Time to start questioning Colorado?

[SpezDispenser]

Yes, but teams like Chicago and Pittsburgh have succeeded with this strategy, so it's not impossible. And, Sakic has done a really good job of building the team without signing stupid UFA contracts or overpaying for rentals, so I'm still hopeful.

It's possible for sure and Sakic has a good track record. This is where he'll really earn his money though. Gonna have to start juggling guys in and out of the lineup soon. As you say though, he's been smart.

 

[avsfan9]

Did you even watch the series? Or were you on your calculator because it's pretty obvious who the better team was after game 1.

Game 1,5 and 6, the avs were even or better. Vegas capitalized on their scoring chances and Fleury stood on his head.

 

[WarriorofTime]

I think they need a better #2 defenseman

 

[LOFIN]

I think they need a better #2 defenseman

Devon Toews is just fine. What was needed was Byram injected into the lineup, and someone like EJ.

 

[GOilers88]

Three straight years not getting by the second round. Great regular season, but undoubtedly were a playoff disappointment this year. Forget about not winning the Stanley Cup the last few years, how about winning two rounds? They haven’t even gotten close. Shouldn’t we expect more of the best team in the league during the regular season and the fastest rising team in the league?

Or should we wait another season or two before the pressure starts to elevate?

I think the Cup is the hardest trophy in sports to win, and I think Ovi is the best example of why things like this are silly as all hell.

 

[WarriorofTime]

I think the Cup is the hardest trophy in sports to win, and I think Ovi is the best example of why things like this are silly as all hell.

Statistically, it's no harder than any other League with (roughly) the same number of teams.

 

[WarriorofTime]

Devon Toews is just fine. What was needed was Byram injected into the lineup, and someone like EJ.

I think that Samuel Girard had the second most ice time this postseason. They could use an upgrade for his role.

 

[GOilers88]

Statistically, it's no harder than any other League with (roughly) the same number of teams.

I don't know any other sports that require you to win 4 more best of 7 series after a full season of play. And given the nature of the sport with it's speed and physicality, I think it's a far bigger grind than any of the others.

 

[WarriorofTime]

I don't know any other sports that require you to win 4 more best of 7 series after a full season of play. And given the nature of the sport with it's speed and physicality, I think it's a far bigger grind than any of the others.

The NBA has an identical format, for one.

 

[GOilers88]

The NBA has an identical format, for one.

And in the NBA one player can carry a team much further. The two sports aren't comparable in any way. It's not nearly as physical, and the wear and tear on ones body seems far less.

I mean LeBron James got carried out because he had a f***ing leg cramp,and Patrice Bergeron goes to the finals with a punctured lung and broken ribs.

 

[WarriorofTime]

And in the NBA one player can carry a team much further. The two sports aren't comparable in any way.

Agreed the sports are different but my point is the odds of a particular team winning the Championship in a season are basically equal. It's a fallacy to say one is "harder" to win than the other.

 

[GOilers88]

Agreed the sports are different but my point is the odds of a particular team winning the Championship in a season are basically equal. It's a fallacy to say one is "harder" to win than the other.

Look at how many times the same teams make it to the finals in the NBA compared to the NHL. In my opinion it's much harder.

Agree to disagree.

 

[WarriorofTime]

Look at how many times the same teams make it to the finals in the NBA compared to the NHL. In my opinion it's much harder.

Agree to disagree.

Which (if anything) suggests it's easier to win a Cup as pretty much every great player in NHL history has won at least 1 Cup until very recently because it basically gets passed around and everyone gets their turn at it. Imagine being an NBA player and knowing you have to beat Curry, LeBron, Kawhi and Durant to win it all. That takes a Herculaean effort. Historically, NHL players just had to wait their turn even if it took a while (like Ray Bourque). It's only recently that great players like Thornton, Iginla, Lundqvist, Sedins have gone Cupless their whole career.

 

[amnesiac]

No, they got beat by a top 3 team in the league, and basically hit a slump after playing out of their minds for 6 games. Theyll still be top contenders next season, and should be favourites once again.

 

[GOilers88]

Which (if anything) suggests it's easier to win a Cup as pretty much every great player in NHL history has won at least 1 Cup until very recently because it basically gets passed around and everyone gets their turn at it. Imagine being an NBA player and knowing you have to beat Curry, LeBron, Kawhi and Durant to win it all. That takes a Herculaean effort. Historically, NHL players just had to wait their turn even if it took a while (like Ray Bourque). It's only recently that great players like Thornton, Iginla, Lundqvist, Sedins have gone Cupless their whole career.

