Pre-Game Talk: Week of a long break (@Cgy, @Van)

[JLo217]

The Avs are 4th in the league now, but can you with a straight face really say they are the 4th best team?

Varly (when healthy) is playing at an elite level as a goaltender, Mack and Rants are playing in the top of the NHL for forwards, as crazy as it is to say the teams D is the best its been in what 7-10 years perhaps.

Obviously it's not a full roster but thats alot of talent to compete with the rest of the NHL's, now the bottom 9 just needs to get healthy and round out. Then the minor league teams need to step up and continue to grow and develop replacements. I'd say some nights they look like the 4th best team in the NHL. How they came out against Tampa would be hard for any team to compete with.

Maybe not 4th but i'd confidently say top 10.

 

[Piestany88]

Yes. Their first line is the best in the NHL. Their D is very solid and they have good goaltending.

They played right with Tampa and it could have been a 1-1 game... if not for offsides call.
Toronto has no D and that scoring will slow down, especially with AM out.

Avs are better than Toronto no question in my mind and on par with the others .

 

[RockyMtnRedhawk]

The Avs are 4th in the league now, but can you with a straight face really say they are the 4th best team?

Goal difference says they're the best team in the league, so maybe. I still think it's too early to tell (let's see at Thanksgiving), but i don't think it's that outlandish.

 

[The Abusement Park]

Goal difference says they're the best team in the league, so maybe. I still think it's too early to tell (let's see at Thanksgiving), but i don't think it's that outlandish.

We’re also riding a top line that’s contributing almost 5 points per game. We have an awesome top line but no way they continue putting up goals at that rate.

 

[Piestany88]

The Avs don't have the depth either... The bottom 9 needs figured out before the Avs can do any real damage. Right now, find a way to shutdown the top line and the odds are very high you'll win the game.

Took Nashville to 6 games with all the injuries, you overate a lot of those teams . Sharks aren't better than the Avs and you forgot the best team in the league in the Capitals. Tampa aren't better than the Avs either they don't even have a 1st line center and always get bounced in the playoffs

 

[Foppberg]

Avs are better than Toronto no question in my mind and on par with the others .

On par with Tampa and Co? Lol okay then.

 

[CharlesPuck]

On par with Tampa and Co? Lol okay then.

Did you miss the game last week. They were tied with Tampa for most of the game and the only difference was an bogus offside call.

And to you that means TB is head and shoulders above Col.... yikes

 

[Avs44]

Did you miss the game last week. They were tied with Tampa for most of the game and the only difference was an bogus offside call.

And to you that means TB is head and shoulders above Col.... yikes

Because most of us don't take a one game example and privilege it as proof of something. Look at Tampa's larger body of play, look at their roster. The Avs are not on their level.

If we follow your logic...the Coyotes beat the Lightning 7-1 two games after the Avs vs. Tampa game. Are the Coyotes now cup favourites?

 

[S E P H]

I argue that we are a good team, but not up there with Winnipeg or Nashville; they would again beat us in six games due to the depth issues we still have. We're more the third or fourth best team in the Central, which you can consider one of the toughest divisions in all of sports - so I don't consider that a negative.

Our depth issues should eventually be fixed once Avs get more prospects into the NHL and especially from this draft since Ottawa is currently 7th overall and that's in prime Turcotte, Suzuki, Broberg, Boldy, and perhaps Dach range.

 

[CharlesPuck]

Because most of us don't take a one game example and privilege it as proof of something. Look at Tampa's larger body of play, look at their roster. The Avs are not on their level.

If we follow your logic...the Coyotes beat the Lightning 7-1 two games after the Avs vs. Tampa game. Are the Coyotes now cup favourites?

Are the Coyotes 2 points behind the league leader and 4th overall right now? I AM looking at the larger picture, are you?

 

[Avs44]

Are the Coyotes 2 points behind the league leader and 4th overall right now? I AM looking at the larger picture, are you?

Expanding the logic now, hm?

We are....12 games into the regular season? A regular season that Tampa probably doesn't even care too much about? Tampa would easily beat this club in a playoff series right now.

 

[Foppberg]

Are the Coyotes 2 points behind the league leader and 4th overall right now? I AM looking at the larger picture, are you?

So? Vancouver has more points than Washington, Pittsburgh, Winnipeg and San Jose. They're up there with those teams are they?

 

[Avs44]

To everyone worried or critical about our depth, please remember: This season (IMHO) is all about figuring out everybody's role in the bottom 9. Since so many guys are up for new contracts after this year (Rantanen, Wilson, Kerfoot, Gork, Kamenev, Dano, Dries, Greer and Toni) it makes sense to take this season to figure out what those players really are. Because at this point nobody really knows what kind of NHL player our young guys will be (if they are NHL players at all). That's why I think this season you're going to see guys get longer looks than they deserve at certain spots, and probably why Soda's not getting the offensive minutes - they want to see if one of the kids can seize that role because they know Soda's not the long-term solution there.

Basically, I think this season we all need to be very patient with the bottom 9 - think of it as a testing season.

We didn't need a "testing" season for most of these guys, as I said in the off-season. We knew what Bourque and Wilson were, we knew that Greer and Toninato were marginal to make the club. We certainly know that Dano and Dries are currently marginal NHL talent. And many of us knew that Jost was going to struggle badly offensively without support, hence why I was saying all off-season they had to bring in a top six forward to support his development. We're not going to see the best out of many of these kids (Jost most notably) with the support they are provided with. Simply put, some of these prospects / youngsters aren't being but in a position to succeed and develop when there's a cycle of Gabriel Bourque, Matt Calvert, Matt Nieto, and / or Colin Wilson on their line.

