Western Conference Round Robin (Blues, Avalanche, Golden Knights, Stars)

[Aurinko]

Blues, Dallas and VGK are the smartest teams, likely still get overrun by the brutal dumb talent of the AV's...

Experience is on blues side, but I still believe AV's can take them, just based on the last match.

 

[SwivelSchwartz]

Because you only joined when your team made the WCF last year?

Kinda makes it seem like you are only interested in the narrative that supports your team being successful. Your posts have been proving this as well.

I never said anything bad about the avs, complimented them multiple times, and picked them to go to the conference finals. Simply stated their core hasn’t really been tested yet besides almost making it half way to the Stanley cup. Clearly an up and coming team, but funny to see how easily triggered some of you get. Would make for a fun series.

Edit: Nvm looks like both St. Louis and Dallas vacationed during the breaking instead of working

 

[klozge]

Blues, Dallas and VGK are the smartest teams, likely still get overrun by the brutal dumb talent of the AV's...

Experience is on blues side, but I still believe AV's can take them, just based on the last match.

Talking about being dumb, it's 'Avs', not 'AV's'.

 

[tucker3434]

Blues, Dallas and VGK are the smartest teams, likely still get overrun by the brutal dumb talent of the AV's...

Experience is on blues side, but I still believe AV's can take them, just based on the last match.

Bunch of nerds if you ask me.

 

[BlueMed]

Blues, Dallas and VGK are the smartest teams, likely still get overrun by the brutal dumb talent of the AV's...

Experience is on blues side, but I still believe AV's can take them, just based on the last match.

If we break this down, how much talent do the Avs really have?

MacKinnon=elite first liner (top 3 in the league)
Rantanen=elite first liner
Makar=highly skilled D but defensively unproven
Landeskog=average first liner
Kadri=good 2C
Nichushkin, Donskoi, and Burakovsky =all consistent 30 point players in years past

Where else is the talent? Just questioning this narrative that the Avs have much more talent than everyone else in the Western Conference.

 

[Papa Francouz]

If we break this down, how much talent do the Avs really have?

MacKinnon=elite first liner (top 3 in the league)
Rantanen=elite first liner
Makar=highly skilled D but defensively unproven
Landeskog=average first liner
Kadri=good 2C
Nichushkin, Donskoi, and Burakovsky =all consistent 30 point players in years past

Where else is the talent? Just questioning this narrative that the Avs have much more talent than everyone else in the Western Conference.

Sammy G still don't get no respek

 

[Northern Avs Fan]

If we break this down, how much talent do the Avs really have?

MacKinnon=elite first liner (top 3 in the league)
Rantanen=elite first liner
Makar=highly skilled but defensively questionable
Landeskog=average first liner
Kadri=good 2C

Where else is the talent? Just questioning this narrative that the Avs have much more talent than everyone else in the Western Conference.

You sound like someone who watched the Blues in the playoffs last year and has watched very little hockey otherwise.

Do Sam Girard and Ryan Graves cease to exist? What happened to Andre Burakovsky? Or defensive specialist Val Nichushkin?

Btw... didn’t Makar erase all the opportunities that came to his side of the ice against you guys in the exhibition game? Not to mention blowing up Blais on a couple of occasions.

 

[Dr Pepper]

Would be very surprised by a Stars win today......if they finish 4th in the round robin, is it already determined which series winner they'd face?

Or are the play-in round winners re-seeded after the round is done?

Just looking ahead to next week.

 

[BlueMed]

You sound like someone who watched the Blues in the playoffs last year and has watched very little hockey otherwise.

Do Sam Girard and Ryan Graves cease to exist? What happened to Andre Burakovsky? Or defensive specialist Val Nichushkin?

Btw... didn’t Makar erase all the opportunities that came to his side of the ice against you guys in the exhibition game? Not to mention blowing up Blais on a couple of occasions.

How could I forget the game breaking talents of Sam Girard and Ryan Graves?

 

[Pierce Hawthorne]

Sammy G still don't get no respek

Best dman on the team and yet but nobody talks about him.



It's cool though. Avs will continue to be slept on by certain folks until we win the cup this year and then those people will look silly.

 

[MaKarter]

If we break this down, how much talent do the Avs really have?

MacKinnon=elite first liner (top 3 in the league)
Rantanen=elite first liner
Makar=highly skilled D but defensively unproven
Landeskog=average first liner
Kadri=good 2C
Nichushkin, Donskoi, and Burakovsky =all consistent 30 point players in years past

Where else is the talent? Just questioning this narrative that the Avs have much more talent than everyone else in the Western Conference.

You are probably right that our talent level isn't "way" more than the other top teams in the West.

But the combination of our top talent being elite (MacK and Makar) and how well they are complimented but the next level talent (Mikko, Girard, Landy, Kadri) scares some people.

Then you add in our role players that all have attributes that match our playing style of speed and skill (Burakovsky, Nichuskin, Donskoi, Graves) we have a shot of being not only the top team in the West, but also the most talented.

 

[tucker3434]

How could I forget the game breaking talents of Sam Girard and Ryan Graves?

The Avs gave up fewer 5v5 goals with Girard on the ice than the blues did with Pietrangelo. Graves lead the league in +/-. But yeah, I’m sure they suck.

 

[BlueMed]

You are probably right that our talent level isn't "way" more than the other top teams in the West.

But the combination of our top talent being elite (MacK and Makar) and how well they are complimented but the next level talent (Mikko, Girard, Landy, Kadri) scares some people.