That's what I mean though. One player can make it happen in the NBA. Doesn't matter how good you are in the NHL, if your team isn't solid top to bottom you likely aren't even sniffing a chance at it.

Nor do you see players forming super teams to dominate everything in their path, because it isn't doable.

 

[WarriorofTime]

That's what I mean though. One player can make it happen in the NBA. Doesn't matter how good you are in the NHL, if your team isn't solid top to bottom you likely aren't even sniffing a chance at it.

Yeah, so if you're like a 4th line guy, it can be pretty easy to win a cup if you get lucky and put in the right situation since even if you don't play well your teammates might bail you out.

 

[GOilers88]

Yeah, so if you're like a 4th line guy, it can be pretty easy to win a cup if you get lucky and put in the right situation since even if you don't play well your teammates might bail you out.

If you get lucky. That would tell me it's much harder. How often do you see the best team win the NBA championship? How often do you see the best team in the NHL win the cup? But we're going in circles.

Cheers.

 

[WarriorofTime]

If you get lucky. That would tell me it's much harder. How often do you see the best team win the NBA championship? How often do you see the best team in the NHL win the cup? But we're going in circles.

Cheers.

The beer team in both sports wins. Either way there is only one winner

 

[Regal]

Statistically, it's no harder than any other League with (roughly) the same number of teams.

That's not really true, because the number of teams isn't the only influence on difficulty. It's not a lottery. Your chances of winning are also influenced by team quality and further by variance, and variance plays a bigger role in hockey than say, basketball. Football is debatable though, and I'd say baseball is the most impacted by variance, at least in the playoffs.

 

[Sempiternal]

This thread is such a troll LOL Avs will be yearly contenders as long as they have MacKinnon and Makar.

Joe Sakic is brilliant and will add to the team next season.

 

[WarriorofTime]

This thread is such a troll LOL Avs will be yearly contenders as long as they have MacKinnon and Makar.

Joe Sakic is brilliant and will add to the team next season.

People said the same thing about the Sharks and the Canucks. Nothing can be taken for granted.

 

[LOFIN]

People said the same thing about the Sharks and the Canucks. Nothing can be taken for granted.

There's a pretty big difference between how Colorado is constructed vs the Cannucks or the Sharks.

 

[Alexander the Gr8]

Lol. Where do people get the idea that contenders should blow it to every time they don't win a cup. There are 4-6 contenders every year, and Colorado is one of them. Every year only one team wins the cup.

The plan is stay the course, hope you make the right accessory moves, and rinse and repeat until the core starts getting old.

Because it’s cool to make threads like that with the hottest possible take.

Thank God actual GMs know to stay the course when they have a good team, especially one that’s as young as the Avs.

The Stanley Cup is hard as f*** to win, so you need patience.

Look at Tampa. They were knocking on that door for about 5 years.

Blues contended for 6 years before they won.

Capitals contended for literally 10 years and it eventually paid off.

 

[stl76]

This is also coming from someone who watched his team lose to the Kings in 2012, the Kings in 2013 (2x Champions), the Blackhawks in 2014 (3x Champions), the Sharks in 2016 (finalist that year), and the Predators in 2017 (finalist that year).

Sometimes one team is just better. Sometimes the matchup is just bad. Every single team in the league has another team in the league they wouldn't beat in 7 games.

Labeling the Avs pretenders is beyond silly. A bounce here and a bounce there, and they advance tonight.

People always underestimate just how much luck goes into winning a Stanley Cup.

The avs are a good young team. I have zero doubt that MacKinnon is going to will his team to a Cup at some point in his career.

 

[Wrath]

I think most of the main pieces are there. Small adjustments to the d-corps and depth scoring are all they need from a roster perspective.

Unclear if Bednar is the man for the job either. He's obviously far outperformed expectations from when he took control of the rudderless team and started with a historically bad season. But losing the last 4 games in a row to Vegas leaves a sour taste, makes one wonder if he can make the adjustments needed and rally confidence in the playoffs. It may very well be a case of a coach that has "run his course" or "lost the locker room".

Lastly, a good dose of puck luck (or maybe more appropriately a "hot goalie") goes a very long way in the playoffs.