GDT: Avalanche vs Wild Monday January 20th, 2025 @1:00 PM MNT (Emergency GDT) Their logo is bad, and they should feel bad.

[chet1926]

Going as-is with this team and this coach in the playoffs is suicide.

Not sure why you thought this team was going to do anything of value this year.

It was literally doomed from the get go with Nuke's drug problem and Landy not being able to play. That's literally almost 14M in hole. There's no way to overcome that kind of money deficit.

Throw in the absurd goalie issue that we had until December, the copious amounts of never ending injuries, the bad coaching, poor inconsistent efforts by the team, and star players that are completely gassed by the mid point of the year. All that equals a shit ass team that belongs nowhere near the Cup or maybe even the playoffs.

 

[AllAboutAvs]

It would help if Mikko wasn’t parked all the way in the corner for the whole PP.

When the puck moves to the left side, he should be circling up top to the top of the circle type area for a better look. He moves about 5 feet back and forth in the corner for the entire PP. It’s ridiculously easy to defend.

Been saying this since last year. Plus very often when he gets the puck he holds on to it until a defender is right on top of him and then loses the puck.

I have never seen somebody his size losing so many battles and falling down so much. There should be a stat about falls/60 mins. I swear nobody would be even close to him.

 

[missionAvs]

Been saying this since last year. Plus very often when he gets the puck he holds on to it until a defender is right on top of him and then loses the puck.

I have never seen somebody his size losing so many battles and falling down so much. There should be a stat about falls/60 mins. I swear nobody would be even close to him.

Hahaha I pitched tracking falls/60 in the main board thread that was showing the speed bursts/60 and was told that theoretically it would be possible because the tracking they use also covers y-axis. This would be hilarious to see.

 

[chet1926]

OK, after a good night of sleep i'm very relaxed now, but

THIS GAME SUCKED ASS!!!

I'm still not over it. Getting outworked and outplayed by an injured riddled Wild squad, who was
better in every aspect for at least 45 minutes, is, and i don't use that word very often, PATHETIC!

Same shit against the Rangers and Oilers, no heart, no nothing. Feels like they don't care.
Asking myself: Why should i?

Don't have an answer for that, but ... THAT GAME SUCKED ASS!!!

Oh, and i want Rants gone. I don't care about his 100 points season(s) stapled to MacKinnons ass, he's not worth the 13+ he might get.

And yeah, still mad ...

I think it's completely valid to ask, if they aren't going give a shit why should the fans?

When they are putting in that kind of effort on a consistent basis it's simply not worth it. Why should I invest my time in them? This season hasn't been fun to watch or follow in the slightest. It's been bad from the beginning and honestly IMO it just gets worse nightly.

 

[Grigowski]

If you watched the interview he basically said that they had a certain gameplan and players just didnt execute it.

Sorry, but if true, then Bednar´s time is over.... A coach that has lost the locker is a lame duck at this point.

 

[RoyIsALegend]

"Sometimes you just don't have the legs."

Why not? We have optional practices and don't really push guys from a practice perspective. We were rested, not a B2B, and have been sleeping in our own beds. 3 optional practices and 1 mandatory, 40 minute practice in the past 8 days. That's a joke.

"I don't really know, you'd have to ask them."

What the f*** is that? Aren't you accountable for how the team plays?

Why do we suck dick on home ice?

Why do we come out in first periods so flat? Why is your message in the dressing room not inspiring or motivating the team?

 

[Balthazar]

"Sometimes you just don't have the legs."

Why not? We have optional practices and don't really push guys from a practice perspective. We were rested, not a B2B, and have been sleeping in our own beds. 3 optional practices and 1 mandatory, 40 minute practice in the past 8 days. That's a joke.

"I don't really know, you'd have to ask them."

What the f*** is that? Aren't you accountable for how the team plays?

Why do we suck dick on home ice?

Why do we come out in first periods so flat? Why is your message in the dressing room not inspiring or motivating the team?

He got really mad at them 2 games ago, now he sounds like he gave up

 

[Jasenr]

Sorry, but if true, then Bednar´s time is over.... A coach that has lost the locker is a lame duck at this point.

Well the example on the presser was to shoot the puck from the blueline and players kept passing it until pressured and lost it. And backpassing in the dzone until pressured and losing it.