Then you add in our role players that all have attributes that match our playing style of speed and skill (Burakovsky, Nichuskin, Donskoi, Graves) we have a shot of being not only the top team in the West, but also the most talented.

This is the sort of post I was looking for. An honest, objective, and analytical response. Thanks!

 

[klozge]

If we break this down, how much talent do the Avs really have?

MacKinnon=elite first liner (top 3 in the league)
Rantanen=elite first liner
Makar=highly skilled D but defensively unproven
Landeskog=average first liner
Kadri=good 2C
Nichushkin, Donskoi, and Burakovsky =all consistent 30 point players in years past

Where else is the talent? Just questioning this narrative that the Avs have much more talent than everyone else in the Western Conference.

I thought we had all agreed Landeskog was a glorified third liner. I'm confused.

 

[BlueMed]

The Avs gave up fewer 5v5 goals with Girard on the ice than the blues did with Pietrangelo. Graves lead the league in +/-. But yeah, I’m sure they suck.

Because regular season stats are so important, right? And I never said they suck. Just didn't think they were notable enough to include in my original list, which is why I was asking where the other talent was? I wasn't being rhetorical. It was an honest question that you took offense to.

 

[BlueMed]

I thought we had all agreed Landeskog was a glorified third liner. I'm confused.

I've never heard that one before. I think he's a really solid first liner with physicality and leadership qualities. He would fit right in with the Blues.

 

[Northern Avs Fan]

How could I forget the game breaking talents of Sam Girard and Ryan Graves?

Did anyone say they were game breakers?

Girard is an excellent defenceman though. One of the best transition D in hockey and solid in his own zone.

Graves is new on the scene, but certainly capable.

Not sure you have a good understanding of what your talking about.

 

[Papa Francouz]

Best dman on the team and yet but nobody talks about him.



It's cool though. Avs will continue to be slept on by certain folks until we win the cup this year and then those people will look silly.

Being small but not flashy might be G's biggest downfall for getting name recognition by other fans. I'll take one of the best transition defensemen in the NHL any day of the week, though, regardless of size or offensive flash.

 

[BlueMed]

Did anyone say they were game breakers?

Girard is an excellent defenceman though. One of the best transition D in hockey and solid in his own zone.

Graves is new on the scene, but certainly capable.

Not sure you have a good understanding of what your talking about.

And I'm not sure you understood my original post. I'm sure those guys are solid players, but I was clearly looking for higher-end guys that reinforce this narrative that the Avs are "loaded with skill." Game-breakers was implied. And MaKarter already answered my question.

 

[Ararana]

If we break this down, how much talent do the Avs really have?

MacKinnon=elite first liner (top 3 in the league)
Rantanen=elite first liner
Makar=highly skilled D but defensively unproven
Landeskog=average first liner
Kadri=good 2C
Nichushkin, Donskoi, and Burakovsky =all consistent 30 point players in years past

Where else is the talent? Just questioning this narrative that the Avs have much more talent than everyone else in the Western Conference.

Just out of curiosity, what more do you feel you need to see from Makar to consider him more than a 'highly skilled D'? Sam Girard is a 'highly skilled D' and you didn't even mention him. No aggressive intent what-so-ever, it's just interesting to me to see what other fanbases think outside of Colorado and Vancouver who just watched their rookie defenseman hit 50 points.

I agree I liked to see another year of solid defensive play from him before I'd be comfortable calling him defensively strong. He was pretty good in his own end this year, but he won't be as good defensively as Bowen Byram will be for example.

 

[Northern Avs Fan]

And I'm not sure you understood my original post. I'm sure those guys are solid players, but I was clearly looking for higher-end guys that reinforce this narrative that the Avs are "loaded with skill." Game-breakers was implied. And MaKarter already answered my question.

I’m not trying to reinforce any narrative. What I do know is that Sam Girard is a high-end defenceman.

 

[RockyMtnRedhawk]

Sammy G still don't get no respek

Avs were 4th in team save %. Goalies don't get no respek neither!

 

[a mangy Meowth]

It's a good thing we have all of these Blues fans to gatekeep 'having a cup-worthy roster' so that we know for sure that we're only 'pretty good' and not a potential cup squad so that we don't get our hopes up too much. I'm sure they wouldn't want us feeling the same pain they did after getting assblasted in the playoffs year after year, until last season. Thanks for looking out for us, guys!

 

[RockyMtnRedhawk]

If we break this down, how much talent do the Avs really have?

MacKinnon=elite first liner (top 3 in the league)
Rantanen=elite first liner
Makar=highly skilled D but defensively unproven
Landeskog=average first liner
Kadri=good 2C
Nichushkin, Donskoi, and Burakovsky =all consistent 30 point players in years past

Where else is the talent? Just questioning this narrative that the Avs have much more talent than everyone else in the Western Conference.

Just wait til you meet Mr. Byram, Mr. Newhook, and Mr. Timmins.

Look, the Avs still have to prove it on the ice. A lot of things have to go right to win a Cup in any one individual season. However, when you look at the roster construction, the fact that the Avs have star players just entering their prime at multiple positions and more top-end talent on the way, combined with the fact that the Avs had by far the best goal differential in the West this season, it's obvious to me that the organization is loaded with talent. We'll see if they can translate that talent into winning a Cup.

 

[Ararana]

Would be very surprised by a Stars win today......if they finish 4th in the round robin, is it already determined which series winner they'd face?

Or are the play-in round winners re-seeded after the round is done?

Just looking ahead to next week.

They'd get Edmonton barring an upset by Chicago. I think a Dallas/Edmonton series would be very interesting, an entire team built around being an unmovable object trying to contain the unstoppable force of a single player.