Rangers Fans React To Nick Holden's First Few Games in the Big Apple

Anyone who has been the “new kid in class”, the newest employee at work, or the long lost relative at a family reunion knows one thing: sometimes it can be very hard to make friends. The same can be said for pro athletes, waltzing into a dressing room for the first time, and trying to prove themselves to their teammates.

Nick Holden is one of those athletes. Exiled from the Avs without a contract renewal, many Avs fans were shocked to find the Rangers offered him a contract. Following the initial shock, Avs fans were struck catatonic when they found out it was a 3 year deal paying him $1.65M per year. That is quite a chunk of change and faith for a player who was often subpar on the 3^rd pairing for the Avs.

So how have things been going for Nick Holden in his first few games for the Rangers? We’ll let the Rangers fans of Twitter fill you in on his progress:

                   

Needless to say, Nick Holden is not making any friends in New York. In a city of over 8 million people. No friends.

It seems like only yesterday Avs fans were taking to Twitter, lambasting Holden for his shaky play, lack of physicality, and overall ineptitude at his position. How good does it feel to be reading these tweets instead of writing them?

So morale of the story: If Fedor Tyutin, Patrick Wiercioch, or Eric Gelinas, mess up a couple times this year just remember. It could be worse. We could have Nick Holden, and even *shudder* Nate Guenin.

Nick Holden, never change.





Other Reading:

Transcript: How Eric Lindros REALLY Made it Into The HHOF

The Colorado Avalanche's situation for the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft

Tyson Jost: The Right Pick for the Avalanche?

The Filip Forsberg Deal Sets the Precedence For A Nathan MacKinnon Contract

Potential Coaching Replacements for the Colorado Avalanche

Well, to the delight of some nd the utter shock of others, the Patrick Roy coaching era in Colorado is over. Unless he takes a job with the Nuggets or Broncos. That’s a joke because it is unlikely. Get it?

So, analysis on the Roy coaching era is this: One great year, the rest were terrible. Done. So what comes next? Well the Avs need a coach. Training camp is in a month. The season; 2 months.

As a team with a young, talented core, the Avs need a strong, experienced coach that can implement good defensive systems, promote puck possession (because that’s a no brainer, not because of fancy stats), and a strong strategy for offense. This is all obvious and not news to any of you reading this. But it is apparently news to the Avs upper management. So who do the Avs go for? Listed below is potential candidates with their current roles on other teams. Hopefully the Avs don’t screw this up.

Promote from within?

Tim Army: Defensive/Powerplay man on the Avs. Should he get the job? No. Avs need a new voice. Avs need change.

David Farrish: No.

Nolan Pratt: Not experienced.

Poach from other NHL teams?

Paul McLean: He has some good experience with the Senators and some minor success. He could be a good fresh voice for the Avs. He is currently the assistant coach in Anaheim.

Todd Richards: As an NHL Head Coach he had 5 winning seasons out of 7 with record of 204-183-37. He is currently the assistant coach in Tampa Bay.

Terry Murray: Murray is old. He is 65 but has a solid coaching record of 499-383-89-41. Yes, he coached when there were still ties. He is currently the assistant coach in Buffalo.

Jacques Martin: He was the long time successful coach of the senators and now has some Stanley Cup experience.  He could be great for the young Avs core. He is currently the assistant coach in Pittsburgh.

Kevin Dineen: Dineen coached Florida through one great season, a forgettable lockout shortened season, and 16 games before being fired in 2013-14. He has a losing record, but has gained more experience as the assistant coach of the Hawks.

Kirk Muller: Muller is behind the bench as the Blues assistant, an with Mike Yeo taking over for Hitchcock next year, it seems a chance at getting the top spot is lower than tree moss on a Mississippi tree stump. He coached terrible Hurricane teams to respectable seasons. He’d be a good fit.

Claude Noel: Noel coached the Jets to losing seasons and wasn’t very good. No thanks.

Adam Oates: Oates co-coached the Devils before taking the reigns in Washington. His team only lost 18 regulation games in his first year and missed the playoffs his second year. When Ovi doesn’t perform, the coach gets canned. Oates defensive style could help the Avs, but hinder the talent up front.

Ron Rolston: Rolston is coaching the Coyotes AHL team, and had unsuccessful runs in Buffalo.

Craig Berube: Berube is bench boss in the AHL for the Wolves. He coached the Flyers to a 78-58-28 record. Again, AHL seasoning could have paid off.

Dale Hunter: He has had NHL experience as another coach on Ovechkin’s hit list, but likely won’t leave the London Knights again for a big league call.

Terry Murray: Murray is coaching the Sabres in an assistant role, but has had a long coaching tenure. Since 1990 he has coached 4 teams in 1012 games, winning 499.

John Mclean: John McLean was a police officer before a bunch of crazy stuff happened to him, and made him do crazy things as a result. And he failed as a coach for the Devils going 9-22-2.

Craig Ramsay: Ramsay is a consultant with the Habs but last coached the Thrashers. Remember them? That was fun. He went 66-71-7-12 for 3 teams in 4 seasons. No thanks.

