the West...both signs that this might be a playoff team after all.

I actually think the Blues are catchable in the standings (maybe more so than the Wild). We have two games in hand on the Blues and a slightly better goal differential.

 

[tigervixxxen]

Nobody knows what the **** Sherman actually did or didn't do.

 

[henchman21]

If given the choice to believe if it was Sherman or Baby Lacroix... I choose Baby Lacroix.

 

[spiller19]

This is just my opinion, but I think he lacks hockey sense with the puck. He's awesome in a 4th line role because he can carry the puck at full speed and unleash a shot, and just play a straight forward game, but he really doesn't distribute the puck in any way or look to pass. In a top 9 role, that becomes more glaring.

Plus, teams are just going more towards young guys in this league. A 28 year old who hasn't been healthy or really stuck around with a team long enough isn't going to be that sought after.

I agree completely. On the fourth line he is excellent. I was thinking that maybe he wasn't willing to accept a role as a fourth liner up until this year. Regardless I'm glad we have him and I hope we keep him.

 

[Ivan13]

It was PL, anyone who knows anything about Avs history knows those kind of deals were PL's trademarks.

 

[5280]

Nobody knows what the **** Sherman actually did or didn't do.

This is really the thruth.

 

[5280]

It was PL, anyone who knows anything about Avs history knows those kind of deals were PL's trademarks.

This is what I believe too. Has all of the earmarks.

 

[Duchene2MacKinnon]

If given the choice to believe if it was Sherman or Baby Lacroix... I choose Baby Lacroix.

Lol this again.

Why not just name fatboy the GM...why all the secrecy?

It was PL, anyone who knows anything about Avs history knows those kind of deals were PL's trademarks.

Again why did he step down? Then name FG only to fire him and name another puppet?

I like a conspiracy theory as much as the next guy but this is just laughable.

 

[Ivan13]

Lol this again.

Why not just name fatboy the GM...why all the secrecy?



Again why did he step down? Then name FG only to fire him and name another puppet?

I like a conspiracy theory as much as the next guy but this is just laughable.

If you think anything went on without PL's or his sons blessing you're pretty naive. Ever heard of the fall guy?

 

[henchman21]

Lol this again.

Why not just name fatboy the GM...why all the secrecy?

The organization was already criticized for nepotism, it would only ratchet it up for Pierre to name Eric the GM. Sherman and Eric both were put in their roles on the same day, Eric coming into the organization after FG was fired. It really adds up. Eric probably got a lot of advice from his dad, so similar ideas on trades makes a lot of sense there.

 

[5280]

????

 

[Duchene2MacKinnon]

If you think anything went on without PL's or his sons blessing you're pretty naive. Ever heard of the fall guy?

Well now your saying 2 different things, he was the VP during Sherman's time how much say he had is up for interpretation but as far as GM is concerned it was Sherman why else would they have him named GM... just to be a fall guy when **** hits the fan? One why would he agree to that and 2 they(PL/EL) must have zero confidence in their ability if they need to be hiding and doing the work. At then end it was EL who resigned and SHermy still actually has a job related to the NHL, so who really was the fall guy?

The organization was already criticized for nepotism, it would only ratchet it up for Pierre to name Eric the GM. Sherman and Eric both were put in their roles on the same day, Eric coming into the organization after FG was fired. It really adds up. Eric probably got a lot of advice from his dad, so similar ideas on trades makes a lot of sense there.

Criticized by who no names on a message board and irrelevant writers in Colorado? They hired an in house guy(sherman) with ZERO experience how is that not anything but nepotism? They followed that up with hiring former stars also with zero experience in the NHL. Safe to say they couldn't give a **** about anyone criticizing them for their nepotistic ways.

 

[RockLobster]

D2M...the fact that they hired/promoted a guy with ZERO experience should also tell you that Sherman wasn't really pulling the strings. Not with EL in his role.

 

[Duchene2MacKinnon]

Seems like every year we have this debate... what purpose does it serve to have Shermy as GM but not pulling the strings?

 

[henchman21]

To not have the distraction of "Pierre put his son in charge." Following the story years earlier of his son on the team.

We know that Eric at VERY least had a role in contract negotiations and is part of the reason for the ROR situation. It isn't a jump to think he was pulling the hockey related strings... even just looking at his title tells you something there.

 

[RockLobster]

To not have the distraction of "Pierre put his son in charge." Following the story years earlier of his son on the team.

We know that Eric at VERY least had a role in contract negotiations and is part of the reason for the ROR situation. It isn't a jump to think he was pulling the hockey related strings... even just looking at his title tells you something there.

To just expand, Eric was a HUGE part of the O'Reilly debacle, from the Avs' side.