Im not at all sold on the lost room. Its more like there are so many damn players in the lineup who belong to the AHL(mostly D) and cant excecute a simple shot on goal.

Only thing I would change Bednar is to total overhaul on tactics, since the lineup is not able to execute Bednars playbook.

 

[Jasenr]

"Sometimes you just don't have the legs."

Why not? We have optional practices and don't really push guys from a practice perspective. We were rested, not a B2B, and have been sleeping in our own beds. 3 optional practices and 1 mandatory, 40 minute practice in the past 8 days. That's a joke.

"I don't really know, you'd have to ask them."

What the f*** is that? Aren't you accountable for how the team plays?

Why do we suck dick on home ice?

Why do we come out in first periods so flat? Why is your message in the dressing room not inspiring or motivating the team?

They are 7-2-1 last 10 at home. Its more like being gassed needing to bail Fourgiev first 2 months and still needing to play ungodly minutes because injuries. They need a break and lesser minutes. They are playing every 2nd day almost the whole beginning of the season because 4 nations and because the start of season losses they cant have a breather at any point. I know it sucks to loose but I can think several reasons why the dont have legs...

 

[NOTENOUGHRYJOTHINGS]

"Sometimes you just don't have the legs."

Why not? We have optional practices and don't really push guys from a practice perspective. We were rested, not a B2B, and have been sleeping in our own beds. 3 optional practices and 1 mandatory, 40 minute practice in the past 8 days. That's a joke.

"I don't really know, you'd have to ask them."

What the f*** is that? Aren't you accountable for how the team plays?

Why do we suck dick on home ice?

Why do we come out in first periods so flat? Why is your message in the dressing room not inspiring or motivating the team?

Maybe that's what the boys do on off days at home and then have no stamina for the game.

 

[dahrougem2]

Teams LOVE when Mikko has the puck on the PP. He doesn't move, he tries to make passes through sticks/legs, he holds it for far too long, and he's literally in the corner.

Look how scared teams are of MacKinnon, who admittedly has been horrible lately on the PP, but teams are still refusing to give him time and space to even receive passes let alone make plays.

Teams don't give a f*** about Rantanen.

 

[avsfan2189]

it's frustrating that we can clearly now see that Bednar sees what we see. He literally said in the postgame the game plan for the powerplay was to put more pucks on net and just SHOOT IT, but said the players for whatever reason were passing up shots.

so he knows the msg and strategy is to shoot it but it's on the players for not shooting it. what's so obviously wrong is that they just pass back and forth and hope whoever takes the 1 shot it goes in or is deflected.

the need to be moving around and switching spots and getting defenders uncomfortable. they've done it before and are at their best when they're constantly moving and making the other team second guess who's going to shoot it.

 

[RoyIsALegend]

Teams LOVE when Mikko has the puck on the PP. He doesn't move, he tries to make passes through sticks/legs, he holds it for far too long, and he's literally in the corner.

Look how scared teams are of MacKinnon, who admittedly has been horrible lately on the PP, but teams are still refusing to give him time and space to even receive passes let alone make plays.

Teams don't give a f*** about Rantanen.

There was a PP yesterday where he received the puck in the corner. Stood still for 3-4 seconds. Then he tried to stickhandle a bit, the puck bounced off his blade like a grenade to the blueline. He kept it in, a guy now on top of him, and tried to pass it through his legs to Drouin in the slot. Blocked and out of the zone. I was just like what the f*** is this moron even doing out there

 

[dahrougem2]

There was a PP yesterday where he received the puck in the corner. Stood still for 3-4 seconds. Then he tried to stickhandle a bit, the puck bounced off his blade like a grenade to the blueline. He kept it in, a guy now on top of him, and tried to pass it through his legs to Drouin in the slot. Blocked and out of the zone. I was just like what the f*** is this moron even doing out there

It is so frustrating. We rag on MacKinnon for trying the slot pass to Drouin/Lehkonen too much but what other choices are there? He gets it, teams cheat to Makar and get in his shooting lane. They want Nate to make that slot pass.

IMO the Avs need to completely rearrange the PP. Put MacKinnon on the other side of the ice, put Makar on the left half wall as a one timer and put Toews up top.

If Mikko wants to never move his feet he can stand in front for all I care.