Marc Crawford: Former Avs coach, Canucks coach, Steve Moore contributor, Stars coach, and hothead that lost in on Scotty Bowman. Nostalgia hasn’t worked thus far. Let’s not go there.

Bob Hartley: See previous note on nostalgia. Old coach in New league.

Mike Kitchen: Kitchen was a head coach in St. Louis for 3 years, winning 38 of 131 games. He has since honed his coaching game as the assistant in Chicago. And they’ve been pretty good. It would be nice if the Avs played like them.

Joe Sacco: Yea. No.

These are just a few candidates. Some head coaches in the AHL or in junior hockey could fit too, but does this team really need another rookie coach? No. They need experience. 







Other Reading:

The Colorado Avalanche's situation for the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft

Tyson Jost: The Right Pick for the Avalanche?

The Avs Would Be Crazy To Sign Alexander Radulov

The Filip Forsberg Deal Sets the Precedence For A Nathan MacKinnon Contract

Transcript: How Eric Lindros REALLY Made it Into The HHOF

Below is the actual transcript taken by our very own anynomous source; an eavesdropped conversation between Eric Lindros and the chairman of the board who selects HHOF members:

Chairman: Eric, I asked you to lunch today so I could tell you some very important new in person.

Eric: I’m glad you called chairman, I’ve been waiting to hear this news since I retired from my illustrious stint with the Dallas Stars.

Chairman: Well, sorry to disappoint you but…wait…illustrious? With the Stars?

Eric: Ya?

Chairman: Eric, you scored 5 goals all year. And missed over 30 games.

Eric: Hey! It was hard playing down there! I didn’t want to go anyways!

Chairman: Why wouldn’t you want to go to Dallas? Beautiful weather, passionate fans, close to the ocean!

Eric: It isn’t the greatest hockey market. Their team was lousy at the time. And I did NOT want to learn how to speak Texan!

Chairman: Eric…you can’t just use those excuses every time you don’t want to go to a certain NHL te..oh nevermind, we’re getting off topic. Eric I asked you here today to tell you that you have not made it into the HHOF for this year’s class.

Eric: I…wait…what?

Chairman: We’re sorry, but since no one significant has retired recently, we think we might be able to get you in next year.

Eric: This is an outrage! Do you know who I am? I scored over 100 points once! I even almost scored 4 goals in a SINGLE year!

Chairman: Well actually, there are players who have actually done those things on more than one occa-

Eric: I even almost won a game in the Stanley Cup Finals! And I won tons of Eastern Conference Semi-Final games!

Chairman: Yea, but-

Eric: I was SO close to scoring 400 career goals! I mean, how many players can say they’ve done that!

Chairman: Well, 92 but-

Eric: I mean, who’s not in the hall of fame that has scored more career goals than me?

Chairman: Uhh, Stephane Richer, Garry Unger, John Orgodnik, Milan Hejduk,

Eric: Look. If I don’t make it into the hall of fame this year then I’ll holdout. I won’t play!

Chairman: But Eric, you’re retired…

Eric: I won’t play in the Maple Leafs alumni game for the Winter Classic!

Chariman: Actually I don’t think you were invited, but-

Eric: Who’s even getting in over me?

Chairman: Well, it’s really time for Dave Andreychuk. He’s scored over 600 goals, was a monster on the powerplay, ended his career with the cup, and he’s still involved in the game!

Eric: Look, if this doesn’t happen to me, I’ll make sure my Hall of Fame rights are traded to the KHL. Or the ECHL! How would you like THAT? I’ll be a HOFer for them for a year until you sort this out!

Chairman: Eric, we tried trading the rights. But there was this mixup…apparently the rights were traded to both leagues, we couldn’t figure out which deal wen t down first, or who owned you, and the Russians were going to give us Tretiak’s rights, but everything fell through!

(At this time, Lindros starting throwing a tantrum, kicking and screaming on the ground)

Chairman: Okay, Okay fine, you’re in! But if you don’t stop I’ll have to get Scott Stevens over here!

(Eric abruptly stop and sits back down)

Eric: Well I think you’ve made the right choice.

(The waiter comes with the bill)

Eric: You got this? I’m still paying Philadelphia back $15M from the trade, so money is a little tight.

Powerful stuff.


Other Reading:

The Colorado Avalanche's situation for the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft

Tyson Jost: The Right Pick for the Avalanche?

The Avs Would Be Crazy To Sign Alexander Radulov

The Filip Forsberg Deal Sets the Precedence For A Nathan MacKinnon Contract

The Filip Forsberg Deal Sets the Precedence For A Nathan MacKinnon Contract

Filip Forsberg recently signed a 6 year contract with the Nashville Predators, worth 6 million dollars a year. A great price for the Preds for now, and as Forsberg continues to improve, and as the cap goes up every year, this will look like a steal.

