Confirmed with Link: Calum Ritchie signs ELC

[AllAboutAvs]

The difference between now and then is the team now circle and keep the puck like the rest of the NHL. Puck possession in OT back then was like 10% Avs 90% other team...we were losing all the OT's.

Mack still goes for the low % shit though.

IMO he is usually a lot more patient about it but eventually, yes, he gets impatient and then he still does. The others are much more patient than before.

 

[Foppa2118]

The difference between now and then is the team now circles and keeps the puck like the rest of the NHL. Puck possession in OT back then was like 10% Avs 90% other team...we were losing all the OT's.

Yeah there was a clear distinction one year from the previous at how they approached OT. It was clear they weren't focusing on it much before.

They all of a sudden looked like they figured out the possession, and making smart line changes aspect of it, and had set plays that allowed them to use their skill.

Recently they've also come up with some set plays off the opening draw with Val circling back and then hard charging the puck to the net.

 

[niwotsblessing]

Was Byram ever all that good on the power play? I honestly don't remember.

Malinski is better.

 

[Leviathan899]

I like Miles Wood on the team for some of the intangibles that he brings, but it goes to show we need some guys back if he is riding PP2.

Are the Avs even a playoff team this year? One of the thinnest rosters in the league. Ya there’s elite talent, but it falls off drastically. The fact you’re going to rush a 19 year old who was a late first round pick, and missed an entire offseason and the first third of last season into the NHL is really bad. Chris McFarland is not a good GM, at all. No contending team should be reliant on a guy like Ritchie. He’ll be burnt out by Christmas and will be a bust. Relying on Landeskog to come back after missing so much time, while also being in his 30‘s now, seems foolish. When’s Lehkonen expected back?

 

[Pokecheque]

Are the Avs even a playoff team this year? One of the thinnest rosters in the league. Ya there’s elite talent, but it falls off drastically. The fact you’re going to rush a 19 year old who was a late first round pick, and missed an entire offseason and the first third of last season into the NHL is really bad. Chris McFarland is not a good GM, at all. No contending team should be reliant on a guy like Ritchie. He’ll be burnt out by Christmas and will be a bust. Relying on Landeskog to come back after missing so much time, while also being in his 30‘s now, seems foolish. When’s Lehkonen expected back?

Yes, they should be playoff-worthy. If they aren't either injuries are hitting waaaay harder than usual or something else has gone horribly wrong.

As for Ritchie, we don't know what they're going to do quite yet. They might be talking him up quite a bit but in the end I'll be surprised if they don't send him back. They do IIRC have 9 games to try him out at the NHL level before they gotta make a decision.

 

[Leviathan899]

Yes, they should be playoff-worthy. If they aren't either injuries are hitting waaaay harder than usual or something else has gone horribly wrong.

As for Ritchie, we don't know what they're going to do quite yet. They might be talking him up quite a bit but in the end I'll be surprised if they don't send him back. They do IIRC have 9 games to try him out at the NHL level before they gotta make a decision.

Thanks for the reply. You’re right, with the talent you guys have you’ll always be a playoff contender, but I just find it odd there’s no older prospects or bottom 6 guys with experience who can fill that role for now. I just think you have to be very careful with Ritchie with his injury history and the fact he missed all of last off season and training camp. He’s a tall kid but he’s not physically mature yet, and I worry he’s going to stagnate if playing in Colorado this year. At his age you need a lot of ice time and puck touches, plus all situational ice time to reach your potential. And this is a win now league, not a development league. Let’s be honest, once the games start to count, he won’t get much PP time at all. He isn’t going to kill penalties either. I worry he’ll be stapled to the bench as the pace picks up and the physicality increases. I’m a big fan of his long term potential, but I think he never hits it if he’s in Colorado this year. Even the 9 games I think is the wrong move. Give him some solid chances here in pre season and then send him back for one more year. He’ll be even more ready to make an impact next September if that happens IMO.

