GDT: R2G7 - Dogsh*ts vs. Sl*ts - Back From the Grave - 2PM For Some Awful Reason

[Moosehead1]

It is if you catch the head on your way up. And that happens way too often in the NHL.

Ya man. Totally.

 

[Moosehead1]

.

 

[Pokecheque]

Z is like 6'9'' LOL. You blog?

Well, he's 6'5", but even guys like Chara have been seen leaving their feet to deliver a hit. I don't recall Zadorov ever doing that.

One guy who left his feet all the damned time to deliver hits high was Dion Phaneuf. He's only listed an inch shorter than Zadorov.

 

[Moosehead1]

Well, he's 6'5", but even guys like Chara have been seen leaving their feet to deliver a hit. I don't recall Zadorov ever doing that.

One guy who left his feet all the damned time to deliver hits high was Dion Phaneuf. He's only listed an inch shorter than Zadorov.

oof.

 

[Pokecheque]

People 5'2'' have left their feet to make a hit.

Thankfully I'm a little taller than that.

But yeah, I know. Michael Peca used to leave his feet to make hits all the time. He was doing just that when Darcy Tucker effectively derailed his career by hitting him in the knee. I just don't like it when we see bigger players leave their feet to deliver hits. Then it's almost assured they're aiming for the head.

 

[klozge]

Losing a game 7 in OT sucks, and it really hurts. But losing a game 7 in this fashion and after being down 1-3 in the series is a f***ing nightmare that will stick with the players for a long time.......

To the point: Not so "smart" players doing dumb things at the dumbest time. That sums up this series. Despite the fact we were icing half an AHL-Squad, the real downfall were our Special-Teams and our Backup-Goalie.

To be honest: After game 4 I no longer believed in winning this series (I would have loved to be wrong). But even with half of the squad injured and your 3rd goalie in net this team fought back and showed spirit. That´s something to be proud of.

But gaining the lead with 3 minutes left and then sending out 5 Clowns only to get scored on 10 sec later is a f***ing joke.

I didn´t help eithter that the best player in the NHL right now was not a factor in game 7.

With no disrespect to Dallas (congrats for winning), but we lost this series more ourselves than got beaten by a better team.

- our special teams were a disaster. Whoever is responsible needs to be released. Bring in some fresh ideas.
- Backup-Goalie: I´m honest: I feel sorry for Franky, but he cost us this season. Even further, he maybe killed his own career too. I don´t know what happened to him, but he completely shit the bed at the worst possible time.....
- Our Defense: Without a goalie who is capable of bail you out, well, here we are. Losing EJ hurt us more than we could have imagined.
- Grit: We are still a soft team who gets pushed around like dolls. Bring in a new "sheriff". I guarantee you that Benn, Perry or Comeau wont get away with that against Vegas. A guy like Reaves will beat the shit out of this assholes.

And last, but not least: Injuries.

I´ve never seen a team who is that injury prone than us. There is something terrible wrong in the system. Maybe take a look at our medical department and training intensity. It´s one thing when a f***er like Benn or Perry take runs at your players. But that´s no excuse for that many other "injuries".... This is now the 2nd season in a row we can´t stay healthy enough to compete. Enough of this bullshit. Get your shit together. I´m tired to watch players like Connauton or Dries in a game 7 of a 2nd round series.


Off season plan:
- Get a new Number 1. Sorry, but i´ve allready lost faith that Grubauer is able to stay healthy. Go with the new N0 1 and Grubauer for the coming season if necessary. If Grubauer is avalaible. I have a strong feeling that there is a groin surgery incoming. After that have a look at Annunen. And maybe have a look at our goalie-coach. Same story with Varlamov, who now is doing fine on Long Island.
- Another Top 4 D-Man who can play with the "kids". Now the 3rd year on the Cole-Contract hurts. Graves had a good regular season, but is a 3rd pairing guy. Try to get rid of Cole if possible. How on earth did this guy win 2 Cups? Honestly, i don´t know what to do with Zadorov.
- New coach for our special teams
- Add more grit and nastiness. I never want to see us getting pushed around like that again.
- Our 3rd line needs to be upgraded
- Take a deep look at our "injury problems". I even predict that we even wont be healthy when the new season starts.

Our window is now. Enough of being patience Mr. Sakic

I would definitely keep Zadorov but besides that I agree with every single word in this post. After (at least) two seasons of the same shit we can't just blame bad luck.