Hey, isn’t Nathan MacKinnon an RFA looking for a new contract for this upcoming year? Our sources say yes; yes he is. So what does the Forsberg contract mean for the Avs and their negotiations with MacKinnon? It means a precedence has been set. And if the hockey contract world was perfect, the Avs could give MacKinnon the exact same contract.

The Avs can go in to negotiations citing the following:

Forsberg has been the better offensive player over the past few years. Forsberg has 60 goals in his 182 career games. MacKinnon has 59 goals in 218 career games; 36 more games than Forsberg.

Forsberg is the most important, best offensive player on the Predators, and arguably the most important player on the team. Forsberg is their number one guy. Nathan MacKinnon is very important on the Avalanche but is he the best offensive player? The player most relied upon on the team? No. The Avs have other franchise cornerstones in Duchene and Landeskog. Not to mention up and coming first round draft picks Joey Hishon, Conner Bleackley, and Duncan Seimens.

Bottom line: Forsberg is more offensively dynamic, means more to his team, and is more important to his team. Those last two actually do mean different things.

MacKinnon is good. He will get better. But for now, judging by the Forsberg deal, MacKinnon shouldn’t sign for any more than $6M. $5M for about 3 or 4 years would be a great deal. 6 wouldn’t be the worst, and it wouldn’t violate the team’s self implemented player cap.

So thank you Nashville for setting the standard at an extremely reasonable price.

The Avs Would Be Crazy To Sign Alexander Radulov

Alex Radulov is one of the most talked about NHL Free Agents this coming July 1^st. Avs fans especially are talking at large about inking this player to a contract. The real question isn’t for how long, or for how much money. The real question is: why?

Why anyone would want Alex Radulov on their team for even close to what he is asking ($7.5M) is beyond us. When Elliotte Friedman tweeted that he had been signed by a KHL team (which is apparently untrue) we actually breathed a sigh of relief. We shall now go into a fake conversation with a fake Radulov supporter to prove our point.

“Radulov is a very skilled Russian who can bring a lot of offense to any team!”

Radulov was a scoring machine in the QMJHL, racking up 152 points in his last year and breaking several records. Since then, Radulov has not scored more than 25 goals for any pro team at any level (AHL, KHL, NHL) and has scored only higher than 68 points twice, both in the KHL. Yes, they play less games in the KHL, but at the NHL level, Radulov was not dominant. He was good, but not dominant. And he wants $7.5M in the NHL, playing against more skilled competition to not score even 30 goals? And if you think he can go from an NHL has-been-league with other Russians to the actual NHL and improve his stats, you’re dreaming.

“Radulov was coached by Patrick Roy in the QMJHL”

So? So was Bodnarchuk. That worked out well. This has to be the stupidest argument out there. The game is different in the NHL. Defensive systems are different and more complex, the players are obviously more skilled, and the league isn’t full of 16-20 year olds. The QMJHL and the NHL are different, miles apart, and to think Radulov can reignite his once great 152 point season because he has the same man telling him what to do on the bench is absurd. Radulov was coached by Barry Trotz, one of the best coaches in the league and WAY better than Roy, and he could only get 26 goals out of Radulov. Not to mention to defensive play.

Also tarnishing Radulov’s reputation: In juniors, Radulov was a show boating #1 star in his own mind. When he would score goals he would taunt the opposition’s bench. He would offer up unnecessary celebrations such as doing the whole “sword in the sheath” and “the archer”. Now, this attitude usually doesn’t follow players once they reach the big leagues, as they are often tuned in by a veteran, or beat up pretty bad until they stop. Not with Radulov. His celebrations and “holier than thou” attitude would follow him to the Show.

It is an unfair stereotype to say ALL Russian players are a flight risk to head back to Russia. Remember when it was the other way around, and USSR players couldn’t wait to leave? Remember when RAdulov still had 2 years left on his deal with Nashville and bolted to the KHL, leaving the Preds wih a HUGE hole in their top 6? The Preds tried to do everything to get Radulov to stay, but alas it was no use. And then, when Radulov wanted to return, the Preds actually took him back, acting like the desperate ex-girlfriend that takes her old boyfriend back after he cheated on her. And true to that narrative, Radulov betrays trust again, partying with teammate Andrei Kostitsyn at 5AM, before a playoff game, leading to a suspension for game 3. Classy guy.

After this, Radulov bolted back to Russia on a $9.2M(RUS) contract. Or, wait, did he bolt? Well, the Preds decided not to extend Radulov, for obvious reasons, so that helped in his decision making.

And now Radulov wants back in the Show. The guy who showed time and time again he disrespects the NHL, and cares more about himself than the game or his team. Has he changed? I think his huge contract demands answer that question for everybody. How Radulov can come back, after all his wrong doings, and think he is worth more then Thornton, the Sedins, Rinne, Bergeron, Backstrom, Karlsson, (the list goes on) is stupefying. Even if his demands are mis-reported, Radulov is worth no more than about $4-4.5M on a very short deal of one to two years.

So should the Avs try and sign this guy? No. See above. 

Tyson Jost: The Right Pick for the Avalanche?

