Hot Take: The Avs are not that good

[Spilot23]

I know it's early but what it looks right now is that we're back at being a one line team. Hard to win games when your top line and Matt freaking Calvert are the only that look good. Didn't expect to miss Burakovsky that much. We're also a bit unlucky so far with the posts and missing open nets dang Kadri and Landy. I think Sakic will have to add a better #3C because Compher is terrible well his whole line is. It's gonna be hard on the playoffs when they can barely touch the puck, aren't physical and keep turning the puck over. Goaltending has been let's say fine but will need to have a goalie that makes key saves like what Quick did yesterday.

 

[Whoshattenkirkshoes]

Bolts win the cup once again after everyone wrote them off

 

[SteveHanson]

need an enforcer...most underappreciated and unrecognized role these days

 

[Whoshattenkirkshoes]

I thought everyone was handing the Avs the cup

 

[oconnor9sean]

They're still good, but they look like a borderline playoff team when MacKinnon isn't on the ice. I imagine they'll get better, but they desperately need more from that second line.

 

[Colorado Avalanche]

Not worried. I still believe

 

[tucker3434]

A. It’s early
B. Avs are top half in most advanced stat categories but bottom half in PDO. If that bottom half PDO thing holds, it’s going to be tough to be great, but I don’t expect it will.

 

[SoundwaveIsCharisma]

I think the slow start to the season will do them good. It really seems like they bought into the hype around the team, and thought the season was going to be a breeze. They have played lazy, uninspired hockey - and to make it worse the forward depth pieces (sans Calvert) have been atrocious.

 

[MartinS82]

Kings seem to play the Avs pretty well. Last season they were 2 -0-1 with a shootout loss.

 

[Justshootmore]

The Avs are a good team and a contender. But this start should be an eye opener for everyone who thought you can already hand them the cup. Not sure where all the hype suddenly came from.

 

[Lukin1978]

Burn it down trade MacKinnon, Rantanen and Makar for pics now.

 

[Tralfamadore]

Pretty disappointing start. Games against STL were a wash. First game the Avs were in it at times and controlled the 2nd period entirely. Not taking much from the 2nd game because it's obvious the Blues were just not putting in a strong effort.

As for LA, they seem to matchup well with the Avs or something. They swept the season series against the Avs last year. They just suffocate the Avs style and the game turns into exactly what they want.

I'll start to worry if they put in another piss poor effort against Anaheim in these two next games.

 

[Poppy Whoa Sonnet]

They are great but the fans who basically declared them a dynasty already really need to relax. They are set up for success, can beat any team in a 7 game series and should just get better and better through the end of MacKinnon's deal (next 2.5 years).

 

[Papa Francouz]

The Avs are a good team and a contender. But this start should be an eye opener for everyone who thought you can already hand them the cup. Not sure where all the hype suddenly came from.

Totally agree with the bolded, as an Avs fan. They strengthened their roster with Saad and Toews, but they didn't solve their biggest issues in the offseason. The 3C slot is still a major problem (and one with no apparent internal solution), and the goalie depth is beyond bad.

They got better this past offseason, but they didn't solve any of the glaring roster issues. No idea why they have the hype they currently do.

 

[DFC]

The Aves have a lot of great pieces, but I think they're still a year or two away from serious contention. I don't think they looked great in playoffs either, aside from mopping up a team that had no business being there. That said, I think over the next couple of years they're going to add some pieces, some maturity/experience, and start making real runs.

 

[KirkAlbuquerque]

they're gonna have the Team Canada experience. Easy ass group causes them to sleepwalk a bit until they face a real team in the playoffs

 

[Tralfamadore]

They are great but the fans who basically declared them a dynasty already really need to relax. They are set up for success, can beat any team in a 7 game series and should just get better and better through the end of MacKinnon's deal (next 2.5 years).

Show me one quote of someone saying this.

 

[Maplebeasts]

It is a hot take. It's not rare for the good teams to need more than 5-6 games to separate themselves from the pack.

 

[kabidjan18]

I think there's a difference between not being that good and being slightly overvalued. I've consistently thought they were at least slightly overvalued, considering that I think they're Stanley Cup odds favorites, and I value a few other teams more. That said, they'll be no lower than top 5 in the NHL I think.

 

[BKarchitect]

I’m mean the media is hyping them but I don’t think as a fan base we are particularly bullish on some idea that we are an unstoppable force.

Every take right now is a hot take. The Avs are going to win a lot this year. They are by no means a prohibitive Cup favorite, they are merely in the “serious challenger, lots of upside” bracket with a bunch of other teams.

They might have to fall on their face as a favorite before they “earn it”. Look at what Tampa had to go through before finally breaking the ceiling last year.

But yeah, 4 games should not be enough for somebody to have a completely change of mind...not at 2-2 certainly after a weird off season with no preseason so to speak, especially.

 

[BlueOil]

the avs are one of the better teams in the nhl, there's no doubt about that. how good they are remains to be seen. not a team in the league they couldn't beat (badly) on any given night. the real test for them comes in the playoffs and playing as a full four lines. they seem prone to turning into the oilers when faced with adversity. perhaps with such high end players like mackinnon / rantanen / makar, it's hard not to turn it over to the superstars and watch them work their magic. it's a very boom/bust way to play, but the avs' superstars can do it if needed, which is a scary thought.

 

[Junohockeyfan]

A team with Lando, MacK, Kadri, Nuke, Graves and previous Zadorov and Cole... soft? They lost two tough defenders... but I wouldn't call them soft.

The bottom 6 in particular are charmin soft. Got knocked around by the Stars in the playins and that was pretty evident. Graves is not a tough defender, he's just a big guy. Losing Z and Cole definitely took some bite out of the back-end truculence.

The Avs will coast into the playoffs - there is no doubt about that. I see the Avs as a team that is built to win the Presidents trophy but not built to win the cup.

 

[Tralfamadore]

Their main weakness is that they are too easily bullied into playing the opposition's style of game. It's what happened against the Blues in game 1 and in both games against LA so far. If the Avs are able to play their fast and skilled game with quick transitions they're capable of being the best team in the league.

I don't know if this is a coaching thing or a mental thing but it's obvious when its happening. This team should not only be getting 4 shots against the Kings in the 3rd period of a tie game. That's unacceptable.

 

[Critical13]

I disagree fully, but I do think they could use an upgrade at #2C (Danualt? PLD?) and there is something about their goaltending that makes me nervous. At least nervous in the sense that I have them on a tier with Tampa and Vegas.

 

[Mrfenn92]

Been 4 games.