What will the Avalanche do at 2?

[R S]

They should defiantly take Landeskog. Larsson's offensive numbers have regressed from last year and I'm not even sure if he's the best d-man in this draft. Dougie Hamilton will surprise a lot of people.

Do you know why that was?

 

[Hasbro]

Would Avs fans rather have Larsson + Zibenejad/McNeil or Landeskog + Siemens?

Seimans is by far everyone's favorite for the #11.

 

[donpaulo]

Perhaps the memory of Jonas Johansson makes it less likely that Colorado goes with an EU pick, however if that were the case it might be prudent for them to swap with a team like NJ/NYI who would love a shot at Larsson ?

that would allow the avs to still select a quality player and to pick up another asset from NJ/NYI in exchange for moving up. I mean if they moved down a few slots Landeskog might still be there anyway right ?

However it plays out it should be interesting

Personally I think Couturier is a slam dunk despite Colorado's talent at the position

 

[HF007]

larsson no doubt
and then hopefully someone from the top 5 drops to 11

 

[Freudian]

Perhaps the memory of Jonas Johansson makes it less likely that Colorado goes with an EU pick, however if that were the case it might be prudent for them to swap with a team like NJ/NYI who would love a shot at Larsson ?

that would allow the avs to still select a quality player and to pick up another asset from NJ/NYI in exchange for moving up. I mean if they moved down a few slots Landeskog might still be there anyway right ?

However it plays out it should be interesting

Personally I think Couturier is a slam dunk despite Colorado's talent at the position

So what you are saying is that Jonas Johansson scared them off Swedes (Peter Forsberg says hi) so much that they will pass on Larsson, trade down and grab Landeskog?

Got it.

 

[AfroThunder396]

Please take Landeskog.

 

[donpaulo]

So what you are saying is that Jonas Johansson scared them off Swedes (Peter Forsberg says hi) so much that they will pass on Larsson, trade down and grab Landeskog?

Got it.

Jag älskar Sverige

also Peter Forsberg was drafted by the Flyers not the Nordiques. Quebec drafted Lindros who refused to put on the uniform so he was traded for a package that included Forsberg.

I think that Colorado doesn't view Landeskog as a Swede but more of a North American player who comes from Sweden, unlike Larsson who doesn't have the NA experience yet.

Hey maybe I am wrong... probably am. Been wrong many times before too.

 

[Garl]

Perhaps the memory of Jonas Johansson makes it less likely that Colorado goes with an EU pick, however if that were the case it might be prudent for them to swap with a team like NJ/NYI who would love a shot at Larsson ?

that would allow the avs to still select a quality player and to pick up another asset from NJ/NYI in exchange for moving up. I mean if they moved down a few slots Landeskog might still be there anyway right ?

However it plays out it should be interesting

Personally I think Couturier is a slam dunk despite Colorado's talent at the position

Jonas Johansson was drafted in 2002 and wasn't taken very high(№28). So I don't really see logic here.

 

[Boxscore]

The Avs have a ton of young, talented defensemen with EJ, Gaunce, Elliott, Barrie, Cumiskey, etc. If EJ and Elliott are their PP combo in the future, they are drafting Larsson to be more of a solid, shutdown defender. In that case I see them opting for a Gabriel Landeskog. I think their plan all along when trading Shattenkirk and Stewart to St. Louis was - draft a forward like Landeskog to replace Stewart and promote Elliott to replace Shattenkirk on the PP. Landeskog and Elliott are potentially very similar to Stewart and Shattenkirk. Adding Erik Johnson into the mix gives them the cornerstone, franchise defenseman who plays in all situations. As great of a prospect Larsson is, I would be surprised if the Avalanche selected him.

 

[Granlund2Pulkkinen*]

They should defiantly take Landeskog. Larsson's offensive numbers have regressed from last year and I'm not even sure if he's the best d-man in this draft. Dougie Hamilton will surprise a lot of people.

..... what the hell

 

[GirardSpinorama]

We got that 11th overall pick to draft that winger. The 2nd overall pick will be to give EJ a legit top pairing partner.

 

[Boxscore]

We got that 11th overall pick to draft that winger. The 2nd overall pick will be to give EJ a legit top pairing partner.

You don't think Stefan Elliott is a legit top pairing guy? I actually think he compliments Johnson as much, if not more, than Larsson. Don't get me wrong, I think the world of Adam Larsson, but I think Stefan Elliott is a gem as well.

Let me ask you a follow-up question - IF the AVS were to draft Larsson, do you see a future top PP with EJ and Larsson on the points? Or do you see Elliott bumping Larsson on the top PP unit and playing the other point with EJ?

