Where Are They Now? Chapter 3

Here is our latest istallment of "Where Are They Now": A look at notable former Avs around the NHL.


Johnny Boychuk (BOS)-  75 GP, 5G, 18A, 23PTS. Boychuk is a physical force on the Bruins back end and one of their best defensemen. Oh what could have been. He is a penalty killer extraordinaire and looks great paired up with Zdeno Chara or just about any other defenseman.  

Departure:  Colorado traded Boychuck to Washington for Matt Hendricks, who later signed with the Capitals

Jordan Leopold (STL) – 27GP, 1G, 5A, 6PTS. Leopold missed some time this year with the Blues, but when he did play, he was a solid defender. Avs fans may remember that Leopold still had some holes in his game, but he has really come into his own on the St. Louis blueline. He’s 33, but he still has a few good years left.

Departure: Traded to the Flames for Lawrence Nycholat, Ryan Wilson, and the pick used to select Stefan Elliot.

Scott Hannan (SJS) – 56GP, 3G, 9A, 12PTS. Hannan scored more goals this season than he has since 07. Hannan is still a solid defender, a word that is probably way overused for dmen like him, but he is an integral part of a skilled Sharks d corps.

Departure: Colorado traded Hannan to Washington for Tomas Fleischmann.

Tomas Fleischmann (FLA) – 80GP, 8G, 20A, 28PTS. Fleischmann’s point production has slowed down a bit. Either he is getting worse, or Florida is so awful that no one broke 40 points this season. Further research indicates that yes, the Panthers are so awful that no one scored over 40 points.

Departure: Colorado let him walk for nothing.

Peter Mueller (Kloten – Swiss-A League) - 49GP, 24G, 22A, 46PTS. Mueller has been banished to Europe, but at least he’s in the classy part of Europe. Switzerland has been good to Mueller though, as he scored 46 points in 49 games. He probably won’t see NHL ice time again.

Departure: Colorado let him walk for nothing as well.

Michael Bournival (MTL) – 60GP, 7G, 7A, 14PTS. Bournival was a prospect for the Avs and now is a budding offensive sniper for the Habs. He’s only 21, but look for him to start ripping up the score sheets in the next 3-5 years.

Departure: Colorado traded him for the unfortunate Ryan O’Byrne.

Wojtek Wolski  (Nizhny Novgorod Torpedo - KHL) - 54GP, 19G, 19A, 38PTS. Wolski’s last few years in NHL weren’t the prettiest. 4^th line minutes with the Rangers and Caps and very little production saw him banished to the fiery depths of the KHL. Poor guy. But he managed to get with Ashley Leggat, and that’s a pretty big deal. Seriously, Google Image search her. Worth it.

Departure: Colorado traded Wolski to the Coyotes for Peter Mueller and Kevin Porter.

Peter Budaj (MTL) – 24GP, 10W, 8L, 3OTL, .909SV%, 1SO, 2.5GAA. Budaj saw some increased ice time this year due to Price going down with a few injuries, and helped backstop the Habs to 2^nd place in their division. Budaj was solid when he needed to be and continues to be a reliable backup for the Canadiens. He’s only 31 too, so he has many years left.

Departure: Signed as a free agent with Montreal

Craig Anderson (OTT) - 53GP, 25W, 16L, 8OTL, .911 SV%, 4SO, 3.00GAA. Andy still has it as a legitimate starter in the NHL. Snubbed off the Team USA Olympic team in place of Ben Bishop was a mistake, and apart from the recent 7 goal light up against the Habs, he has been great night in and night out. But alas, the playoffs elude him once again.

Departure: Colorado traded Anderson to Ottawa for Brian Elliott.

Radim Vrbata (PHX) – 79GP, 20G, 31A, 51PTS. Another 20 goal season from Vrbata! That makes for 4 20 goal seasons in his last 6, and he got 19 and 12 the other 2 (the 12 goals was during the lockout). This guy just doesn’t stop. This was the 3^rd most points he has scored in the league. He just needs to stop putting up so many points against the Avs.

Departure: Colorado traded Vrbata to Carolina for Bates Battaglia. Bates Battaglia. Here is his Wikipedia page in case you are like most people and fail to recall who he is: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bates_Battaglia

Kevin Porter (BUF)  12GP, 0G, 1A, 1PT. Porter did just what everyone knew he would this season. Play himself out of a roster spot on the awful Sabres team. Good riddance.

Departure: Colorado traded Battaglia and prospect Jonas Johansson to Washington for Steve Konowalchuk and a 3^rd  round pick in 2004.

Daniel Winnik (ANA)- 75GP, 6G, 24A, 30PTS. Winnik is still a physical penalty killing workhorse who fits perfectly on the Ducks 3^rd line. Some offense in there makes him invaluable to a team looking for a long playoff run.

