Rumor: 2023-2024 Trade Rumors and Free Agency: Off-season is in full swing

[Avaholic29]

The same board that said we'd roll through Seattle and the West?

We would’ve beat Seattle with nuke, that narrative should’ve died after Cmac punted the deadline though.

 

[nammerus]

Per usually the Avalanche are becoming very underrated on this board.

Because some people are saying they’re not a top-contender?

This is a team that has Jonathan Drouin penciled in as a top 6 forward and Ryan Johansen entrenched in the number 2C spot. That alone takes them out of the top 5 conversation.

Can that change if they upgrade those slots? Sure. But CMac is not the guy to do that.

And there’s no shame in being an ‘just’ an above average/good team.

 

[Bill Peckerskull]

I don't what RyJo you've watched lately but he is nowhere near what he was 5 years ago.

If you think he is significantly better than JTC than be prepared for disappointment.

More talented, sure. But lazy as can be and coming off a major injury. We'll see what happens I guess.

Maybe coming to Colorado will motivate him and he performs well, if that's the case then yes he's better than JTC.

If he brings his so so motivation, who knows what we'll get from a guy coming off a major injury.

I look at it this way.

I don't like RyJo, but he's a huge improvement from Newhook as a 2C

Colton is JTC replacement as 3C.

 

[Freaky Styley]

They have good young players in Robertson and Hintz, great offensive depth, solid defense led by Heiskenen and a top tier goalie.

Should have won the division last year, and right now should win it by 10+ pts this year.

Lol. I would put good money on Dallas not winning the division if you're up for it. Yes Hintz and Robertson are good, but Robertson was a ghost for them in the POs for the most part. And yes Heiskanen is great. Point is MacKinnon, Rantanen and Makar are on another tier

 

[LOFIN]

They have good young players in Robertson and Hintz, great offensive depth, solid defense led by Heiskenen and a top tier goalie.

Should have won the division last year, and right now should win it by 10+ pts this year.

Robertson is good, but he's not Rantanen. Hintz is good, but he's not MacKinnon. Heiskanen is good, but he's not Makar. Oettinger is better than Georgiev I give you that.

"They should've won the division", well they didn't. Guess who did? We, while being crippled with injuries and having a pretty shitty lineup that wasn't even addressed during the TDL. Yet we still f***ing won.

 

[henchman21]

We would’ve beat Seattle with nuke, that narrative should’ve died after Cmac punted the deadline though.

Seattle would have beat the Avs with McCann then... splits both ways and simply put Seattle beat the Avs.

 

[ABasin]

Drouin is a guaranteed 45 points? How do you figure that out?

Is it based on his last 4 point totals of 15, 23, 20 and 29?

His GP in those same 4 seasons were 27, 44, 34, and 58. In each of those (abbreviated seasons), he still averaged 0.5 PPg or better, I.e. 41. Hence, the 45 point guess? Especially given the leap in talent between Colorado and Montreal.

Assuming 45 points isn’t really a massive leap of faith, given Drouin can play a lot of games. The leap of faith is whether he can play a lot of games.

 

[JH21]

186 points in 321 games in Montreal comes out to a .57ppg. Multiply by 82 is a 48 point pace over a full season. Pace obviously isn’t a guarantee, but the math is correct bud.

You said "Even with his disappointing stint in Montreal he still averaged 48pts a season" which he didn't. In Montreal he averaged 31 points in his 4 years there.

If you said he averaged .57 ppg then sure. But relying on him to play all 82 is not realistic because he has averaged 53.5 games the past 6 seasons.

The dude is as risky as it comes. He can't stay healthy. He has mental health issues. And to top it off he isn't that good and can't be labeled anything more than a gigantic bust.

I have my doubts he even makes the team nevermind play on the top line.

 

[Balthazar]

The analysis in the article is simply the analytic model. So just remember that when you use the same model to promote how good the Avs are.

Frankly none of the public analytic models are very kind to what the Avs did this offseason.

That's probably because on paper guys like RyJo and Drouin suck.