 

[Pokecheque]

Thanks for the reply. You’re right, with the talent you guys have you’ll always be a playoff contender, but I just find it odd there’s no older prospects or bottom 6 guys with experience who can fill that role for now. I just think you have to be very careful with Ritchie with his injury history and the fact he missed all of last off season and training camp. He’s a tall kid but he’s not physically mature yet, and I worry he’s going to stagnate if playing in Colorado this year. At his age you need a lot of ice time and puck touches, plus all situational ice time to reach your potential. And this is a win now league, not a development league. Let’s be honest, once the games start to count, he won’t get much PP time at all. He isn’t going to kill penalties either. I worry he’ll be stapled to the bench as the pace picks up and the physicality increases. I’m a big fan of his long term potential, but I think he never hits it if he’s in Colorado this year. Even the 9 games I think is the wrong move. Give him some solid chances here in pre season and then send him back for one more year. He’ll be even more ready to make an impact next September if that happens IMO.

I won't be surprised if they deal him away at the deadline, they don't have many more kicks at the can with this core. Anything that puts them in contention the next 1-2 years is something they just need to do, blow it up later.

The Avs have been notoriously bad at drafting and development. It's funny because when they select in the top-10, they absolutely nail it (Jost being the lone exception). I realize that doesn't seem like a huge compliment...and it kinda isn't...but other organizations have proven you can indeed f*** things up badly with high first rounders. Logan O'Connor, a UDFA, has so far been their lone success at developing a really good bottom six forward.

 

[RoyIsALegend]

Are the Avs even a playoff team this year? One of the thinnest rosters in the league. Ya there’s elite talent, but it falls off drastically. The fact you’re going to rush a 19 year old who was a late first round pick, and missed an entire offseason and the first third of last season into the NHL is really bad. Chris McFarland is not a good GM, at all. No contending team should be reliant on a guy like Ritchie. He’ll be burnt out by Christmas and will be a bust. Relying on Landeskog to come back after missing so much time, while also being in his 30‘s now, seems foolish. When’s Lehkonen expected back?

Probably not.

I’m personally expecting the Leafs to pick up MacKinnon, Makar, and Rantanen as trade deadline pickups once the Avs give up on the season.

 

[Richard Doll]

Are the Avs even a playoff team this year? One of the thinnest rosters in the league. Ya there’s elite talent, but it falls off drastically. The fact you’re going to rush a 19 year old who was a late first round pick, and missed an entire offseason and the first third of last season into the NHL is really bad. Chris McFarland is not a good GM, at all. No contending team should be reliant on a guy like Ritchie. He’ll be burnt out by Christmas and will be a bust. Relying on Landeskog to come back after missing so much time, while also being in his 30‘s now, seems foolish. When’s Lehkonen expected back?

They are still 100% a playoff team.

The question should be is if they are a cup contending team.

If the playoffs started RIGHT NOW, I’d say they might make it through round 1 and maybe round 2, but just don’t have the depth to win it all.

Val and Lekky are back soon and just those 2 put us right back in cup contention.

Mac, Rant, Drouin, Val, Lekky, Mitts is a VERY strong top 6.

Colton, Wood, Loc is a solid 3rd line.

4th line is still being worked out, but they have several players that fit that roll well.

Even without Landy, this is a cup contending team.

They manage to get Landy back, he’s a couple years removed from playing, might not be the exact same player, but we know he has grit, is defensively responsible, he could easily be an upgrade on the third line and could push Wood to the 4th line.

We still have 1 of the better blue lines in the league.

As far as I’m concerned, we have 2 question mark on this team in regards to cup contention, and that’s in goal, and Val with his off-ice issues

I don’t trust Georgie. Val has left the playoffs the last 2 years.

If Landy comes back that significantly helps with the Val worry because it means we don’t need Wood or Loc moving to the second line.

If Landy doesn’t come back, they hopefully have deadline cap room to go get another middle 6 guy.

You are correct, our young depth is pretty sparse, but this team is still VERY much in its window.

If injuries happen, it hurts pretty bad, but this happens to every single team in the league.

 

[lionsDen]

If Ritchie can prove to be nhl ready give him the reins if not he gets his 9 games and a chance to go back and work on prevented him from making the team. Pretty ainple

 

[The Moops]

Malinski is better.

New captain lore just dropped?

 

[tigervixxxen]

Malinski is better.

The guy a majority of this fanbase thinks is getting waived because of a numbers game?

