Rumor: 2024-2025 Trade Rumors and Free Agency Talk | The Slow Crawl to the Season

[AvsFan4]

The hilarity of this team's opening lineup potentially being

Drouin - MacKinnon - Rantanen
Wood - Mittelstadt - Kovalenko
Kiviranta - Colton - O'Connor
Kelley - Wagner - Foudy

Toews - Makar
Girard - Manson
Kylington - DeHaan

With Landeskog, Lehkonen, and Nichushkin all unable to play. Hell, maybe throw LOC in there too and we have a random ass Ondrej Pavel appearance lol.

That’s what I was going to say. They almost have to give Cal Ritchie a 9 game tryout out of sheer desperation for F help. Hopefully that’ll buy enough time for Lehkonen to come back. Cause last I saw is he won’t miss much time but it’s doubtful he’s ready Game 1.

 

[AvStock]

I hope Girard is jettisoned before the season starts!

 

[shadow1]

Drouin-MacKinnon-Rantanen
Kelly-Mittelstadt-O'Connor
Wood-Colton-Kiviranta
MacDonald-Wagner-Kovalenko

Same first and third lines as the playoffs. Maybe Kovalenko gets rotated into the 2nd line, but Bednar usually defers to veterans. Kelly/O'Connor on the 2nd line is akin to when Mitteslstadt centered Duhaime/Trenin for a stretch in March.

Not that big of a deal. Especially considering their cakewalk of an October schedule: @ VGK, CBJ, NYI, BOS, ANA, @ SJ, @ SEA, @ UTA, OTT, CHI

 

[Chiarelli]

Drouin-MacKinnon-Rantanen
Kelly-Mittelstadt-O'Connor
Wood-Colton-Kiviranta
MacDonald-Wagner-Kovalenko

Same first and third lines as the playoffs. Maybe Kovalenko gets rotated into the 2nd line, but Bednar usually defers to veterans. Kelly/O'Connor on the 2nd line is akin to when Mitteslstadt centered Duhaime/Trenin for a stretch in March.

Not that big of a deal. Especially considering their cakewalk of an October schedule: @ VGK, CBJ, NYI, BOS, ANA, @ SJ, @ SEA, @ UTA, OTT, CHI

dudes we're the cake walk team - look at those bottom 9 forwards

 

[AvsCOL]

I hope to see Landeskog in an Avs jersey again. Imagine he skates out opening night. Would be the loudest that building has been in a while.

 

[Pierce Hawthorne]

If they do have injuries at the start, I hope Foudy gets a good look. He's the guy with the best chance still to provide real value for this team from the AHL IMO.

Could easily end up a solid middle 6 guy IMO.

 

[henchman21]

Not that big of a deal. Especially considering their cakewalk of an October schedule: @ VGK, CBJ, NYI, BOS, ANA, @ SJ, @ SEA, @ UTA, OTT, CHI

Bolded are teams that should be in the playoff races. 6/10 vs those teams. Chicago and Columbus should both be improved. It isn't exactly a cakewalk.

The Avs should easily make the playoffs. Seeding is much more of the question. If George is like he was last year, Landy doesn't come back at a top 6 level, and Nuke snorts his way off the team... we're fighting to get out of the wild card. If everything clicks, we're probably looking at 2nd in the division... maybe 1st if Bednar overplays the top guys again (which is probably very likely).

If they do have injuries at the start, I hope Foudy gets a good look. He's the guy with the best chance still to provide real value for this team from the AHL IMO.

Could easily end up a solid middle 6 guy IMO.

Foudy needs to toughen his game up. Avs are probably one of the more lenient teams with physicality in the bottom 6, but he can't be nearly as soft as he's shown even with the Avs. Needs to model his game after LOC heavily.

 

[Balthazar]

Foudy needs to toughen his game up. Avs are probably one of the more lenient teams with physicality in the bottom 6, but he can't be nearly as soft as he's shown even with the Avs. Needs to model his game after LOC heavily.

I doubt he can toughen up at his age. Also he looks to be on the skinny/physically weak side.

His game is supposed to be based on speed.

 

[shadow1]

Bolded are teams that should be in the playoff races. 6/10 vs those teams. Chicago and Columbus should both be improved. It isn't exactly a cakewalk.

Maybe I used the word cakewalk too casually, but as far as schedules go, it's pretty easy.

Three playoff teams, with only Boston winning a series. The other seven teams didn't just miss the playoffs, they were seven of the worst eight teams in the NHL (only 28th-placed Montreal is missing).

I know it's not last year anymore, but most of these teams are still going to be somewhere between mediocre and garbage.

 

[henchman21]

I doubt he can toughen up at his age. Also he looks to be on the skinny/physically weak side.

His game is supposed to be based on speed.

Tough is a mindset more than anything else. Which probably means it is unlikely to come, but if he's going to make it in the NHL... it is as a version of LOC.