The Avs went into this draft with great depth down the middle, needing some young skilled wingers, size, and prospects on the back end. So why not draft a 5’11 center? This pick is confusing for 3 reasons. 1). Jost is a tier 2 junior player. In Canada, tier 2 is the level below the WHL, OHL, and QMHJL. Lots of players who don’t make those 3 leagues play Tier 2, or Junior A as it is also known as. So, Jost is good against players who aren’t good enough to play with the best teens in Canada. Tier 2 players who are drafted into the NHL rarely make an impact. Since 2009, 13 players have been taken from Canadian Junior A in the first 3 rounds of the draft. Here is the full list: Dylan Olsen, Brandon Pirri, Reilly Smith, Beau Bennett, Alexander Guptill, Julian Melchiori, Brennan Serville, Devin Shore, Jujhar Khaira, Colton Parayko, Adam Tambellini, Brandon Hickey, and Jake Walman.

Out of all these players, Colton Parayko (2012, 3^rd round) and Reilly Smith (2009, 3^rd round) are the only successful ones. But look at their draft dates. Smith was drafted in 2009 and has just started to make an NHL impact the past few years. Parayko has taken 4 years to crack the league, but as a defenseman that isn’t too bad.

Jost scored almost a goal per game against other Tier 2 players. He outskated Tier 2 forwards, beat out Tier 2 defenseman, and sniped pucks past Tier 2 goalies. This does not mean his accomplishments are worthless; it just means that we have not seen how he can play against better players.

Yes, he played and dominated in the IIHF U-18 tournament, but again, that was against players 18 and under. How can he play against the worlds best 19 and 20 year olds? These concerns aren’t just mad Avs fans being cranky that the Avs didn’t pick who they wanted. These are legitimate concerns.

Jost is done with Tier 2, and will take his talents to the NCAA for hockey. This means the Avs won’t see Jost for about 4 years, unless he just kills it in college and de-comits for the Avs. In our opinion, the Avs should have drafted a player that could make the team a little earlier, and have more of an immediate impact. At the 10^th overall pick, the Avs could have improved the team for right now. Instead, they drafted a center, who will play behind Duchene and MacKinnon when he makes the team, in 4 years. The Avs weren’t a playoff team last year. The Avs are not any better than they were when they played their 82^nd, and last, game of the season. So have they settled for mediocrity over the next few years?

Other teams in the league, especially the Central Division, are getting better; Either through the draft, development, trades, or signings.

So who SHOULD the Avs have taken?

The Avs need help on defense. They should have taken the best defenseman available, whoever that player was in their opinion. Sakic already said they won’t splash in Free Agency, so the draft is really the only other way to acquire players. If the Avs want to wait 4 years to get a roster player, they might as well help out their defensive depth going forward. Chychrun?

If Jost turns into the great 2 way player he is expected to be, then it is a good move, and of course this is all speculation, so you never know. Another Ryan O'Reilly? Another Soderberg? That would be decent. But at #10 in the draft, the Avs needed to land a franchise talent. You just can't bust at #10, so hopefully Jost can prove all the doubters wrong.

                     

The Colorado Avalanche's situation for the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft

Draft rules have been released for the new Las Vegas franchise that will probably fail faster than the Cleveland Barons, Atlanta Flames, Atlanta Thrashers, and so on. For the other 30 NHL teams, they need to start thinking about who to protect. This can be difficult for all teams, especially those with many top prospects, and a strong core/depth chart. Fans of the Wild, Flyers, Blue Jackets, New Jersey, Ottawa, and Vancouver can probably stop reading here.

For fans of actual competitive NHL teams, Avs included, here are the rules for protection, if for some reason you haven’t already heard them:

There are two protection options: 

1) 7 Forwards, 3 Defensemen, 1 Goalie (11 players)

 2) 8 skaters (forwards and defensemen), 2 goalies. (10 players)

Other important rules: No-movement players must be protected, 1^st and 2^nd year players, and unsigned prospects can’t be taken and won’t count against the protection limit for teams,

So who should the Avs protect, and which option should the Avs take? Here are some thoughts: The Avs can take option 1 and only protect 1 goalie, which means they can protect an extra player. This means they would need to protect 3 dmen and 7 forwards, no exceptions, and one of Varly/Pickard.

If the Avs take option 2, they can protect 8 forwards, 0 dmen, and both goalies, or any other combination of forward/dmen skaters.

Here is what we know: When the 2017-18 season hits, the Avs will have Erik Johnson and Beauchemin as players who MUST be protected due to no-movement clauses. Iginla has no contract for the 2017-18 season so the Las Vegas team may not want to select him, and the Avs may not want to protect him.

Our picks for protection for option 1:

7 Forwards: Duchene, Landeskog, Soderberg, MacKinnon, Grigorenko (assuming he’s signed) Comeau, and anyone who they have at the time worth protecting. Depending on the rules, Iignla may need to be the 7^th player. Note: Rantanen will be finishing his 2^nd professional year (AHL included) so he is exempt.