 

[Metallo]

All I have this morning is:

Câlice

 

[Miri]

The huge post Barrie dropoff is a pretty compelling stat. Couldn't you say that it's actually a poor reflection on coaching, though? We were relying heavily on this Barrie guy... He's gone now... Our power play is slipping... Really wish I had some world class offensive talent to work with here...

Well, he can be back soon

 

[klozge]

I'm so tired of Ian Cole and hearing about the "experience" he brings to the team. He is an idiot who doesn't use his size and takes the most untimely penalties.

If I'm not mistaken, Mike Sullivan had some issues with him in Pittsburgh which ultimately led to him being traded...I wonder what it could have been??

If it wasn't for some insane saves by Grubauer Avs would have lost both OT games against Calgary last year. In both games Grubi had to make those saves because Cole had taken a stupid penalty.

 

[McJedi]

I think Cole will be serviceable next season. I still think the double hip surgery was something that was going to take a full year or so to fully recover from. There's no way he was able to have the skating push or the lower-body strength to be the player he wanted to be this year. I still say this is just a write-off and he'll finish his contract in Colorado strong. I'm hoping by the time the regular season ends, he'll be firmly ensconced in that 7th defenseman spot though--that means a lot of other things went right. I'm not trying to make excuses for the guy but I don't think his bad season and horrid postseason were just the result of age. At least I sure as hell hope not.

You may be right. EJ was a lot better this season than he was last season. If Cole was hurt or not recovered, it was apparent in his massive regression. But I’d gladly and gleefully attach a draft pick or moderate prospect to get rid of Cole. That $4.25mm is just as well spent as unused cap space as it is playing Cole if he’s this awful again.

Graves play was really disappointing this post season. Coles play was an abomination to nhl hockey.

 

[Iracundia]

For those who thought that EJ was a 3rd pair D and semi-finished, we all witnessed his real value. The PK went down the drain in his absence and we could have used his big minutes.

EJ has no value because when you need him the most he’s where he’s most comfortable, on IR.

His cap space in the playoffs is constantly wasted. The tragedy is if Sakic keeps this worthless clown on this team for another season.

Again what use is EJ if he can’t be depended on to further our Cup aspirations?

3 consecutive playoffs and 3 consecutive injuries that either prevented him from playing (Nashville 2018), greatly diminished his play (Calgary 2019) or completely knocked him out of the playoffs (Dallas 2020)

EJ has made it crystal clear that he can’t be depended on to help us win a cup.

Sakic needs to cut the F**king cord and ditch this loser.

 

[Nihiliste]

EJ has no value because when you need him the most he’s where he’s most comfortable, on IR.

His cap space in the playoffs is constantly wasted. The tragedy is if Sakic keeps this worthless clown on this team for another season.

Again what use is EJ if he can’t be depended on to further our Cup aspirations?

3 consecutive playoffs and 3 consecutive injuries that either prevented him from playing (Nashville 2018), greatly diminished his play (Calgary 2019) or completely knocked him out of the playoffs (Dallas 2020)

EJ has made it crystal clear that he can’t be depended on to help us win a cup.

Sakic needs to cut the F**king cord and ditch this loser.

This seems needlessly harsh but yes we’re not going to be able to rely on him as our #3. He’s got 3 more years at 6 mil though, he’s not going anywhere

 

[Bender]

Super thoughtful post as usual...
- Nichushkin seemed different in the Bubble. Maybe others noticed his play trailing off a bit pre-quarantine, but to me, he seemed like he fell off a cliff.
- EJ is not to be relied upon but I wonder if Calvert being out in both of the series you mentioned is coincidence. When he's on the ice he is still really effective.
- I guess I didn't realize how undersized our depth guys are. Hope Sakic watches a whole lot of the WCF.
- Is Markstrom a solid FA target?

I think so. With Vancouver's cap situation and what Demco did those last 3 games under huge pressure, I don't think Markstrom is brought back there. For the Avs, with the way Grubauer went down at the outdoor game and again during Game #1 (no contact), they HAVE to find a way to have a healthy starter for the playoffs.

If they can get Markstrom for $5-6M per on a 5-6 year deal, I think it has to happen. Moving Grubauer in the last year of his contract (@$3.3M) shouldn't be too hard. By my count, here are the teams that will probably be looking for a starting goalie : NJ, OTT, CAL, BUF, DET, CAR, EDM & CHI and some of those teams are in no hurry to contend. We just need a good starter, preferably a big guy who won't break down while we are grooming Annunen & hopefully others for 2-4 years from now.