 

[SoundwaveIsCharisma]

The Avs have a ton of young, talented defensemen with EJ, Gaunce, Elliott, Barrie, Cumiskey, etc. If EJ and Elliott are their PP combo in the future, they are drafting Larsson to be more of a solid, shutdown defender. In that case I see them opting for a Gabriel Landeskog. I think their plan all along when trading Shattenkirk and Stewart to St. Louis was - draft a forward like Landeskog to replace Stewart and promote Elliott to replace Shattenkirk on the PP. Landeskog and Elliott are potentially very similar to Stewart and Shattenkirk. Adding Erik Johnson into the mix gives them the cornerstone, franchise defenseman who plays in all situations. As great of a prospect Larsson is, I would be surprised if the Avalanche selected him.

You actually have a very well thought out reason for why the Avs should draft Landeskog. However, I think the Avalanche would be better off drafting Larsson if they think he can develop into a top-2 defensemen. A lot of the recent Stanley Cup contenders have developed very dependable bluelines based on two guys that can really carry the load, if the Avs think that Larsosn will develop into a top-2 guy than they could expect to have at least one of EJ or Larsson on for ~50 minutes a night. That stability would be huge.

Personally I see Elliott and Barrie turning out to be very good offensive defensemen, but neither has the potential to dominant like Larsson. I'm hoping the Avs walk out of the draft with Larsson and Zibanejad, which would go a long ways in rebuilding this team. I view Zibanejad as a raw version of Landeskog, and a guy that could be an impact player in 2-3 years.

 

[SoundwaveIsCharisma]

You don't think Stefan Elliott is a legit top pairing guy? I actually think he compliments Johnson as much, if not more, than Larsson. Don't get me wrong, I think the world of Adam Larsson, but I think Stefan Elliott is a gem as well.

Let me ask you a follow-up question - IF the AVS were to draft Larsson, do you see a future top PP with EJ and Larsson on the points? Or do you see Elliott bumping Larsson on the top PP unit and playing the other point with EJ?

If the Avs drafted Larsson I would hope that the Avs would play them seperately. I think having at least one of EJ/Larsson on for ~50 minutes would be better than having them both on for ~25. They could have the luxury of playing the two WHL studs with the bigger impact top-2 defensemen and still have ridiculous pairings.

Something like:

Elliott - EJ
Barrie - Larsson or Gaunce - Larsson

Depending on how Gaunce develops (he works out with Gary Roberts, which has done wonders for Stamkos and really showed in Gaunce's callups...if he continues he could be a beast).

 

[GirardSpinorama]

You don't think Stefan Elliott is a legit top pairing guy? I actually think he compliments Johnson as much, if not more, than Larsson. Don't get me wrong, I think the world of Adam Larsson, but I think Stefan Elliott is a gem as well.

Let me ask you a follow-up question - IF the AVS were to draft Larsson, do you see a future top PP with EJ and Larsson on the points? Or do you see Elliott bumping Larsson on the top PP unit and playing the other point with EJ?

No idea, would be a great problem to have though.

 

[Boxscore]

You actually have a very well thought out reason for why the Avs should draft Landeskog. However, I think the Avalanche would be better off drafting Larsson if they think he can develop into a top-2 defensemen. A lot of the recent Stanley Cup contenders have developed very dependable bluelines based on two guys that can really carry the load, if the Avs think that Larsosn will develop into a top-2 guy than they could expect to have at least one of EJ or Larsson on for ~50 minutes a night. That stability would be huge.

Personally I see Elliott and Barrie turning out to be very good offensive defensemen, but neither has the potential to dominant like Larsson. I'm hoping the Avs walk out of the draft with Larsson and Zibanejad, which would go a long ways in rebuilding this team. I view Zibanejad as a raw version of Landeskog, and a guy that could be an impact player in 2-3 years.

Gobias, your rationale is also very thought out, kudos. May I pose the same question to you? If the AVS draft Larsson, do you see him being the top PP guy with EJ or do you think Elliott gets top PP duty?

 

[SDig14]

IMO, as a neutral observer, I think their best move is to build from the back-end out and down the middle. A future core of Stastny, Duchene, Larsson, Johnson, etc. is pretty scary good. Obviously, you guys have O'Reilly and Hishon coming as well, so the depth down the middle is very good. IIRC, you have Barrie, Elliot, and someone else I'm forgetting, so your top 4 potentially could round out very well with the addition of Larsson. Not to mention the fact you can address the wing situation with #11, as many have already noted.

