What Does This Team Have To Do To Return To Greatness?

[Pirate Deadpool]

Flash's agent reported later on that there wasn't any health concerns after the treatments, and he could've played for the Avs. They just didn't offer him anything. I'll give the Avs some leniency on this, but if they talked to Flash or the agent they could've told him he could've stayed.

As for Mueller being too big of a risk, what ****ing risk? We're nowhere near the cap, and it's plain to see that Mueller would've signed a 1 year contract with the Avs. He would've respected that we stuck with him during his concussion, I don't see why he would sign a 1 yr with Florida and not the Avs. If he couldn't play or didn't regain his form, then you can let him go. But letting him go the year he could finally be healthy is unacceptable.

Good to see someone else that read that article about flash's agent not even getting an offer or any discussions when most idiots still think his health was a concern when it really wasn't. Flash had great chemistry with duchene and I bet flash and his agent are glad the avs didn't make an offer as they got a better offer than the avs wouldve made and probably signed.

 

[Bonzai12]

An in-depth article on Kroenke here

For some Arsenal fans, though, the line between value conscious and cheap begins to blur. They are impatient more than seven years after their last trophy, the 2005 FA Cup. They are upset that the club has the highest average season-ticket price in the league. They see the flamboyant, free-spending owners of other teams. They see Arsenal selling three of its stars—two to Premier League rivals—in the last two years and falling so far in the standings that at week's end they were in eighth place. They see Kroenke's understated and measured approach. And the comparison isn't always flattering.

Still, concern over frugal spending erupted last month at Arsenal's AGM (annual general meeting), a cross between a shareholders' meeting and a team message board come to life. Fans gathered in a conference room at Emirates Stadium to air their grievances. The team executives, including Gazidis, Wenger and Kroenke, sat up front and were peppered with complaints about everything from Arsenal's failure to retain Dutch star Robin Van Persie to the price of fish and chips at concession stands (roughly $22).

Finally Kroenke spoke. "I have never put debt on the club, I have never said that any money wasn't available," he said. "My one regret with Arsenal was that I didn't get involved earlier.... I am ambitious for the club. We have an exciting future, and our goal is to win trophies." Awkward doesn't begin to express the depth of unease in the room.

.......sound familiar to anyone?

What does Kroenke, the value investor who picked up some of his business acumen at the knees of the Walmart founders, think of treating a team as an expensive toy? He chooses his words with caution. "That's not a viable long-term kind of thing," he says. "It's bad for the fans. You want to win, and that's most important, but I wouldn't do it just for a social hobby."

I think the Monforts got to Stan.

 

[Zih]

New ownership. Everything else as in a new GM and head coach as well as spending money on quality free agents will follow suit once there's a new owner. But I see kroenke keeping this team and letting it rot every year just to collect some extra cash on nights that the nuggs aren't playing.

The Avalanche are a success financially for Kroenke. He's been making between $4-6M for each of the past 4-5 years according to Forbes. Just due to the fact that Kroenke also owns the arena, the Nuggets, and Altitude I don't see any way that the family sells the team within the next few decades.

I'd start praying for Lacroix's ouster rather than Kroenke's departure, since I think that has a greater chance of happening.

 

[Mant*]

Good to see someone else that read that article about flash's agent not even getting an offer or any discussions when most idiots still think his health was a concern when it really wasn't. Flash had great chemistry with duchene and I bet flash and his agent are glad the avs didn't make an offer as they got a better offer than the avs wouldve made and probably signed.

His health is ALWAYS going to be a concern, no matter where he plays... he's the boy in the plastic bubble. Do you want the Avs to return to greatness... or do you want them to be the league's rehab center for high risk players?

 

[PAZ]

His health is ALWAYS going to be a concern, no matter where he plays... he's the boy in the plastic bubble. Do you want the Avs to return to greatness... or do you want them to be the league's rehab center for high risk players?

So we should trade Landy and EJ away right now since they just got concussions? Their health is ALWAYS going to be a concern with those concussions.

