spockBokk
Registered User
- Sep 8, 2013
- 7,128
- 17,876
Common misconception among outside onlookers apparently. Avs Defense is quite strong. Young, but strong. Left side is set for the next decade most likely with Zadorov and Girard in the Top 4, Nemeth on the 3rd pairing and extremely underrated Nick Meloche marinating in the AHL.
And that's the weaker side. Our Right side is possibly one of the deepest in the entire NHL, with Barrie and Johnson forming a very strong Top 4 on the Right side, and then both Makar and Timmins as Right Shot Defenders in the system as well.
All our defense needs is time for the young Dmen to continue taking steps forward in development. Next year stands to be a good chance for the rest of the hockey world to see what it is that has Avs fans so excited about our future. Zadorov took huge steps in his game down the stretch and into the playoffs last season and if he along with Girard picks up where theyhe left off in October(Like I fully expect them to) it wont be long before people will be raving about just how ridiculous a Defense the Avs have put together.
Offense is a different story. All the talk is around the first line and rightfully so, it was possibly the most dominant line in the NHL last season. But outside of that trio the Avs have some significant secondary scoring issues. Our 4th most productive forward was Alex Kerfoot and his 40 points, where a lot of them came very early in the year(He struggled from December onward), often times at meaningless points in a game(He scored 2 goals against the Islanders back in November in the final 40 seconds of the game when the Avs were down 6-2 for example).
Avs are in desperate need of some secondary scoring to take some of the burden off the top line to be good literally every night. The hope is Tyson Jost will step up next year and provide some of that secondary scoring, but he's going to need help. Especially if the plan is for him to be the 2C next season(Which many suspect is the case). Throwing him to the wolves as the 2C with Kerfoot and Andrighetto as his wingers for example is not a good strategy not only for the Avs success next year but also for Jost's ability to develop into a legit 2C. He needs to be surrounded by wingers that are established Top 6 forwards that he can learn and gain chemistry with over time.
Enter Jeff Skinner. A proven 30 goal scorer who's a very good skater and driver of offense. He'd fit well in Bednar's system where good skating is a basic requirement. And given that Jost appears to be a bit more of a playmaker then a pure shooter, Skinner on his wing could work extremely well and give the Avs a much needed boost from the 2nd line. Which would not only take pressure off the top line, but also off of Carl Soderberg and Matt Nieto who were asked to play way more challenging minutes then they should have had to play last year because of our lack of a 2nd line. I also think Skinner would fit like a glove on the Top PP unit as a trigger man on the right side of the PP while Mack is the trigger man on the Left side, with Barrie in the middle setting them both up, and Landeskog/Rantanen down low for the rebounds and garbage cleanup.
I dont necessarily want to give up pick #16 as I think it stands to be a really good player in the NHL if used properly. But if it means getting Skinner, and the + attached to it isn't a huge piece(Someone like former 2nd round pick AJ Greer, Vladislav Kamenev, or Cameron Morrison are the prospects I have in mind as the + that would be fair value), then I'd be ok with moving it.
16OA and Kamenev for Skinner? Where do I sign?
How did Kamenev look in the very few games he played?
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