3 Defensemen: Johnson, Beauchemin, Barrie

1 Goalie: Varly or Pickard, depending on how this season goes.

Players left open: McLeod, Mitchell, Martinsen, Aggozzino, Stuart, Holden, Gelinas, Zadorov Varly/Pickard. Bigras will have finished his 2^nd professional year, so he will be exempt, we think.

Option 2:

8 Skaters: Duchene, Landeskog, MacKinnon, EJ, Beauchemin, Barrie, Zadorov, Soderberg

Goalies: Varlamov, Pickard.

Players left open: McLeod, Mitchell, Martinsen, Aggozzino, Stuart, Holden, Gelinas, Zadorov, Grigorenko.

The verdict: As of right now, option 2 looks better for the Avs. They get to protect their Dmen, Zadorov included, and their main forward core, excluding Grigorenko.  With option 1, the Avs leave the bottom 3 defensemen open and the bottom 6 forwards, none of which would not be catastrophic losses. If the Avs take option 1, they leave Barrie or Zadorov open, which one of whom, given the other players open, would get scooped up by the Vegas team.

Of course this could all change. If Barrie leaves, Varly has a bad year, the Avs resign Boedeker, or a big trade/signing could change the whole outlook of the expansion draft situation. Regardless of what happens, the Avs MUST protect EJ and Beauchemin, and SHOULD protect Landeskog, Duchene, MacKinnon, and Barrie. It is kind of good, but also kind of sad, that the Avs do not have more then 8 players, that if lost in the draft, wouldn’t be missed very much. McLeod may be the only one, and who knows what will happen with Skille, Aggozino, Martinsen, and Matthias. If the goalies have a good year, they should both be protected, and Rantanen/Bigras should be safe.

What would you do?




Other Reading:

PATENT PENDING: THEY DO THIS SO MUCH, THEY MIGHT AS WELL OWN THEM

NEW ALL-STAR GAME FORMAT: WHO MAKES IT FOR THE AVS? OTHER TEAMS?

NEWS FLASH: THE AVS HAVE BEEN JUST AS BAD AS THE OILERS SINCE 2008

ALSO:

THE 5 WORST CONTRACTS ON THE COLORADO AVALANCHE

Ryan O'Reilly for the Masterton? How Ridiculous!

Note: The following is an assessment of Ryan O'Reilly's recent nomination for an NHL Award. We realize he has no control over being nominated for this award, and it really isn't his fault, so we are just stating why he should not be considered, using past bitterness and disappointment that he isn't on the team anymore for inspiration.

The Masterton Trophy is a prestigious award given to the player in the NHL who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey.

This award has been won by several deserving candidates, both historically and recently: Bobby Clarke (diabetes), Charlie Simmer (knee injuries), Tim Kerr (injuries), Jose Theodore (death of son + successful season), Ian Laperriere (forced to retire due to concussions, but still served the team), Josh Harding (Plays through MS), Dominic Moore (wife died from cancer), and last but not least, Devan Dubnyk (sucking for a long time before finally having a good season).

These players are heroes who persevered and showed dedication to the game they love, and suffered tragedy only to show why they still belong in the NHL; which is why it is so confusing that the Sabres have nominated Ryan O’Reilly. (* quick note, the writers who cover the Sabres in the PHWA chose ROR, not technically the team itself). Every team nominated a player every year, so there are the usual players that you think have no chance. Some teams are just lucky enough to have a roster full of players that never have to persevere, so they nominate the 5^th year guy who finally finds a full time spot with the big club.

To keep this short, out of all the Buffalo Sabres players, what has O’Reilly possibly done to deserve this prestigious award? We won’t go into the time he crashed his car into Tim Hortons after getting drunk, that speaks for itself.

But really, what has O’Reilly persevered through? Not being named captain of the Avalanche? Yea that must have been rough. Maybe next time a child doesn’t get a toy in a toy store, we can all pitch in and make sure he gets reparations.

Or maybe it is because of that terrible, awful, contract holdout he went through, trying to get an absurd amount of money. Poor guy, choosing not to play the game he is potentially getting rewarded for being dedicated to, because he feels he is worth a few more million dollars.

His amount of dedication is something to be admired though. How hard he works, how he creates drills for his teammates after practice, how he is the last one off the ice all the time. But it’s not an award given to people who are dedicated after being paid the amount of money they think they are worth, after going through a hellish ordeal.

When it’s all said and done, this is a terrible nomination and O’Reilly is not the most deserving Sabre by far. Seriously. The guy was so desperate to get his money he almost started playing hockey with the Calgary Flames! Actually, if he wanted to play hockey that bad, maybe they should give him the award.

Other Reading: *Disclaimer - This is strictly for the readers. We don't get ad click revenue or any kind of revenue, so we're not trying to shamelessly plug our articles!

PATENT PENDING: THEY DO THIS SO MUCH, THEY MIGHT AS WELL OWN THEM

NEW ALL-STAR GAME FORMAT: WHO MAKES IT FOR THE AVS? OTHER TEAMS?