Departure: Winnik was traded to the Sharks along with Galiardi for Jamie McGinn, Mike Connolly, and Michal Sgarbossa.

Kevin Shattenkirk (STL) – 81GP, 10G, 35A, 45PTS. Shattenkirk has had another great season for the Blues. That’s what one would expect from a blue chip, top prospect defenseman. The emergence of Johnson has helped shoulder the blow of the awful trade, but that still goes down in history as one of the worst moves in Avalanche history.

Departure: After a night of binge drinking and mechanical bull rides, Greg Sherman called the Blues GM and proposed Shattenkirk and Chris Stewart in exchange for McClement, Johnson, and a 1^st round pick. The drinking/bull story isn’t confirmed, but we figure that’s what had to have happened for Sherman to think up such a deal.

Chris Stewart (STL/BUF) – 63GP, 15G, 11A, 26PTS. We now don’t feel so bad that Stewart was traded. We don’t need a lazy self proclaimed rockstar on this team.

Departure: See above Departure.

Jay McClement: (TOR) – 81GP, 4G, 6A, 10PTS. McClement has been absolute dynamite for the Leafs this year in terms of great defensive play and awesome penalty killing. Departure: Signed as a Free Agent by the Maple Leafs.

Brian Elliott (STL) - 31GP, 18W, 6L, 2OTL, .922SV%, 4SO, 1.96GAA. Elliott is still sticking around in St. Louis and he's been signed on for a few more years. I guess they trust him more than Ryan Miller. An 18-6 record and under 2.00GAA, he might even be able to get them all the way to another 1st round playoff exit. 

Departure: After trading Craig Anderson to Ottawa in exchange for Elliot, he signed in the offseason with the Blues.

John-Michael Liles (TOR/CAR) – 41GP, 2G, 7A, 9PTS. Liles found himself in Randy Carlyle’s doghouse yet again and was frequently a healthy scratch, suiting up in only 6 games for the Leafs. He got shipped off to Carolina where he played a little more but there's no question that he is on the downside of his career.  

Departure: Colorado traded Liles to Toronto for a 2^nd round pick (2012). Wait…wasn’t Quincey worth a 1^st?

Matt Hendricks (NSH/EDM) – 77GP, 5G, 2A, 7PTS. Hendricks continues playing hard, being hard to play against, and providing the Caps with a great physical presence. Unfortunately he's been banned to the far reaches of the Oilers 4th. This is the guy we gave up Johnny Boychuk for. Then let slip away for nothing. I’m beginning to see a trend in the departures…

Departure: Signed as a free agent with the Capitals.

Chuck Kobasew (PIT) – 33GP, 2G, 0A, 2PTS. Kobasew scored a goal in each of his first 2 games as a Penguin…then never again. With a 3^rd line of McGinn, Talbot, and Mitchell, The Avs don’t miss him. He used to play for the Wild. Ew.

Departure: Signed as a Free Agent by Pittsburgh.

David Jones: (CGY) – 48GP, 9G, 8A, 17PTS. Jones was Jones in Calgary. Playing on a second line (sometimes 3^rd and 4^th) and contributing nothing offensively, bringing others down with him. Aren’t you so glad he isn’t on the Avs anymore? He isn’t very good.

Departure: Avs traded Jones and Shane O’Brien to Calgary for Alex Tanguay and Corey Sarich.

Shane O’Brien (CGY) - 45GP, 0G, 3A, 3PTS. O’Brien provided solid defense for the Flames when he made it into the lineup. He was -8 on a Flames team that was just awful, so in reality that’s like plus 100. Think about this though: We got Tanguay and Sarich, two solid players with a lot left in the tank, for O’Brien, who was hurt and scratched frequently, and Jones, who was obviously hurt much of the year because he’s Jones. You know what that means? We finally won a trade with Calgary! And think of this while you’re at it too: How many times have we used the word “solid” in this post? Dear Santa: For Christmas we would like a thesaurus.

Departure: Avs traded O’Brien and David Jones to Calgary for Alex Tanguay and Corey Sarich.

Aaron Palushaj (CAR) – 2GP, 0G, 0A, 0PTS. Palushaj’s success with the Avs wasn’t paralleled in Carolina. He wasn’t given a chance on the big club but he scored 22 goals and added 36 assists in the AHL. Pretty solid.

Departure: Signed as a Free Agent by Carolina.

Steve Downie (PHI) 51GP, 3G, 14A, 17PTS. Downie could have been great in Colorado but his injury last year really held him back from shining. He made it to Philly and got hurt in his first game and missed some time. We here never liked Downie when he was on the Flyers previously and the Lightning. He was a reckless goon and was a Sean Avery type early on. He matured in Colorado and found a way to use his size and toughness effectively. Hopefully he carries on.

Departure: Colorado traded Steve Downie to Philadelphia for Max Talbot.