 

[Balthazar]

That's so against the spirit of the game. Soon they'll have to find a new name for this sport.

https://x.com/i/web/status/1820868151434711159

 

[missionAvs]

That's so against the spirit of the game. Soon they'll have to find a new name for this sport.

https://x.com/i/web/status/1820868151434711159

Man I f***ing love that. Guy should have just dumped it in instead of taking it back over. Make it happen over here ASAP or better yet, just get rid of 3v3 (I know it won't happen).

 

[henchman21]

Maybe I used the word cakewalk too casually, but as far as schedules go, it's pretty easy.

Three playoff teams, with only Boston winning a series. The other seven teams didn't just miss the playoffs, they were seven of the worst eight teams in the NHL (only 28th-placed Montreal is missing).

I know it's not last year anymore, but most of these teams are still going to be somewhere between mediocre and garbage.

Utah has improved dramatically this offseason. Seattle should take a step forward with some youth coming in and they solved their biggest need (offense from the defensive side). Ottawa was a cluster last year but has the talent.

On the winning a series... the Avs have only won one series the past two season and lost to one in that group. The Avs themselves are not exactly world beaters. They aren't at the mediocre stage yet, but the trend is in that direction.

 

[Pokecheque]

That's so against the spirit of the game. Soon they'll have to find a new name for this sport.

https://x.com/i/web/status/1820868151434711159

I mean, 3x3 is just bullshit gimmickry to begin with so they probably need to do this in order to make it remotely watchable, otherwise I agree. Just f***ing extend 4x4 OT to 10 minutes and if nothing happens, it's a goddamn tie and everyone goes home mad. Except for the Dallas Stars that is.

 

[henchman21]

I mean, 3x3 is just bullshit gimmickry to begin with so they probably need to do this in order to make it remotely watchable, otherwise I agree. Just f***ing extend 4x4 OT to 10 minutes and if nothing happens, it's a goddamn tie and everyone goes home mad. Except for the Dallas Stars that is.

Nah force the teams into full 5v5 20 minute OTs until someone wins. Players will figure it out to avoid the extra work.

 

[shadow1]

Utah has improved dramatically this offseason. Seattle should take a step forward with some youth coming in and they solved their biggest need (offense from the defensive side). Ottawa was a cluster last year but has the talent.

On the winning a series... the Avs have only won one series the past two season and lost to one in that group. The Avs themselves are not exactly world beaters. They aren't at the mediocre stage yet, but the trend is in that direction.

Only one team has more wins than Colorado the past five years. You can glass half-full it for all these crappy teams, but they lose a lot of games for a reason.

 

[henchman21]

Only one team has more wins than Colorado the past five years. You can glass half-full it for all these crappy teams, but they lose a lot of games for a reason.

5 years ago doesn't matter and the Avs win a lot in the regular season... mostly due to overplaying the top guys. Winning only 1 playoff series in 2 years doesn't exactly scream elite.

 

[Vaslof]

That's so against the spirit of the game. Soon they'll have to find a new name for this sport.

https://x.com/i/web/status/1820868151434711159

Not any more than 3v3 already is. But it might be counterproductive to the point of 3v3 by making it harder to score goals.

5 years ago doesn't matter and the Avs win a lot in the regular season... mostly due to overplaying the top guys. Winning only 1 playoff series in 2 years doesn't exactly scream elite.

Making the playoffs and advancing does scream elite. I mean there's 8 teams that can do it so you are in the top quarter of the league.

 

[Chiarelli]

bring back the tie game (and I hated tie games) - 3 on 3 w/ shootout has become awful.

 

[henchman21]

Making the playoffs and advancing does scream elite. I mean there's 8 teams that can do it so you are in the top quarter of the league.

I wouldn't consider top 8 to be elite. Also 6 teams have won 2 or more series and 6 more have one a single series. Avs are 1 of 12.

 

[LOFIN]

I have a radical new thought to solve this conundrum:

bring back ties

 

[Balthazar]

I have a radical new thought to solve this conundrum:

bring back ties

That's not even radical (or at least it shouldn't be) since back when we had tie games it was fine for pretty much everyone that was watching. I grew up watching the sport and never heard once that we should get rid of tie games.

Not as good as a win but not as bad as a loss. More importantly, all the games were worth 2 points and if you wanted to win you had to play the real game of hockey. No extra point because of gimmicks.

 

[shadow1]

5 years ago doesn't matter and the Avs win a lot in the regular season... mostly due to overplaying the top guys. Winning only 1 playoff series in 2 years doesn't exactly scream elite.

This has exactly what to do with Colorado's October strength of schedule?

 

[Vaslof]

I wouldn't consider top 8 to be elite. Also 6 teams have won 2 or more series and 6 more have one a single series. Avs are 1 of 12.

And if you look at 3 years instead of 2 years suddenly the Avs have 4 series wins. I don't get the insistence to invent new ways to shit on the team when they're doing well. Statistically the Avs have overdelivered hence the f'n Stanley Cup in our cupboard.

 

[Balthazar]

3 v 3 OT is like boxing would allow boxers to start kicking the opponent at round #10 because nobody likes judge decisions and people have to work the next morning.