Otherwise, perhaps a trade with one of the rumored available goalies would be the better way to go. (Murray, Andersen, Kuemper?) Depends on the cost but Sakic will definitely need to take huge advantage of the fact that we have cap space while so many others do not.

Lehner would also be a good option but I think he'd be real expensive and I think Vegas will find a sucker for Fleury and manage to re-sign him long-term.

 

[Metallo]

EJ has no value because when you need him the most he’s where he’s most comfortable, on IR.

His cap space in the playoffs is constantly wasted. The tragedy is if Sakic keeps this worthless clown on this team for another season.

Again what use is EJ if he can’t be depended on to further our Cup aspirations?

3 consecutive playoffs and 3 consecutive injuries that either prevented him from playing (Nashville 2018), greatly diminished his play (Calgary 2019) or completely knocked him out of the playoffs (Dallas 2020)

EJ has made it crystal clear that he can’t be depended on to help us win a cup.

Sakic needs to cut the F**king cord and ditch this loser.

I don’t think EJ plans on getting injured. It’s just bad luck. Unfortunatly, I don’t think it’s feasible to replace him without breaking the bank both in $ and assets. The idea for me is not to trade him but add to him so that we have more depth in case of injury to any of our D.

In the 2019 playoffs we had Nemeth and Graves as 7-8D. This year with the departures of Barrie, Nemeth and the ineptitude of Cocunut we where much more thin.

 

[Metallo]

I think so. With Vancouver's cap situation and what Demco did those last 3 games under huge pressure, I don't think Markstrom is brought back there. For the Avs, with the way Grubauer went down at the outdoor game and again during Game #1 (no contact), they HAVE to find a way to have a healthy starter for the playoffs.

If they can get Markstrom for $5-6M per on a 5-6 year deal, I think it has to happen. Moving Grubauer in the last year of his contract (@$3.3M) shouldn't be too hard. By my count, here are the teams that will probably be looking for a starting goalie : NJ, OTT, CAL, BUF, DET, CAR, EDM & CHI and some of those teams are in no hurry to contend. We just need a good starter, preferably a big guy who won't break down while we are grooming Annunen & hopefully others for 2-4 years from now.

Otherwise, perhaps a trade with one of the rumored available goalies would be the better way to go. (Murray, Andersen, Kuemper?) Depends on the cost but Sakic will definitely need to take huge advantage of the fact that we have cap space while so many others do not.

Lehner would also be a good option but I think he'd be real expensive and I think Vegas will find a sucker for Fleury and manage to re-sign him long-term.

Depending on Grubauer’s health I would prefer to keep him and ditch/bury Francouz.

 

[Alex Jones]

I want EJ to Seattle.

 

[Avs91]

Ok I’ve thought about it, and I didn’t read the 50 pages of post game posts, so I’m sure it’s been mentioned buuuuut...

Whoever runs the special teams has to be let go immediately, if not already. Like, thanks see you later, don’t even let them take the same plane home ffs.

 

[littletonhockeycoach]

Losing a game 7 in OT sucks, and it really hurts. But losing a game 7 in this fashion and after being down 1-3 in the series is a f***ing nightmare that will stick with the players for a long time.......

To the point: Not so "smart" players doing dumb things at the dumbest time. That sums up this series. Despite the fact we were icing half an AHL-Squad, the real downfall were our Special-Teams and our Backup-Goalie.

To be honest: After game 4 I no longer believed in winning this series (I would have loved to be wrong). But even with half of the squad injured and your 3rd goalie in net this team fought back and showed spirit. That´s something to be proud of.

But gaining the lead with 3 minutes left and then sending out 5 Clowns only to get scored on 10 sec later is a f***ing joke.

I didn´t help eithter that the best player in the NHL right now was not a factor in game 7.

With no disrespect to Dallas (congrats for winning), but we lost this series more ourselves than got beaten by a better team.

- our special teams were a disaster. Whoever is responsible needs to be released. Bring in some fresh ideas.
- Backup-Goalie: I´m honest: I feel sorry for Franky, but he cost us this season. Even further, he maybe killed his own career too. I don´t know what happened to him, but he completely shit the bed at the worst possible time.....
- Our Defense: Without a goalie who is capable of bail you out, well, here we are. Losing EJ hurt us more than we could have imagined.
- Grit: We are still a soft team who gets pushed around like dolls. Bring in a new "sheriff". I guarantee you that Benn, Perry or Comeau wont get away with that against Vegas. A guy like Reaves will beat the shit out of this assholes.