 

[Freaky Styley]

Because some people are saying they’re not a top-contender?

This is a team that has Jonathan Drouin penciled in as a top 6 forward and Ryan Johansen entrenched in the number 2C spot. That alone takes them out of the top 5 conversation.

Can that change if they upgrade those slots?Sure. But CMac is not the guy to do that.

And there’s no shame in being an ‘just’ an above average/good team.

I think looking at any team on paper you need to add context. Yes, if Nashville signed Drouin for their top 6 and Johansen was still their 2C things are looking grim.

But the context is: if Drouin is going to succeed anywhere, it's here. While he's been on the ice he's produced, but can he stay on the ice?

Johansen is a change of scenery and will be flanked by some stud wingers and sheltered by MacKinnon. He just needs to play a supportive pivot role and distribute which is his strength. Even if he floats through the season he has shown to raise his play in the POs - Drouin too.

Our pro scouts have a track record of finding these guys and them all having career years in Avs jerseys - that's the most important context. These guys clearly have talent and this program can probably utilize it better than any other in the league

 

[UncleRisto]

The same board that said we'd roll through Seattle and the West?

You new to bipolar phases?

 

[ABasin]

Seattle would have beat the Avs with McCann then... splits both ways and simply put Seattle beat the Avs.

Yep.

I’m one who believes the Avs would have rolled Dallas in round 2 (and then would have been smoked by LV).

But they do play round 1 for a reason. The Avs lost. That’s it.

 

[nammerus]

That's probably because on paper guys like RyJo and Drouin suck.

They don’t just suck on paper. They haven’t been good on the ice either.

 

[Balthazar]

You said "Even with his disappointing stint in Montreal he still averaged 48pts a season" which he didn't. In Montreal he averaged 31 points in his 4 years there.

If you said he averaged .57 ppg then sure. But relying on him to play all 82 is not realistic because he has averaged 53.5 games the past 6 seasons.

The dude is as risky as it comes. He can't stay healthy. He has mental health issues. And to top it off he isn't that good and can't be labeled anything more than a gigantic bust.

I have my doubts he even makes the team nevermind play on the top line.

The most worrying thing with Drouin is his wrist injuries. He's got 2 serious ones. Can he still shoot the puck? So far the answer has been no and that's why he hasn't been able to score goals after his last wrist surgery. He's still a playmaker but can't shoot.

He's also not in the best physical shape (as in, he's fat so he get tired quickly). Hopefuly this will get taken care of with Mack.

 

[NorthernAvsFan]

Because some people are saying they’re not a top-contender?

This is a team that has Jonathan Drouin penciled in as a top 6 forward and Ryan Johansen entrenched in the number 2C spot. That alone takes them out of the top 5 conversation.

Can that change if they upgrade those slots? Sure. But CMac is not the guy to do that.

And there’s no shame in being an ‘just’ an above average/good team.

It’s a team that has the best defence in the NHL and a deeper forward group than they had last season.

Dallas has no flaws? Their most important secondary pieces are 34, 39, and 31.

Edmonton’s goaltending and defence are question marks.

I’m not saying Colorado’s perfect, but I do think they’re the top team in the West.

 

[henchman21]

That's probably because on paper guys like RyJo and Drouin suck.

Additionally the models were kind to ERod and Compher.

You new to bipolar phases?

 

[Avs_19]

To steal a line from Ja Morant, which aged terribly, "we're good in the West."

Not worried about that at all. Avs should be and are the favourites.

 

[JH21]

I’m not saying Colorado’s perfect, but I do think they’re the top team in the West.

I do too. This team on paper is the best in the league. We are loaded with 4- top 25 players in the league in Mackinnon, Rantanen, Makar and Toews. They are elite. Georgiev is a top 10 goalie. Byram has #1 Dman potential. Nuke and Lehkonen are legit top 6 forwards. Colton has potential to be a steal at his contract and is crazy tough to play against. Johansen has 25/65 potential. We have skill, size and grit.

But, can we stay healthy? That's the question.