 

[cinchronicity]

Bednar's completely unacceptable answer points directly at the problem, yet people on this forum consistently miss the point:

The Bednar System is not an effective NHL strategy at this point. It's a pretty good system in the minors, where you have young guys filled with adrenaline and testosterone. Add 1 or 2 elite minor league players and it is easy to win a championship. Sure, the Avs won a cup, but with a younger team and guys like Kadri who go at 100% all the time ( frequently to Kadri's detriment, but that is another thread.)

1) Not for a single day in his Avs tenure has Bednar had an answer when the opposition parks the bus. Not a single game; not a single period.

2) In order for the 'system' to work, all 19 players must be a perfect fit. Only an imbecile would assume that Middleton can jump into the play behind the offensive net the same way Makar does. Hell, Toews can't even do it. If the roster doesn't fit the system - at least in the salary cap era - it is the system which needs to change.

3) For Christ's sake, stop the freaking Bednar Blender. Continuity and predictability are what make good NHL teams. If a team wants to win, every pass must be on the tape. That is really hard when a single player has as many as 5 linemates in a single game. Pee Wee coaches recognize this. Why doesn't Bednar?

4) What the hell goes on in practice? All I see are silly little skating drills. Perhaps spend...say... 10 minutes practicing face-offs or clearing the D zone? I was happy to hear Ryker criticize PP face-offs last night ( not to mention the entry strategy.) Ryker was good at this in the studio, but must have gotten a message from above to increase the homerism. In basketball, every team ( besides the Nuggets apparently) have the player practice 100+ free throws in every practice. The best baseball batteries spend hours studying the tendencies of hitters. Again, never for a day has a Bednar NHL team been close to average on face-offs. Kadri in overtime was hilarious. Sub in for the face-off, win it, then run off the ice because Bednar could not produce a player who could both win a face-off AND play in OT.

5) Bednar gets outcoached every single game of every season. Sometimes, the pure superiority of Mack and Makar hide that fact. But once the initial puck drops, other coaches adjust during play, and obviously between periods. The Avs? Bednar simply says they need to play harder. This is beginning to sound like the old, "They didn't show up on time" nonsense.

Seriously, can anyone point to a single element in the game - except the 'System'- in which Bednar has contributed? I don't want to hear about winning at every level. Minor League hockey is an entirely different animal than NHL hockey. Those of you old enough to remember the hockey Rockies might ( or probably not) remember a guy named Lou Nistico. He played 3 NHL games and sucked in all of them. But he was an amazing point-per-game guy for the Mohawk Valley Comets ( now Utica Comets) of the NAHL. Minor league teams could ride Nistico. On NHL and WHA teams, he was lost. The two games are different, so what Bednar did in the ECHL means nothing to me. He hung out on the bench while the Cup team caught lightning in a bottle, and that is the problem. This team - even with the Nuke nonsense - has a roster good enough to be in the SC Final 2 or 3 times. It looks to me like the core of this team will likely only make one appearance. That is on the coach. At absolute minimum, Bennett and Pratt need to go, in order to give Bednar some good ideas.

 

[chet1926]

He got really mad at them 2 games ago, now he sounds like he gave up

Exactly this. He tried the throw them under the bus tactic, it did nothing. I thought it would since he never does this, but it got a nothing response.

He's tried the subtle approach, he's tried the not so subtle approach. When nothing is working, it's over. Not much you can do.

Is it Bednar's fault, no. But when nothing is working, it's time to go. Messages just get stale, even if it's a good coach.

Look at the Broncos with Shanahan. It was great, then it got stale. It just happens.

 

[AllAboutAvs]

I have two other major problems besides Mikko on PP:

1. Makar needs to take one-timers a lot more often. He has a bomb of a shot. Use it. He has a great wrist shot but using it all the time vs using timer-timers is the reason why defenders stand in his lane all the time. They are not afraid of getting hurt so it is easy for them to block the lane to the net. Use the one-timer and don't be scared to shoot right into the guy instead of trying to shoot past him and go wide. He will think twice after getting hit by 100mph slap shot.

2. PP practices: Now think about it this way...our PP practices against our very passive PK. During practices guys like Mikko have all day to stickhandle before making a decision on what to do with the puck. What could go wrong?

