will Avs be better defensively 2015-16?

[SunDin]

Hi, Im a fan of Soderberg and since Avs aquired I see the avs becoming a better defensive team. Howerver the new guys Francois Beauchemin & Nikita Zadorov, what will they offer Avs in a defensive perspective?
All in all, would you say Avs has a better D this year?

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[Freudian]

The defensive group is much stronger, so hopefully it translates as it should on the ice.

 

[AslanRH]

Agreed with the added defensemen the Avs should be better. Soda is not going to be the same presence that O'Reilly was, but if the back end improves significantly that should still improve the team overall defensively.

 

[Taak19]

The addition of Soda definitely does not improve the Avs defensively if you look at who he is replacing (O'Reilly). However, if you consider the additions of Comeau/Grigs moving 4th line guys back down to the 4th line and Beauch/Zads pushing guys - who shouldn't even be in the lineup let alone 1st/2nd/3rd pairings they were on last season - down, then yes, the Avs should be fairly improved defensively.

 

[tucker3434]

Good god we better be. As was said, it'll have a lot more to do with Zadorov, Beauchemin, and a healthy EJ than Soderberg.

Everything kind of depends on Zadorov and how well he does. If he breaks out this year, the defense could actually be a strength.

 

[InjuredChoker]

yes but that is not saying much.

need to be a lot better and i think this group has potential to be that.

 

[Boulder Avalanche]

I would say we are more solid on the backend because of Beauchemin and Zadorov pushing the likes of Redmond and Holden. Losing O'Reilly hurts us in a major way and we need to see how Soda and Duchene do in defensive situations.

 

[JWK]

On paper, yes.

 

[RockLobster]

If we're looking at defensemen, it'd be awfully hard NOT to be better than the last couple of seasons.

Overall though, forwards and defensemen, we'll have to see. No doubt that O'Reilly was a good defensive forward, and that Soderberg doesn't really replace that aspect of his game, but with some of the other additions (both players and Farrish as an Asst. Coach) we'll have to see how things go.

 

[agentblack]

Probably. Soda and Beauch by themselves should improve it. If Greg and Comeau can perform reasonably well defensively, and I think they can , that should help. And then you have Zads, so.. yes.

 

[Stories]

They can't be much worse, right?

 

[expatriatedtexan]

They can't be much worse, right?

Um....yeah...yeah than can.

*makes mental note that more alcohol must be consumed in order to permanently remove the 2010-2011 version of the AVs from brain*

http://avalanchedb.com/blue/YxYstat.php?SeasonId=15

^ Sort that by +/- (I know, I know, blah, blah) for giggles.

 

[Stories]

Um....yeah...yeah than can.

*makes mental note that more alcohol must be consumed in order to permanently remove the 2010-2011 version of the AVs from brain*

http://avalanchedb.com/blue/YxYstat.php?SeasonId=15

^ Sort that by +/- (I know, I know, blah, blah) for giggles.

Oh dear god. That year is now back in my head. Damn you.

 

[tigervixxxen]

There were so many bad players in this team for so many years. Not that there isn't any now but couple that with no direction, it's astonishing where we've come from.

 

[freeboy]

There were so many bad players in this team for so many years. Not that there isn't any now but couple that with no direction, it's astonishing where we've come from.

I totally agree, and If we jell as a team,( and with Roy I cannot see us failing to jell), our core team d and our defensive players should be night and day difference from the pathetic teams we have had in the past four years in this one regard. I only hope that losing Staz and Factor have not caused us to regress on offense. But that is all about growth and the age of our star forwards....

 

[avsfan09]

Yes. We have much better defensive depth, as well as players. We also have better offensive depth and won't have to shelter any bottom six lines and that will lead to more ozone starts for our top 6. Just going into the year not playing man to man anymore will make a difference.

 

[freeboy]

Yes. We have much better defensive depth, as well as players. We also have better offensive depth and won't have to shelter any bottom six lines and that will lead to more ozone starts for our top 6. Just going into the year not playing man to man anymore will make a difference.

I am not a former player but a fan, so please be patient with me, Why will not playing man to man help? thanks

 

[Avs71]

Most definitely. I think people thinking the Avs having a bad defence is just because it's been repeated so many times no one recognizes the changes (outside this board).

The Avs have:

#1-EJ
#2/3- Beauchemin
#2/3- Barrie
#4/5- Zadorov (with the potential to become much more very quickly)
And then a bunch of decent depth with Stuart, Gormley, Holden, etc

Years past has been:

#1/2-EJ
#4-Hejda
Then a collection of depth players and a young Tyson Barrie.

I think they will be very good as a group.

 

[trip trancid]

It feels like there's some actual talent besides Barrie and Johnson on the blue line for the first time in a while. And quite honestly, it feels like there's a drastic difference in terms of talent. However, there's also some youth.

I don't think the improvement of the defense hinges on the difference between ORelly and Soderberg as much as it does with the changes in the defensemen.

 

[The Shermanator]

I don't think we will be as good as we possibly could be because of Roy's stubbornness to bench Holden/Guenin/Stuart/Redmond in favour of better younger players.

 

[the_fan]

Avs have and always will be an offensive minded team, even in that latest Zadorov interview, he said that Roy wants his team to be offensive, so while Beauchemin and Zadorov will definitely help the defense, i think Avs will still take tons of chances in the offensive zone, they will never be a trapping team and still give up a lot of shots.

People fail to realize that it's not just having bad or average d-men what made the Avs defense bad, it's also the system, relying heavily on the goalie. I mean that's no secret, last year Roy himself said, he doesn't mind giving up all those shots against because they know Varly will make the saves.

Hopefully that mentality has changed in Roy, although he's still thinking offensive, they really need to cut down the shots against, because even if Varly is making the saves, all those shots against gives the opposition a momentum.

 

[Avsboy]

The biggest addition is subtraction. Guenin is gone, Hejda is gone.

 

[Former Ladder]

Avs have and always will be an offensive minded team, even in that latest Zadorov interview, he said that Roy wants his team to be offensive, so while Beauchemin and Zadorov will definitely help the defense, i think Avs will still take tons of chances in the offensive zone, they will never be a trapping team and still give up a lot of shots.

People fail to realize that it's not just having bad or average d-men what made the Avs defense bad, it's also the system, relying heavily on the goalie. I mean that's no secret, last year Roy himself said, he doesn't mind giving up all those shots against because they know Varly will make the saves.

Hopefully that mentality has changed in Roy, although he's still thinking offensive, they really need to cut down the shots against, because even if Varly is making the saves, all those shots against gives the opposition a momentum.

To be fair, he said he does not mind giving up poor quality shots because he know if Varly can see it that he will save it. They talk a lot about protecting the house so they played a passive low box with a floating forward where shots were allowed from the outside and little else. A shot is a shot and still has a chance of going in but if our guys clear the lanes and give the shooter no other option than a bad angle shot, an NHL goalie should save it without issue 99% of the time.

 

[the_fan]

To be fair, he said he does not mind giving up poor quality shots because he know if Varly can see it that he will save it. They talk a lot about protecting the house so they played a passive low box with a floating forward where shots were allowed from the outside and little else. A shot is a shot and still has a chance of going in but if our guys clear the lanes and give the shooter no other option than a bad angle shot, an NHL goalie should save it without issue 99% of the time.

Yeah but when you're getting out shot that means most likely you're getting outplayed and spend more time in d zone than offensive zone even if the shots are low percentage.

 

[freeboy]

in a word
yes
and
Zadorov

ok more than one word butthat guy looks like a franchise player in the making.. I cannot believe those guys out east traded him for that washed up ROR guy!
,lol