 

[dahrougem2]

IMO people are underrating Devils, Stars, and Kings. Canes, Bolts, and Rangers are overrated. Still need to see where teams fill their gaps though. Devils could easily already have the answer in net, we just don't have proof. Stars are the most complete team, but really then need one more level out of Hintz and Otter has to play to his capabilities. Kings, assuming Kopi doesn't fall off a cliff, have the best center depth in the league and solid defense... what they do in net is a huge question. Canes ideally need a better 1C, push Aho down and that 1C is hopefully a gamebreaker... though I think they end up with the flawed route eventually. Bolts are old and have lost their depth. Rangers have pieces, but until their young players take a step forward, they won't progress... also not sold on Laviolette.

My personal thoughts:

Devils
Stars



Canes
Oilers
Kings
Panthers


Leafs
Avs
Rangers
Vegas
Bolts

Sabres and Sens are wildcards. The pieces are there for those two to take a massive step forward and leap to the top of the third group in a blink of an eye... or they could disappoint again.

Also I don't think George is getting questioned enough... he was not good in the Seattle series. The Avs are not a good enough or deep enough team to overcome bad goals. The only area where I don't think the Avs have questions is on defense. There are some minor ones like will Byram/Manson be healthy, but the depth is currently there to overcome that. Up front there are a few major questions and in net I think there are still questions.


I mean it kinda does... a guy they pushed down to the 4th line and didn't attempt to keep is going to be a 3rd line fixture here.

Until LA gets someone who can stop a puck, they don't even belong in tier 3.

 

[The Abusement Park]

Drouin is a guaranteed 45 points? How do you figure that out?

Is it based on his last 4 point totals of 15, 23, 20 and 29?

I’d say considering his entire Montreal tenure averaged out to 48pts per 82 games.

 

[henchman21]

Until LA gets someone who can stop a puck, they don't even belong in tier 3.

I highly doubt the 3 guys they have now will be the guy in the playoffs, but fair to knock them in net.

I see LA as by far the best center rotation in the league with two great wings, good depth, and a D core that is super underrated. If they just had an average starter, they'd be in that top tier.

 

[Balthazar]

Until LA gets someone who can stop a puck, they don't even belong in tier 3.

Avs swept the Oilers with Francouz in net. You really should stop worrying about LA losing to the Oilers due to poor goaltending.

 

[nammerus]

It’s a team that has the best defence in the NHL and a deeper forward group than they had last season.

Dallas has no flaws? Their most important secondary pieces are 34, 39, and 31.

Edmonton’s goaltending and defence are question marks.

I’m not saying Colorado’s perfect, but I do think they’re the top team in the West.

What’s wrong with Dallas’ secondary pieces? You mean the same ones that had:

Benn - 78 pts/82 games
Pavelski - 77 pts/82 games
Seguin - 50pts/76 games
Duchene - 56 pts/71 games
Dadanov 15pts/23 games (after the trade)

Plus studs like Wyatt Johnson and Stankhoven coming up.

Is that suppose to be a strike against them? Their forward depth?

Now contrast that to us upgrading our top 6 with a couple of middling 40 point players with a long history of injuries and dis-interested play. Sure, I guess that’s an upgrade on our depth from last year. But that’s not a high bar to pass given how dog shit our forward depth was last year.

As for Edmonton..yea..I agree. They suck.

 

[JLo217]

RyJo: question mark
Drouin: question mark
Nuke: question mark
Manson: question mark

All 4 of these players have questionable health + questionable something else. 3 of them are projected in the top 6, the other is a top 4 dman.

I feel like they did their best using their intuition from a scouting perspective mixed in with a little bit of high risk and high reward on potential. Versus last year where they took the older Avalanche approach of pick BS of the waiver wire and get old guys who have been here before.

I like the team, if it works a ton more going into this year than last year.

 

[henchman21]

Wyatt Johnston is a stud... if he continues his progression, he could take over the 2C role full time to allow Seguin, Benn, and Duchene to have their legs on wing.