Ceremony
blahem
- Jun 8, 2012
- 113,400
- 15,935
The last time the Avalanche went to the playoffs unexpectedly, all hell subsequently broke loose. I'm sure we don't want this to happen again and I'd hope the man in charge has learned from his previous mistakes, so what is most important?
- The goalie situation. If you believe Varlamov's age, contract status and injury history, Bernier's general inconsistency and Spencer Martin's pads making him look much better than he is are unsustainable long-term, what suggestion do you have going forward?
- Forward depth. The top line is fine. The most consistent next line was great, but Soderberg is going further into his thirties and Nieto (RFA) and Comeau (UFA, also a dick) are both out of contract. The 4th line was Tommy Tomatoes and gork and... other stuff, probably, while the college boys aren't yet a proven commodity. Neither really is Andrighetto, since his injury kept him from being a consistent scorer. Do we need to have a more consistent 4th line? If retained, will the Soderberg line still be as good? Would you like to acquire someone who can win more faceoffs than they lose?
- Defensive depth. The Avalanche defence, right now, is arguably the best it's been in years. Girard/Johnson, Zadorov/Barrie, Barberio/Nemeth. That's pretty reasonable. It also rarely happened this year for various reasons. The back-ups didn't really prove to be NHL quality. What happens now? Can Johnson still play 26 minutes a night? Can Barrie convince people he's worthy of a place on the team?
- Prospect depth. The organisational structure for the Avalanche should be much better now we have our own AHL affiliate in the same state. Off the top of my head, the only NHL-possible prospects for next year we have are Kamenev (exploded three shifts into his debut) and Martin (he's played NHL games, but that's it). Is our prospect depth better than I think it is? And even if it is, are there areas we need to try and focus on at the draft?
- Young player development. I'd like to see Jost put up more points, Compher and Kerfoot be more consistent, MacKinnon to remain hundred point pace and for Zadorov continue on his path of becoming the next Zdeno Chara. Do they need special consideration or focus to become more effective NHL players?
- Contract management. Zadorov, Rantanen, Kerfoot and Compher are a year away from new contracts. We can make a reasonable guess at what sort of player they're going to be - should we sign them now, with the possibility of making it cheaper long-term?
I would add "player acquisition" but I think those are covered in their respective positions. Which do we need to get right the most?
- The goalie situation. If you believe Varlamov's age, contract status and injury history, Bernier's general inconsistency and Spencer Martin's pads making him look much better than he is are unsustainable long-term, what suggestion do you have going forward?
- Forward depth. The top line is fine. The most consistent next line was great, but Soderberg is going further into his thirties and Nieto (RFA) and Comeau (UFA, also a dick) are both out of contract. The 4th line was Tommy Tomatoes and gork and... other stuff, probably, while the college boys aren't yet a proven commodity. Neither really is Andrighetto, since his injury kept him from being a consistent scorer. Do we need to have a more consistent 4th line? If retained, will the Soderberg line still be as good? Would you like to acquire someone who can win more faceoffs than they lose?
- Defensive depth. The Avalanche defence, right now, is arguably the best it's been in years. Girard/Johnson, Zadorov/Barrie, Barberio/Nemeth. That's pretty reasonable. It also rarely happened this year for various reasons. The back-ups didn't really prove to be NHL quality. What happens now? Can Johnson still play 26 minutes a night? Can Barrie convince people he's worthy of a place on the team?
- Prospect depth. The organisational structure for the Avalanche should be much better now we have our own AHL affiliate in the same state. Off the top of my head, the only NHL-possible prospects for next year we have are Kamenev (exploded three shifts into his debut) and Martin (he's played NHL games, but that's it). Is our prospect depth better than I think it is? And even if it is, are there areas we need to try and focus on at the draft?
- Young player development. I'd like to see Jost put up more points, Compher and Kerfoot be more consistent, MacKinnon to remain hundred point pace and for Zadorov continue on his path of becoming the next Zdeno Chara. Do they need special consideration or focus to become more effective NHL players?
- Contract management. Zadorov, Rantanen, Kerfoot and Compher are a year away from new contracts. We can make a reasonable guess at what sort of player they're going to be - should we sign them now, with the possibility of making it cheaper long-term?
I would add "player acquisition" but I think those are covered in their respective positions. Which do we need to get right the most?