And last, but not least: Injuries.

I´ve never seen a team who is that injury prone than us. There is something terrible wrong in the system. Maybe take a look at our medical department and training intensity. It´s one thing when a f***er like Benn or Perry take runs at your players. But that´s no excuse for that many other "injuries".... This is now the 2nd season in a row we can´t stay healthy enough to compete. Enough of this bullshit. Get your shit together. I´m tired to watch players like Connauton or Dries in a game 7 of a 2nd round series.


Off season plan:
- Get a new Number 1. Sorry, but i´ve allready lost faith that Grubauer is able to stay healthy. Go with the new N0 1 and Grubauer for the coming season if necessary. If Grubauer is avalaible. I have a strong feeling that there is a groin surgery incoming. After that have a look at Annunen. And maybe have a look at our goalie-coach. Same story with Varlamov, who now is doing fine on Long Island.
- Another Top 4 D-Man who can play with the "kids". Now the 3rd year on the Cole-Contract hurts. Graves had a good regular season, but is a 3rd pairing guy. Try to get rid of Cole if possible. How on earth did this guy win 2 Cups? Honestly, i don´t know what to do with Zadorov.
- New coach for our special teams
- Add more grit and nastiness. I never want to see us getting pushed around like that again.
- Our 3rd line needs to be upgraded
- Take a deep look at our "injury problems". I even predict that we even wont be healthy when the new season starts.

Our window is now. Enough of being patience Mr. Sakic

Very insightful post. Agree with almost all of it.

One point for discussion.... Varly is now healthy. But consider how Trotz's defensive schema and the talent the GM has assembled likely helps Varlamov because he does not have to constantly push him self past his athletic limits to make saves. I've watched him enough to see that he is able to play a lot more solid set piece - presenting himself square to the shooter - in games. And his D take care of rebounds (he's controlling those better) and back checking forwards cover the late net crashers. In short, Varly's been able to simplify his game. I suspect that's due in part to Trotz's coaching and system.

It's kinda coincidental (?) that both Varlamov and Grubauer have groin issues? Incidental that they both came out of the Caps organization?

 

[Freudian]

It would be interesting to see if Francouz has an injury causing his subpar play or if he had some sort of mental issue, not being able to handle the pressure. If it's the latter, he has to go. The skaters will never be able to trust him again.

 

[Metallo]

It would be interesting to see if Francouz has an injury causing his subpar play or if he had some sort of mental issue, not being able to handle the pressure. If it's the latter, he has to go. The skaters will never be able to trust him again.

Agreed. And the 3rd option is that the team leadership went to Bednard and told him, get that clown out of there, we don’t trust him.

 

[Northern Avs Fan]

I disagree about as strongly as possible on Graves and Cole being better than EJ, but can you at least attempt an argument for how Cole is a better defenseman than EJ?

I don’t think either are better, but I did think they performed better in the regular season.

 

[TruePowerSlave]

They got scared once they entered the 3rd with a lead. Obviously injuries don't help but there is a mental issue when you stop playing in the 3rd in game 7.

Dallas wanted it more at the end and gave it their all. Hopefully, this is just a learning expirience and not a trend.

 

[ASmileyFace]

EJ found the fountain of youth for this playoff run. He was easily playing his best hockey in 3/4 years in the bubble. Losing him hurt this team's PK so damn hard.

 

[klozge]

To find something positive, it warms my heart to see how much joy this loss brought to some Oil and Leafs fans. They probably needed it.

 

[Bender]

I remembered something, I will one-trillion percent disagree with anybody here to dictates that Avs lost because we were "too soft" GTFO of here with that nonsense, Avs need to get more physical, but the Chicago Blackhawks in the 2010s showed how much overrated physicality is when you have talent.

We didn't lose because we were too soft however, the fact that some of the stars players felt right at ease going after our top guys because there was almost no threat of retribution cannot be ignored. Even more important than that, guys like Heiskanen and Klingberg didn't really get hit much whereas our guys were getting smashed at every turn. That's more my issue rather than the cheap stuff. I want my wingers, specifically the bottom 6 guys on both sides to make their presence felt and take a toll on their d-men. They were doing it to us. The only guy that I noticed that was doing it was Logan O'Connor and he's 6'0 - 190 but that's the kind of thing we definitely needed more of.