 

[Mant*]

So we should trade Landy and EJ away right now since they just got concussions? Their health is ALWAYS going to be a concern with those concussions.

They don't have to take anticoagulants daily and wear pressurized suits to ride on airplanes.

 

[PAZ]

They don't have to take anticoagulants daily and wear pressurized suits to ride on airplanes.

They have to wear helmets when skating on a flat surface.

 

[Mant*]

They have to wear helmets when skating on a flat surface.

Derp?

 

[LazRNN]

I'd start praying for Lacroix's ouster rather than Kroenke's departure, since I think that has a greater chance of happening.

There's basically no chance Kroenke sells the team unless he is coerced or blackmailed into it. Maybe a slightly better chance Lacroix is ousted. The only chance the Kroenke's would look to oust Lacroix is if the team started losing money... but even a fan boycott wouldn't guarantee that.

Lacroix is basically a de facto owner of the team. He runs it like his family business. He's probably with the team until he drops dead, and he's even set up Eric as an heir if that happened. If the Kroenke's opened their eyes they should be embarrassed by how they've let the man handle their asset.

I'm not hoping for anyone to drop dead. Better just to give up on the franchise.

 

[avalanchuck]

New ownership. Everything else as in a new GM and head coach as well as spending money on quality free agents will follow suit once there's a new owner. But I see kroenke keeping this team and letting it rot every year just to collect some extra cash on nights that the nuggs aren't playing.

What scares me is that when and IF the Avs are ever sold PL will somehow survive because the new owner doesn't know anything about hockey so PL will be his "hockey guy".

 

[avalanchuck]

The Most Powerful Man In Sports ... You Had No Idea, Did You? Stan Kroenke

Kroenke still shoots the J, hikes mountains and squeezes in frequent early-morning workouts with Nuggets strength coach Steve Hess; he can bench-press 225 pounds 12 times. A few years ago, as the NBA team was evaluating draft prospects, a rumor rocketed around the Pepsi Center that the owner's percentage of body fat was lower than that of most of the players under consideration. Kroenke prefers buffalo meat to steak, eats a lot of fish and claims that the last time he got sick was in 2001. "And I could swear," he says, "that it came from drinking out of the Stanley Cup."

Now we know why the Avs will never, EVER play for the Stanley Cup. Stan is mysophobic!

 

[avalanchuck]

The Most Powerful Man In Sports ... You Had No Idea, Did You? Stan Kroenke

More from the article...

Tellingly, his clubs tend to operate safely under the salary cap—the Avalanche have one of the NHL's lowest payrolls—but Fisher and the Nuggets' George Karl are among the best-paid coaches in their leagues.

How do you explain Joe Sacco?!?

 

[Foppa2118]

Why do we need a full time goalie coach? What has McLean done with Varly/Giggy that you don't like?

Half as much as he should be doing. And that might be being generous.

 

[hoserthehorrible]

How to return this team to greatness?

I'd target one of the bottom teams in the league this season and trade O'Reilly and whatever else they need for a 1st round pick and get a lottery pick. Given the team's play and injuries the Avs easily could end up being a lottery pick themselves already. Two additional lottery picks, if chosen wisely, will help this franchise for years to come.

I'd keep Duchene, Landeskog, Varlamov, Johnson, Downie, McGinn, Parenteau and a few of the other role players like Mitchell, McLeod and Hejda to complement the core. Get whatever you can for Stastny, Jones and the remaining D-men and then dip into free agency to fill the remaining holes. Leave one or two spots open for young prospects like Barrie/Elliott/Sgarbossa and go from there.

And I'd definitely fire the entire coaching staff and bring in someone that is well respected and knows how to get the most out of their players.

This could turn the team's fortunes around very quickly. It doesn't have to be a five or six year rebuild.

 

[Avs]

The Most Powerful Man In Sports ... You Had No Idea, Did You? Stan Kroenke





Now we know why the Avs will never, EVER play for the Stanley Cup. Stan is mysophobic!