NEWS FLASH: THE AVS HAVE BEEN JUST AS BAD AS THE OILERS SINCE 2008

ALSO:

THE 5 WORST CONTRACTS ON THE COLORADO AVALANCHE

The Absolute Wreck We Call The Minnesota Wild Organization

The Minnesota Wild may very well beat out the Avs for the final wild card spot in the Western Conference. If you don’t think it is at least a possibility, then you are nuts. But let’s forget all the probables and possibles, and look at how much of a mess the Wild organization is at the moment, in terms of players, drafting, and salary cap.

Let’s start with the obvious: The absolutely terrible cap management by GM Chuck Fletcher. The worst contract on the team isn’t actually found in newest NHL Coach Killer Zach Parise, or the bust-ish defenseman Ryan Suter (more on them later), but with the $5.6M dollar man…..

Jason Pomminville. Pomminville, of former Sabres success, has 11 goals and 33 points in 67 games. That isn’t a very good dollars for goals ratio, and a lot of money for a guy who is on the downswing. Good thing the Wild only have to pay him until 2019. At least Chuck Fletcher hasn’t given out any terrible contracts to other former Sabres forwards.

Thomas Vanek. Former Buffalo Sabre, Thomas Vanek. Vanek has been a healthy scratch for the past 4 games and with good reason. He had 1 goal in 12 his last 12 games, and oh yeah, he is worth $6.5M. And he is on the books for one more year after this one. Well Mr. Fletcher, that is a lot of money sitting in the press box. Looks like signing somebody for huge money because they had ties to the “State of Hockey” was a bad idea. Hopefully that is a mistake you’ll only make once.

Zach Parise, signed partially because of his ties to the great state of Minnesota, is actually (and this is hard to say) a decent hockey player. But the $98M contract he signed, coupled by terrible leadership and a bad attitude is unfortunate situations, leads to a hockey player that is undesirable on any hockey team that craves a team first attitude and wants to be competitive. It is a good thing GM Chuck Fletcher will never give out another contract quite that bad in his remainder of his probably short career.

Ryan Suter! Recipiant of an identical $98M contract is often shaky in his own zone, and only shows powerplay brilliance about half the time. We could write more about how he isn’t a good enough defenseman to play 30 minutes a night, and how he will never be Shea Weber, but we won’t.

Other bad contracts: Mikko Koivu – $6.75M. Stat line: 74 games, 17 goals, 50 points. But he can win faceoffs! Oh wait, so can David Steckel.

David Jones - $4M. 11 goals in 69 games. Why would they trade for this contract? Yea he’s a UFA, but he brings nothing to the team unless “playing terribly on the second line” is a thing. Remember?

Bottom Line: about $38M invested in 5 players. The kicker: They are a fringe playoff team. Teams that spend like this (Dallas, Chicago, Washington, LA, NYR) are top teams looking at playoff success.

Okay, we have covered the roster players, now let’s take a look at the team’s prospect pool and drafting history. We’ll just fire off a few quick stats: Since the 2010 entry draft, the Wild have drafted 2 players that have played more than FIVE (!!!!!!) games in the NHL. That is 35 NHL players, 12 in the first 3 rounds. Another astounding stat: Since the 2003 NHL Entry Draft, the Wild have drafted 2 players that have scored more than 42 goals with the team. That must be a record.

So sure, the Avs can miss the playoffs, and the Wild can make it in, only to get slaughtered in the first round by some real NHL team. And if that happens, Avs fans shouldn’t fret. Why? A few reasons. It isn’t like it was the Wild bouncing us out in some Wild Card tie breaker game. Oh, and the franchise is garbage, has historically been garbage, and it looks like they will be garbage, or at least a playoff bubble team, for many years to come. Meanwhile, the Avs look promising to rise among the ranks of the Western Conference elite. So sleep well Avs fans, regardless of this year’s end result. It could be worse, we could be Wild fans.

Other Reading: *Disclaimer - This is strictly for the readers. We don't get ad click revenue or any kind of revenue, so we're not trying to shamelessy plug our articles!

PATENT PENDING: THEY DO THIS SO MUCH, THEY MIGHT AS WELL OWN THEM

NEW ALL-STAR GAME FORMAT: WHO MAKES IT FOR THE AVS? OTHER TEAMS?

NEWS FLASH: THE AVS HAVE BEEN JUST AS BAD AS THE OILERS SINCE 2008

ALSO:

THE 5 WORST CONTRACTS ON THE COLORADO AVALANCHE

News Flash: The Avs Have Been Almost As Bad As The Oilers Since 2008

Bite your tongue the next time you go to bash the Edmonton Oilers. Stop yourself before you say the age old comment such as “4 1^st overall picks and they haven’t done anything in 10 years!” or “how can a team with that much talent suck so bad?”. Why do you have to watch what you say? Because you’re an Avs fan, and in the recent past, the last 8 years, the Avs and the Oilers are all too similar, having very close to the same amount of success, or lack thereof. *How is “thereof” a word but “alot” isn’t?