Let's just say I won't be heartbroken if and when the Avs leave the division that's for sure. If all goes well, the Oilers and Avs will both be division winners in a few years time.

 

[SoundwaveIsCharisma]

Gobias, your rationale is also very thought out, kudos. May I pose the same question to you? If the AVS draft Larsson, do you see him being the top PP guy with EJ or do you think Elliott gets top PP duty?

I honestly think it would have to be a wait and see thing. If Mueller returns and is back to the form he displayed when he came over from the trade deadline I would imagine he gets a chance to play the point (he has a very accurate/hard point shot). The Avs may also still have Liles when these guys get there and he is a pretty good PP guy. If everything works out and they are at the top of their games then I think they would pair Elliott with EJ and Larsson would play the second unit. Elliott is just too well rounded offensively, he's a good passer, quick shot, and just knows how to get it done.

Again, a lot of this depends on development and completely ignores that Barrie is also very good offensively. It's would be a good problem to have though if it comes down to it.

 

[17Kurri]

I think the Avs take Landeskog 2nd overall, but wouldn't be too surprised if they took Larsson.

 

[SoundwaveIsCharisma]

IMO, as a neutral observer, I think their best move is to build from the back-end out and down the middle. A future core of Stastny, Duchene, Larsson, Johnson, etc. is pretty scary good. Obviously, you guys have O'Reilly and Hishon coming as well, so the depth down the middle is very good. IIRC, you have Barrie, Elliot, and someone else I'm forgetting, so your top 4 potentially could round out very well with the addition of Larsson. Not to mention the fact you can address the wing situation with #11, as many have already noted.

Let's just say I won't be heartbroken if and when the Avs leave the division that's for sure. If all goes well, the Oilers and Avs will both be division winners in a few years time.

Let's just have to come to a compromise. You can have all the old guys and we'll take the young guys.

I'm actually hoping to see the Avs stay in the North West, especially if Atlanta moves to Winnipeg. I think there's oppurtunity for quite a few rivalries in there, and if the Oilers keep Peckham and the Avs keep Ryan Wilson it's going to get messy.

 

[brtriad]

The Avs would be foolish to take Landeskog over Larsson. You don't pass up a potential franchise defenseman.

 

[SuperSaiyanBeastmode]

avs can't really go wrong imo. huberdeau, landeskog, and larsson are all candidates for that #2 spot and each one can help your club in different ways. I'd go with larsson, but if you want a gritty winger with leadship qualites go with landeskog, or if you potentially want one of the best duos in the nhl go with huberdeau(him and duchene, say wha?? that'd be sick). wouldn't be surprised if the avs make the playoffs next year if they get a goalie, so make the pick count!

 

[SDig14]

Let's just have to come to a compromise. You can have all the old guys and we'll take the young guys.

I'm actually hoping to see the Avs stay in the North West, especially if Atlanta moves to Winnipeg. I think there's oppurtunity for quite a few rivalries in there, and if the Oilers keep Peckham and the Avs keep Ryan Wilson it's going to get messy.

I can live with most of that, except for the old guy part

I will be a little sad if the Avs leave, since we have had some pretty good playoff series within the division in the past, which seem to be even more intense when we were seeing each other 8 times a year. Even though it's slightly less now, it's still a great rivalry when both teams are really competitive.

Sadly, I'm not sure there is an alternative if Winnipeg gets their team. Sure, they could move Minnesota, but the Avs are obviously the 1st choice.

 

[Avsboy]

The Avs should take Larsson because he's the consensus BPA at no.2. The value of a franchise D-man also outweighs that of a winger. And Landeskog doesn't really impress me because he physically dominates his opponents to score goals but I don't believe that will translate so well to the NHL.

As for PP time and pairings, who cares? As it is, EJ, Mueller, Liles, Elliot, Barrie....thats a cluster**** at PP QB. Larsson just gives more options.

And Larsson ideally should provide less offense more more poise in the defensive zone. If EJ is our new Blake, Larsson can be a Bourque...not as flashy and offensive, but just better everywhere. I don't see EJ and Larsson as pairing up. For now, the D would look like this:

Quincey - EJ
Liles - Larsson
Elliot/Barrie - OByrne

 

[Freudian]

Avs don't seem to draft based on need. And the need for defensemen might feel bigger than it really is. Last season we had atrocious defense and it is easy to panic and think we have to draft Larsson but with adding EJ, getting Quincey healthy and possibly having Elliot/Barrie being able to contribute I think we are in decent shape.

As for who Avs/Pracey likes best? Good luck trying to divine that. I could see any of RNH/Larsson/Landeskog/Huberdeau/Coturier being Avs BPA.