If the Avs want to wait until the off-season before making moves - waiting for their two 1sts and Makar, not to see what guys like Dano, Bourque, Wilson, Nieto, Dries, etc., are - fine. But lets not pretend that Tyson Jost, for example, has gotten anything out of this "testing" season thus far. There are some youngsters with potential on the Avs - Compher, Kamenev, Jost, and Kerfoot - but surrounding them with 4th liners we already knew all about was not necessary, even if there's an argument to be made that waiting a year to bring Makar in and seeing where the picks end up makes some sense. If they had brought in help this off-season the help would have stolen the spots of the likes of Wilson and Bourque, not the handful of kids that have potential, and that help only would have aided guys like Jost develop.

As I see it the state of the bottom nine is in more of a 'just killing time' phase, than a 'testing and developing' phase.

 

[Balthazar]

The problem right now is because of a piss poor bottom 9, we're basically wasting a year of absolute peak first line, wasting one of the last years of prime EJ, wasting a year of prime Barrie and wasting Varly's contract year. "Waiting" is no longer without any consequence, the clock started ticking now.

Best line in hockey + one of the best goalie in the league + adequate defense for the first time in decade = we should go somewhere. The bottom 9 is holding us back big time.

 

[Piestany88]

I argue that we are a good team, but not up there with Winnipeg or Nashville; they would again beat us in six games due to the depth issues we still have. We're more the third or fourth best team in the Central, which you can consider one of the toughest divisions in all of sports - so I don't consider that a negative.

Our depth issues should eventually be fixed once Avs get more prospects into the NHL and especially from this draft since Ottawa is currently 7th overall and that's in prime Turcotte, Suzuki, Broberg, Boldy, and perhaps Dach range.

Definitely up there with Winnipeg, our goaltending is better top line better , our defense us better and they only run Little as a 2c. Overrated team . Nashville running with 2 #2c 's . I'd take Mack and run Soderberg #2 c over Johanssen and Turris all day everyday. Our goaltending any day as well. The Avs currently have the best goal differential in the league. +14
Forgot to mention Avs are the fastest team as well. Quickly be coming an elite team our own fans are scared to admit.

In any order Avs , Caps , Lightning , Winnipeg, Bruins, Pens and Preds and Sharks top 8

 

[21]

@AvsFan29 said:

Need a 2c more than anything. It's the last big peice we need.
​

Elias Pettersson

@The Abusement Park said:

Well a true #1D could be on that list as well. Far less necessary though imo.
​

Charlie McAvoy

;-) dream on

Elias may actually be Sweden's best talent all time (Forsberg included), will be interesting to follow.

 

[The Abusement Park]

;-) dream on

Elias may actually be Sweden's best talent all time (Forsberg included), will be interesting to follow.

All time? Better than Foppa or lidstrom?

 

[21]

All time? Better than Foppa or lidstrom?

Many experts believe so, yes.

 

[Ivan13]

He's not. He'll be a Naslund level player.

 

[hooverdam]

I'll be interested to see how they're playing later in the season towards the deadline. If they're playing well but losing games because of a lack of depth, Sakic should make smart moves to fix that. Don't punt a good opportunity for more playoff experience (e.g. winning a round) just for the sake of preaching patience.

If they're playing poorly and winning games purely on goaltending or whatever...then yeah, the team needs more work. I've been pretty happy with the defense and they're right in the middle of the league in terms of shot attempts against in a small sample size, so it should be interesting to see how that develops. Hopefully it only gets better.

 

[henchman21]

People are taking a hot start a bit too far. This team is a couple notches below Cup team. If you are a top 5-7 team, you are a Cup sort of team. It is kinda funny though, this summer I said this team was a good #2C away from being a really good team (I still believe that) and people said the team needed more time and this was another developmental year. Yet here we are, a good #2C would make this team a real threat in the playoffs. I don't think it would make them a Cup team, but they'd probably win a round. Without that #2C though, the depth on this team will be exposed in a playoff series.

If anybody thinks this over 1.5ppg pace the top line is averaging is going to hold (averaging the 3 of them is 1.53ppg), they are crazy. Since the 04-05 lockout, only 4 players have averaged that or better on more than half of a season. The names... Thornton, Jagr, Ovi, and Crosby. To think MacK, Rants, and Landy can average that between the 3 of them is crazy. Even an absurd 1.2 pace would drop the scoring dramatically.

 

[The Abusement Park]

Many experts believe so, yes.

If he’s a better talent than lidstrom you’re saying Peterson would be top ~5 at his position. Which considering he’s a center would put him at one of the best 15 players ever.

 

[21]

He's not. He'll be a Naslund level player.

Elias is simply an amazing young player.
https://www.tsn.ca/canucks-pettersson-breaks-shl-u20-record-1.1022272

 

[21]

If he’s a better talent than lidstrom you’re saying Peterson would be top ~5 at his position. Which considering he’s a center would put him at one of the best 15 players ever.

https://www.tsn.ca/canucks-pettersson-breaks-shl-u20-record-1.1022272

What more... hmmm, right:

Elias Pettersson named SHL Rookie of the Year, Best Forward, and MVP

 

[Ivan13]

Elias is simply an amazing young player.
https://www.tsn.ca/canucks-pettersson-breaks-shl-u20-record-1.1022272

Good. Now tell me how that makes him potentially better than a guy who I have as the 4th best defenseman ever? If he has a career like Naslund (in the running for Hart, arguably the best player in the NHL at one point) he will be lucky.

He is not the currently most talented young Swede in the league.