Other teams get the privilege of making fun of the Oilers. Other teams can laugh and joke and poke fun. Why? Because other teams have accomplished something. (Disclaimer: We are currently not counting the Maple Leafs as an NHL team because their current roster reads like an ECHL starting lineup).

“The Avs have TOO accomplished more than Oilers recently!” you yell at your computer screen as you read these words in disgust. “The Oilers haven’t made the playoffs in almost TEN years, with a team full of first round picks!” Sorry to burst your bubble dear reader, but upon our own realization of what you are about to experience, the only way to cope with the horror is to inflict it on others, and take solace in the fact that many more will feel just as bad as us!

“You sick sons of bitches!” you exclaim, wide eyed and innocent.

We know………we know. But here is proof that in the last 8 years, the Avs and Oilers are on the same level unsucess.

Let’s take a look at the facts. The Oilers: Playoff appearances since 2006: 0. 1^st overall picks since 2006: 4. Top 10 picks since 2006: 8. Seasons in which they have moderately competed at a level similar to that of an NHL team since 2006: 3. It’s bad. So bad.

We are going to keep this quick. The Band-Aid method if you will: In terms of draft picks, the Avs and Oilers have had a relatively similar track record: When the Oilers picked up Eberle (22^nd, 2008), Paajarvi (10^th, 2009), Hall (1^st, 2010), Nugent-Hopkins (1^st, 2011), Yakupov (1^st, 2012), Nurse (7^th, 2013), Draisaitl (3^rd, 2014), and McDavid (1^st, 2015), the Avs were building up as well:

Duchene (3^rd) O’Reilly (33^rd, 2008), Landeskog (2^nd) Seimens (11^th, 2011), MacKinnon (1^st, 2013), Rantanen (10^th, 2015).

It can be argued, with a high chance at winning, that Duchene, Landeskog, and MacKinnon are better than all of RNH, Hall, and Yakupov. O’Reilly is up there in competing with everyone other than McDavid. What does this all mean? It means the Avs have gotten better players at the draft; better pieces for immediate and long term success. On paper and in the standings, the Avs have been a better team the Oilers for a lot of seasons since 2006. But riddle us this: Which two teams in the West (Other than the new Jets) have not made the 2^nd round of the playoffs since the beginning of the 2008 season? Answer: The Stars, the Oilers, and the Avs. And boy are the Stars going to be good for a crazy long time.

The Avs have only won 5 more playoffs games than the Oilers in that time. The Avs have had better teams, better coaches, better management, better players, better draft choices, but when it all boils down to the cold hard facts, the Avs and the Oilers have had the same pathetic amount of actual success in 8 years.

We know what you’re going to say. “The Avs won the Central division title, the toughest division in hockey, just 2 years ago!” True. And that is a fair victory for the Avs in this argument.

“But the Avs have had way better regular seasons since then, regardless of playoff wins or appearances.” Have they? In the 5 years between 2008-13, the last years of the Northwest division, the Avs were ahead of the Oilers in the standings 3 times. Only 4 points ahead in 2011. Since realignments, the AVs won their division then came in 7^th last season, when the Oilers came in 6^th in theirs.

This was all done when the Oilers had terrible defence, a revolving door of goalies, and forward depth that couldn’t make the UHL all-star team. We never said the Avs were AS BAD as the Oilers in this time frame, but looking back, they are very close to the rock bottom pit the Oilers have called home the past 8 years. The worst part: The Oilers are going to be stupid good in the near future. That is certain. The Avs are guaranteed to be mediocre. They may be more than that, but nobody knows for sure.

So next time you want to blast the Oilers for sucking, or any team really, take a long hard look back at the failures and overall unsuccess of the Colorado Avalanche.

Seimens has been a bust for 11^th overall, and Bleakley/Hishon have been terrible mid 1^st round picks, so what does this all mean? 

Other Reading: *Disclaimer - This is strictly for the readers. We don't get ad click revenue or any kind of revenue, so we're not trying to shamelessy plug our articles!

Patent Pending: They Do This So Much, They Might As Well Own Them

New All-Star Game Format: Who Makes it For The Avs? Other Teams?

Satirical eBay Listing Trolls Avs, Varlamov Over Game 1 Loss

Also:

The 5 Worst Contracts on the Colorado Avalanche

The 5 Worst Contracts On The Colorado Avalanche

In a salary cap, sign your young players, lock up your RFA’s, sign the best player available FAST on Free Agent day, type of hockey world that we live in, there is no shortage of a wide variety of contracts. You have the short term-prove-yourself-because-you-are-so-old-we-are-surprised-you-didn’t-fall-apart-during-your-PTO type contracts. There is the prove-yourself-because you-are-young-and-we-want-to-see-if-we-didn’t-waste-that-high-round-pick-on-you-instead-of-that-guy-who-is-playing-really-well-for-the-team-that-drafted-after-us type contract. There is the bridge deal. There is the long term, big money superstar contracts. There is the average money/average term for an average player contract. All types. But let’s focus on the fun contracts. The so bad, they will always be talked about type contracts. The Avs have a few of these, so enough blabber, let’s get to it. Note: These are not ranked 1-5. That would be a tedious, worthless thing to do. What’s the point? It’s like, why did that one teacher give you 83% on your essay rather than 84%? What magic algorithm did they use to come up with that number?