 

[Gumballhead]

If the PP would just switch it up and abandon the Globetrotters circus of fancy passing, that would help. Put Colton out there where he was scoring those early goals. Hell yes, tell Makar to shoot more -- Toews gets 1/4 of the PP time that Cale does and it seems like he shoots just as much in that time. Put Keaton Middleton out there and let him blast and look for rebounds - that dude isn't afraid to shoot and no one is going to tell him not to. Win a faceoff sometimes. Keep trying new shit! If it doesn't work, well then it's just like the regular power play anyway.

 

[chet1926]

Bednar's completely unacceptable answer points directly at the problem, yet people on this forum consistently miss the point:

The Bednar System is not an effective NHL strategy at this point. It's a pretty good system in the minors, where you have young guys filled with adrenaline and testosterone. Add 1 or 2 elite minor league players and it is easy to win a championship. Sure, the Avs won a cup, but with a younger team and guys like Kadri who go at 100% all the time ( frequently to Kadri's detriment, but that is another thread.)

1) Not for a single day in his Avs tenure has Bednar had an answer when the opposition parks the bus. Not a single game; not a single period.

2) In order for the 'system' to work, all 19 players must be a perfect fit. Only an imbecile would assume that Middleton can jump into the play behind the offensive net the same way Makar does. Hell, Toews can't even do it. If the roster doesn't fit the system - at least in the salary cap era - it is the system which needs to change.

3) For Christ's sake, stop the freaking Bednar Blender. Continuity and predictability are what make good NHL teams. If a team wants to win, every pass must be on the tape. That is really hard when a single player has as many as 5 linemates in a single game. Pee Wee coaches recognize this. Why doesn't Bednar?

4) What the hell goes on in practice? All I see are silly little skating drills. Perhaps spend...say... 10 minutes practicing face-offs or clearing the D zone? I was happy to hear Ryker criticize PP face-offs last night ( not to mention the entry strategy.) Ryker was good at this in the studio, but must have gotten a message from above to increase the homerism. In basketball, every team ( besides the Nuggets apparently) have the player practice 100+ free throws in every practice. The best baseball batteries spend hours studying the tendencies of hitters. Again, never for a day has a Bednar NHL team been close to average on face-offs. Kadri in overtime was hilarious. Sub in for the face-off, win it, then run off the ice because Bednar could not produce a player who could both win a face-off AND play in OT.

5) Bednar gets outcoached every single game of every season. Sometimes, the pure superiority of Mack and Makar hide that fact. But once the initial puck drops, other coaches adjust during play, and obviously between periods. The Avs? Bednar simply says they need to play harder. This is beginning to sound like the old, "They didn't show up on time" nonsense.

Seriously, can anyone point to a single element in the game - except the 'System'- in which Bednar has contributed? I don't want to hear about winning at every level. Minor League hockey is an entirely different animal than NHL hockey. Those of you old enough to remember the hockey Rockies might ( or probably not) remember a guy named Lou Nistico. He played 3 NHL games and sucked in all of them. But he was an amazing point-per-game guy for the Mohawk Valley Comets ( now Utica Comets) of the NAHL. Minor league teams could ride Nistico. On NHL and WHA teams, he was lost. The two games are different, so what Bednar did in the ECHL means nothing to me. He hung out on the bench while the Cup team caught lightning in a bottle, and that is the problem. This team - even with the Nuke nonsense - has a roster good enough to be in the SC Final 2 or 3 times. It looks to me like the core of this team will likely only make one appearance. That is on the coach. At absolute minimum, Bennett and Pratt need to go, in order to give Bednar some good ideas.

I agree with most of this.

I will say that this notion that Bednar always gets outcoached is a lie. We flat dominated a ton of games earlier in his tenure.

The biggest issue is his lack of adapting. Teams have adapted to our game plan. We haven't thrown anything new at anyone in years.

The other issue that you alluded to was the buy in, ability to do what is asked, by all 18 players on the ice. Or team constructed as is simply can't play this play style. We are getting older and the personnel has changed. This full ice press where the defense pushes in to support the offense just isn't viable with this roster. You have way too many guys that can't play this way. Really you only a handful of guys that can.

Bednar and his system can succeed in the NHL. However it is never going to work with a team like the Avs in their current state. You need a young team that has plenty skill players and can skate for days on end.