It all makes sense......

 

[Ciccio1980]

How about move to Quebec let them build you a winning team then move to Colorado and you can reap the rewards

 

[RoyIsALegend]

How about move to Quebec let them build you a winning team then move to Colorado and you can reap the rewards

Or we could just stay in Colorado and try to beat the Leafs' present-day record of the longest team to not make the playoffs...

 

[PAZ]

Derp?

I thought we were just saying things that were completely irrelevant to on-ice performance.

 

[Pokecheque]

Half as much as he should be doing. And that might be being generous.

Why? What's been so horrid about Varly/Giggy's performances so far? No, he hasn't been Vezina-caliber, but he hasn't been horrid by any stretch either. This team isn't losing because of their goaltending.

Seriously, where is McLean failing so miserably? All four netminders in the system appear to be developing just fine. He's playing a part in that.

 

[Nalens Oga]

I was reading an issue of Mile High Sports Magazine from October (it had a cover story about Lando).

In it, there's a fairly lengthy and detailed multi-page interview with Josh Kroenke. I skimmed through the whole thing and though it mentions that he owns the Avs/Nuggets, nowhere in the interview does he mention a single thing about the Avs. The whole interview is basketball talk mainly. At one point he's asked what the plans are for the upcoming season and no he doesn't mention: for our hockey team it's this, for our bbal team it's this, he just goes on about the Nuggets.

Frankly, we're gonna get nowhere until we have an owner who has his head in this. And I don't see him selling the team as much as we want him to so the only way is for hockey fans to bug him and tell him to do his job, flood his mail box if you have to so to speak.

 

[FreshFitted67]

How to return this team to greatness?

I'd target one of the bottom teams in the league this season and trade O'Reilly and whatever else they need for a 1st round pick and get a lottery pick. Given the team's play and injuries the Avs easily could end up being a lottery pick themselves already. Two additional lottery picks, if chosen wisely, will help this franchise for years to come.

I'd keep Duchene, Landeskog, Varlamov, Johnson, Downie, McGinn, Parenteau and a few of the other role players like Mitchell, McLeod and Hejda to complement the core. Get whatever you can for Stastny, Jones and the remaining D-men and then dip into free agency to fill the remaining holes. Leave one or two spots open for young prospects like Barrie/Elliott/Sgarbossa and go from there.

And I'd definitely fire the entire coaching staff and bring in someone that is well respected and knows how to get the most out of their players.

This could turn the team's fortunes around very quickly. It doesn't have to be a five or six year rebuild.

 

[FreshFitted67]

I'd keep Ryan Wilson, and move Jan Hejda, but thats just me personally.

 

[Foppa2118]

Why? What's been so horrid about Varly/Giggy's performances so far? No, he hasn't been Vezina-caliber, but he hasn't been horrid by any stretch either. This team isn't losing because of their goaltending.

Seriously, where is McLean failing so miserably? All four netminders in the system appear to be developing just fine. He's playing a part in that.

Nothing, they've been great. There's just no reason except for cheapness that he should only be doing his job part time. Why not ensure to the best of your abilities that they will continue to be great?

 

[Pokecheque]

Nothing, they've been great. There's just no reason except for cheapness that he should only be doing his job part time. Why not ensure to the best of your abilities that they will continue to be great?

That I can't really argue.

 

[cgf]

I'd keep Ryan Wilson, and move Jan Hejda, but thats just me personally.

Why would we want to move either of them? Other than EJ and Barrie those are only competent dmen right now. I'd hold onto all 4 of them, Elliott and SOB. Add in whoever we get from the ROR trade and our Defense would actually be in a good spot, with a lot of room to grow.

ROR-EJ
Hejda-Barrie
Wilson-Elliott
SOB

Until Siemens is ready to take over for Hejda and one of Elliott or Barrie gets traded to get us a top line winger. We're finally close to having a quality defensive core, why would we give up the parts of it that work?