*By the way, we hope you appreciate the fact that we didn’t make this into a 6 slide type slideshow post for clicks. And that we didn’t name the article “You won’t believe what these NHL teams did to these players! WOW! Gary Bettman saw this and his jaw DROPPED!”

The Player: Maxime Noreau

Length: 2 years

Years left: 1 (current season)

Money: $625,000

If you’re thinking “how is a small deal like this for an AHLer considered the 5^th worst contract on the team?” then we only have a few sentences that should change your mind. Noreau was lured here from Europe, on what was most likely a recommendation by Matt Duchene, who played with Noreau during the last lockout. The bad part? Noreau was signed to a 1 way contract, meaning no matter where he plays, he is getting the full amount of money, and all of it counts against the cap. That is just silly. Noreau probably said he wasn’t coming over unless he was making full money, which is fair, but still. What a waste of money and cap space.

Player: Brad Stuart

Length: 3 years

Years left: 1 after this season

Money: $3.6M

If you clicked this article without this contract in mind, we would love to hear your top 5. Stuart came over in a trade for a 2^nd(!!!!!) and a 6^th round pick with San Jose. Then, before he even played 1 second with the Avs, in training camp or practice or anything, he was offered a whopping 3.6 million dollars. What a risk to take on an old D-man who was already on a huge downswing. Avs brass really messed this one up as one of their first deals. Even if Stuart played relatively well during his time here, which he hasn’t, it still would be an awful contract. The best thing he has done is get hurt. That created a chain reaction of giving Guenin more ice time, realizing Guenin is also bad, demoting/scratching Guenin, and giving the young guys a chance to play. How is Stuart going to fit into this team next year, and who is ever going to take his contract?

The Player: Carl Soderberg

Length: 5 years

Years left: 4 after this season

Money: $4.75M

Carl Soderberg is good. He is an effective member of the team that can play in many situations. He is not, however, 4.75 million dollars good. He is not “not even a million less than Landeskog” good. This contract was 3 things: Bring in a center to replace O’Reilly; Panic because O’Reilly is gone so overpay a player who has barely ever seen 2^nd line minutes; feel okay about overpaying as a kind of “haha” to O’Reilly. That last one is not confirmed, and many may disagree, but giving Soderberg this much money after letting a way better player walk may have ulterior motives in terms of sticking it to ROR. Bottom line: Soderberg has never scored more than 16 goals and is making star player money. He better turn into a 2-way dynamo and make us eat our words.

The Player: Hick Holden

Length: 3 years

Years left: 2 after this season

Money: $1.65M

The money? Fantastic for the mileage the Avs get out of Holden. The length: this is what make the contract one of the worst. Holden was brought in from Columbus while making 600K a year, and after a good year with the Avs (10 goals) he was given the new contract that kicked in at the beginning of this season. But what were the Avs thinking, signing him though 2018? With prospects out the rear end coming up (Siemens, Bigras, Geertson) and roster main stays (EJ, Barrie) did they destine Holden to the bottom pairing?

The Player: Tyson Barrie

Length: 2 years

Years left: 0 after this season (RFA)

Money: $2.6M

Barrie deals with the same people that dealt with Ryan O’Reilly and Ryan Johansen. Meaning they brainwash their players into a false sense of self-worth to the point where they fail to report to their jobs until they get the money they want. If every job was like this, the world would explode, but they are athletes. Entertainers. And some we are at their mercy. Anyways, the Avs would have been better off giving Barrie a long term deal at around 5-6 million dollars. Say a nice juicy 7 year, 42 million dollar deal. (6 Million per year for the mathematically challenged). We don’t need to type about why that would have been good. Instead, during the years where the Avs have all the cap space they could ever need, they sign him to a bridge deal. 2.6 million bucks, and the contract expires after Barrie has just enough time to show how good he is and how good he is going to be. Bottom line: You don’t bridge deal a sure thing. Isn’t that right PK Subban? Guaranteed, the Avs are going to be breaking their team set $6M personal cap in order to keep Barrie. So what will happen? There will be a nasty contract battle, Barrie will get signed, or not, and either way, a lot of players are going to resent Barrie’s financial decisions. Oh, and that stupid player agent company will be laughing all the way to the bank and there will be another lockout and owners will complain, almost rightfully so. Almost.

We hope you enjoyed the analysis of the Avs contracts and a special thanks to General Fanager for taking all of CapGeek’s stuff and putting it on a new platform. Just kidding, General Fanager is a life saver and the name is simple and clever. Agree? Disagree? @ us (it makes us feel like we matter) or comment below. You won’t comment. So just @ us.