 

[CobraAcesS]

We really need couple of solid d-men to replace de Haan and Middleton so that ice time can be spread out more evenly. Manson can be really good some games, and pretty bad in other games, today he was pretty bad. Girard is usually good, but he’s not a d-man you rely on to shutdown the opposition.

If CMac can somehow get 2 solid d-men, trade Malinski or whatever he needs to do, it will help limit the ice time of Cale and Toews. That 3rd pairing of de Haan and Middleton can’t be given too much ice time and relied on to play good defense.

Also I’m not really sold on Mitts even after that last game performance. Today he was invisible again. We simply need more consistent performance from a 2C. Nate can’t win us every single game, he’s only human.

Get 2 d-men, trade Mitts for a better 2C, get healthy, and it will be a different team. This is not a coaching issue as some people think. Maybe you can fault Bennett for the PP being bad, but I’m not ready to be on fire Bednar train.

That's a lot, and with limited assets. We can't even activate Landeskog as it stands. You'd need to also likely move out Colton and Wood in season.

 

[drhiii]

Not sure why you thought this team was going to do anything of value this year.

It was literally doomed from the get go with Nuke's drug problem and Landy not being able to play. That's literally almost 14M in hole. There's no way to overcome that kind of money deficit.

Throw in the absurd goalie issue that we had until December, the copious amounts of never ending injuries, the bad coaching, poor inconsistent efforts by the team, and star players that are completely gassed by the mid point of the year. All that equals a shit ass team that belongs nowhere near the Cup or maybe even the playoffs.

Analysis is spot on.

To add, you already said Landy, but not having a 'C', and a real 'C' and not a ceremonial patch vacant 'C' skating in games for coming up on 3 years, who does that?

Not having the horses to play in this system, any system really.. your analysis nails it.

At least Notre Dame lost, so some things are right with the world.

 

[Bill Peckerskull]

"Sometimes you just don't have the legs."

Why not? We have optional practices and don't really push guys from a practice perspective. We were rested, not a B2B, and have been sleeping in our own beds. 3 optional practices and 1 mandatory, 40 minute practice in the past 8 days. That's a joke.

"I don't really know, you'd have to ask them."

What the f*** is that? Aren't you accountable for how the team plays?

Why do we suck dick on home ice?

Why do we come out in first periods so flat? Why is your message in the dressing room not inspiring or motivating the team?

You can tell he wanted to say more, probably something derogatory, but caught himself, and said to "ask them." Sounded very frustrated.

 

[the_fan]

That's a lot, and with limited assets. We can't even activate Landeskog as it stands. You'd need to also likely move out Colton and Wood in season.

It would be doable if they keep Landy out until playoffs. Trading Mitts and Wood, that’s about 8 mill, along with the 3 or so mill cap space we have right now, so we’d have like 11 mill. That would get us a good 2C and couple of d-men.

I think Mitts will still have some value because he’s young and has potential. I mean he showed he can be very good when we traded for him last season, and earlier this season. Maybe he just needs change of scenery if he continues to struggle with the Avs.

 

[AvsMakar08]

It would be doable if they keep Landy out until playoffs. Trading Mitts and Wood, that’s about 8 mill, along with the 3 or so mill cap space we have right now, so we’d have like 11 mill. That would get us a good 2C and couple of d-men.

I think Mitts will still have some value because he’s young and has potential. I mean he showed he can be very good when we traded for him last season, and earlier this season. Maybe he just needs change of scenery if he continues to struggle with the Avs.

What team would want to trade to get Mitts as he could barely get 1 shot on goal each night. We would probably need to retain some salary back for the Mitts trade. Yes, I player like Wood we would be able to trade in a larger deal.

 

[the_fan]

What team would want to trade to get Mitts as he could barely get 1 shot on goal each night. We would probably need to retain some salary back for the Mitts trade. Yes, I player like Wood we would be able to trade in a larger deal.

Mitts is only signed for 3 years, so it’s not a long contract. Maybe we can trade him with small retention or none. The guy didn’t just suddenly forgot how to play hockey. He lost his game, confidence for some reason. Maybe change of scenery is what he needs, or he might find his game again with the Avs, but he probably has until trade deadline to do so