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

[Pierce Hawthorne]

I mentioned it a while ago, I'm getting major Sampo Ranta flashbacks about Kovalenko. The hype for Ranta coming out of his last season in college was very similar and he sure got scratched real quick. Pencilling in Kovalenko at all, let alone on the 3rd line is major wishful thinking, imo.

Ya Kovalenko is overrated for sure.

People that have expectations of him stepping into the lineup as a 3rd liner right away is just absurd to me. I don't expect him to last beyond his ELC in North America quite frankly.

The quality of the KHL has dropped significantly since the war and his production simply doesn't mean nearly as much.

Another reason why I hate the Avs plan to simply do nothing and wait for him to join the team. He isn't going to make us better this year.

 

[The Abusement Park]

I mentioned it a while ago, I'm getting major Sampo Ranta flashbacks about Kovalenko. The hype for Ranta coming out of his last season in college was very similar and he sure got scratched real quick. Pencilling in Kovalenko at all, let alone on the 3rd line is major wishful thinking, imo.

Idk. There were tons of red flags with Rantas IQ despite his physical gifts. I think there’s less IQ issues with Kovalenko, but he has less physical gifts than Ranta. But there is a lot of hype for a guy who I’m not sure will even be a 3rd liner.

 

[The Mars Volchenkov]

Ranta and Kovalenko are not similar players. Ranta has no brain whatsoever. He might have negative hockey IQ.

 

[Foppa2118]

I mentioned it a while ago, I'm getting major Sampo Ranta flashbacks about Kovalenko. The hype for Ranta coming out of his last season in college was very similar and he sure got scratched real quick. Pencilling in Kovalenko at all, let alone on the 3rd line is major wishful thinking, imo.

There's a noticeable skill and vision/IQ difference IMO between Kovalenko and Ranta.

Kovalenko's a good passer too, which could make him a good fit on a 3rd line with a couple of shooters like Colton and Wood.

Personally I didn't have much of an opinion on Ranta, but I am cautiously optimistic on Kovalenko fitting in well. Especially with their style of play.

 

[henchman21]

The expectations on Kovalenko are a bit high... yeah his weaknesses are different than Ranta’s… but they are about as glaring.

 

[The Mars Volchenkov]

Ya Kovalenko is overrated for sure.

People that have expectations of him stepping into the lineup as a 3rd liner right away is just absurd to me. I don't expect him to last beyond his ELC in North America quite frankly.

The quality of the KHL has dropped significantly since the war and his production simply doesn't mean nearly as much.

Another reason why I hate the Avs plan to simply do nothing and wait for him to join the team. He isn't going to make us better this year.

What makes you think the Avs plan is to do nothing?

 

[UncleRisto]

What makes you think the Avs plan is to do nothing?

Haven't you heard? It's all over. Done. Everything is nothing.

 

[Pierce Hawthorne]

What makes you think the Avs plan is to do nothing?

History. And if they were going to do something, it would have been done by now IMO, especially with CMacs comments about giving the ELC guys an opportunity to play and needing them to contribute. They waited until September to sign Rodrigues, but they had more wiggle room at that point last year and UFA started 2 weeks later.

 

[AvalancheSpeedsters]

What makes you think the Avs plan is to do nothing?

Negativity is the new all purpose security blanket. Can’t be disappointed in anything if no one expects anything good , ever .

 

[Avs9296]

The expectations on Kovalenko are a bit high... yeah his weaknesses are different than Ranta’s… but they are about as glaring.

Which Kovalenko weakness is as glaring as Ranta's nearly non existent hockey IQ?

 

[chet1926]

Ya Kovalenko is overrated for sure.

People that have expectations of him stepping into the lineup as a 3rd liner right away is just absurd to me. I don't expect him to last beyond his ELC in North America quite frankly.

The quality of the KHL has dropped significantly since the war and his production simply doesn't mean nearly as much.

Another reason why I hate the Avs plan to simply do nothing and wait for him to join the team. He isn't going to make us better this year.

This isn't a fair take. He has excelled in the KHL, no reason he can't come the NHL and play 3rd line. There is a 90% chance he will be better than LOC day 1.

I agree his time NA might be short lived, as I don't see him making the kind of money in NHL that he could in Russia.

 

[Pierce Hawthorne]

This isn't a fair take. He has excelled in the KHL, no reason he can't come the NHL and play 3rd line. There is a 90% chance he will be better than LOC day 1.

I agree his time NA might be short lived, as I don't see him making the kind of money in NHL that he could in Russia.

This is exactly what I am talking about lol....

 

[henchman21]

Which Kovalenko weakness is as glaring as Ranta's nearly non existent hockey IQ?

Size, skating, hands

 

[AvalancheSpeedsters]

Size, skating, hands

I hate this fckn fanbase

 

[ANewHope]

But there is a lot of hype for a guy who I’m not sure will even be a 3rd liner.

Who's really hyping him outside of a few posters? Even the hyping is basically him being a 3rd liner/4th line guy. I feel like even this thread is a good example where the majority seems not to be hyping him up at all. Feels like the expectations are pretty low for most people. Especially considering the numbers he put up.

I'm not going to pretend like I watch the KHL but my expectations are pretty low given what's been said. The only thing that has me even a little bit hopeful is that Russian fans seem to have a more positive view but I'm sure there's some bias involved in that.

 

[NorthernAvsFan]

I think you can believe in Kovalenko being a NHL’er while also not wanting the Avs to sit on $2M in cap space. That’s where I’m at.

Kovalenko has good vision and a good mind for the game. Speed is a concern for me, but I like the scrappiness in his game.

There’s just no reason to not add and only bank on Kovalenko. You can plan for him to come over and if he’s really that good and the Avs are miraculously healthy, then he can bump someone out of the lineup.

The more depth the better.

 

[The Abusement Park]

Who's really hyping him outside of a few posters? Even the hyping is basically him being a 3rd liner/4th line guy. I feel like even this thread is a good example where the majority seems not to be hyping him up at all. Feels like the expectations are pretty low for most people. Especially considering the numbers he put up.

I'm not going to pretend like I watch the KHL but my expectations are pretty low given what's been said. The only thing that has me even a little bit hopeful is that Russian fans seem to have a more positive view but I'm sure there's some bias involved in that.

I mean theres a lot of posts expecting him to come in and fit right in on the 3rd line going into the playoffs on what should be a contending team. That’s a tall order.

 

[thedoctor]

Am I alone in thinking Kovalenko will come over at the end of the season, play 3 games and get scratched? I have a feeling next season will be the one where he makes an impact.

Bednar’s system isn’t easy to learn quickly as we’ve seen with other in-season additions. We know Bednar isn’t shy of sitting players.

I hope I’m dead wrong and Kovalenko makes an immediate impact but it’s nowhere near a lock that he adapts to the NHL speed while also adapting to the fast paced system the Avs play quick enough for Bedsy’s liking.

This is true and it's a possibility -- he might crash and burn. But I don't see a comparison to Ranta. Ranta has always been an all the tools, no toolbox guy -- just dumb as a post on the ice, not an ounce of hockey sense. Kovalenko is a very different talent.

Granted this was years ago, but I did watch them both play the rookie games one year a while back, and Kovalenko was smoooooth, in position, and so obviously a smart player even then. I recall a sweet shootout move that they called back for unknown reasons. And Ranta was a puckhog that never passed and rarely was in the right spots. I was so surprised when he made the team out of camp, he just seems like the anti-Bednar player.

I guess you never know, Ranta had all those skills and was so projectable. You just hoped he might grow out of it with some great coaching or maturity. But he didn't. on the other hand, Kovalenko's game has continued to grow tremendously, and the type of player he is now seems like a solid fit in Bednar's system.

I hope they're sending him the playbook and film and stuff right now.

 

[JH21]

This is true and it's a possibility -- he might crash and burn. But I don't see a comparison to Ranta. Ranta has always been an all the tools, no toolbox guy -- just dumb as a post on the ice, not an ounce of hockey sense. Kovalenko is a very different talent.

Granted this was years ago, but I did watch them both play the rookie games one year a while back, and Kovalenko was smoooooth, in position, and so obviously a smart player even then. I recall a sweet shootout move that they called back for unknown reasons. And Ranta was a puckhog that never passed and rarely was in the right spots. I was so surprised when he made the team out of camp, he just seems like the anti-Bednar player.

I guess you never know, Ranta had all those skills and was so projectable. You just hoped he might grow out of it with some great coaching or maturity. But he didn't. on the other hand, Kovalenko's game has continued to grow tremendously, and the type of player he is now seems like a solid fit in Bednar's system.

I hope they're sending him the playbook and film and stuff right now.

Playbook? This isn't football man.

 

[Pierce Hawthorne]

On a different topic... I wonder if the Avs are players for any of the college UFAs over the next couple of days.


I would say there's a couple of names at least that look interesting to me. O'Brien could end up being a decent bottom 6 Center over the next couple of years but seems to be pretty limited in terms of offensive upside.

Farinacci seems to be the more intriguing one in terms of upside. A few people seem to think he could still be a 2C at the NHL level.


I

 

[UncleRisto]

Size, skating, hands

Well, that's only three.

 

[Balthazar]

Here's the list of players picked by the Avs off the waiver wire in the Bednar era:

Barberio
Nieto
Nemeth
Alt
Dano
NAK
JoJo
Hunt

That's a lot of players and it's easy to see why they want to keep going that route since they are free and most of them were serviceable.

 

[NateTheGreat]

Playbook? This isn't football man.

They gotta learn the PP drop pass early.