 

[tigervixxxen]

Thanks for the reply. You’re right, with the talent you guys have you’ll always be a playoff contender, but I just find it odd there’s no older prospects or bottom 6 guys with experience who can fill that role for now. I just think you have to be very careful with Ritchie with his injury history and the fact he missed all of last off season and training camp. He’s a tall kid but he’s not physically mature yet, and I worry he’s going to stagnate if playing in Colorado this year. At his age you need a lot of ice time and puck touches, plus all situational ice time to reach your potential. And this is a win now league, not a development league. Let’s be honest, once the games start to count, he won’t get much PP time at all. He isn’t going to kill penalties either. I worry he’ll be stapled to the bench as the pace picks up and the physicality increases. I’m a big fan of his long term potential, but I think he never hits it if he’s in Colorado this year. Even the 9 games I think is the wrong move. Give him some solid chances here in pre season and then send him back for one more year. He’ll be even more ready to make an impact next September if that happens IMO.

Other orgs figure out that talented 19 year olds elevate the pretenders to contenders.

 

[Colorado Avalanche]

Richard Doll summed it up well. If things go perfectly, this team can win it all but a lot of things have to go right for that to happen.

 

[McMetal]

The reason why people are talking about trying Ritchie in the top six is because, for all of his inexperience, he at least has real skill. Beyond MacKinnon, Rantanen, Mittelstadt, and Drouin, there is a really scary lack of raw forward talent on the Avs projected opening night roster. Who ELSE are you going to put on the second line? O'Connor? Colton? Wood? Kiviranta? We would literally be better off playing Girard as a winger.

Ritchie would pretty easily be the fifth most talented forward on the Avs. Giving him a 9 game trial is worth a shot, IMO, especially because aside from bulking up I don't think the CHL is going to be of real value to him this season.

 

[the_fan]

We should just yolo and go with Kovy-Mitts-Ritchie 2nd line

 

[McMetal]

We should just yolo and go with Kovy-Mitts-Ritchie 2nd line

I hate it, but I don't actually hate it THAT much. If you want to keep the roaring twenties line together and put as much potential on the second line as you can, that kind of seems like the only option. I'm not sure Bednar will agree, but sadly you can make a case for that.

 

[expatriatedtexan]

I hate it, but I don't actually hate it THAT much. If you want to keep the roaring twenties line together and put as much potential on the second line as you can, that kind of seems like the only option. I'm not sure Bednar will agree, but sadly you can make a case for that.

Eh, I don't mind it as long as they don't get caved in, run with them and see what they can do. With Bednar having had to elevate the Roaring 20s to 2nd line status he's certainly experienced with using them more than a typical 3rd line, so he could always play matchups with the 2nd and 3rd lines.

But that's why I'm not an NHL coach. Jared will be doing business as normal.

That is "normal" for Jared Bednar, meaning he'll be dialing the Bednar Blender to 11 and juicing blending his mittelsix middle six like he's playing some mad combination of Tetris, Jenga, and the Sims 4.

 

[niwotsblessing]

The guy a majority of this fanbase thinks is getting waived because of a numbers game?

My emoji was intended to convey irony.

a question- aside from Makar and Manso, do we have any other RHD's on the roster?

We should just yolo and go with Kovy-Mitts-Ritchie 2nd line

Drouin - MacK - Kovalenko
Ritchie - Mitts - Moose

Spread the talent, and the rookies, around.

 

[The Kingslayer]

Are the Avs even a playoff team this year? One of the thinnest rosters in the league. Ya there’s elite talent, but it falls off drastically. The fact you’re going to rush a 19 year old who was a late first round pick, and missed an entire offseason and the first third of last season into the NHL is really bad. Chris McFarland is not a good GM, at all. No contending team should be reliant on a guy like Ritchie. He’ll be burnt out by Christmas and will be a bust. Relying on Landeskog to come back after missing so much time, while also being in his 30‘s now, seems foolish. When’s Lehkonen expected back?

They will find a way to get in but they are a second round exit at best with the current roster. Landy and Nuke plus some nice adds at the deadline could change that and increase them to maybe a Conference showing where the Oilers would beat them but yes this is still a playoff team.

 

[NOTENOUGHRYJOTHINGS]

They will find a way to get in but they are a second round exit at best with the current roster. Landy and Nuke plus some nice adds at the deadline could change that and increase them to maybe a Conference showing where the Oilers would beat them but yes this is still a playoff team.

If Landy and Nuke and a legit top 4D get added to this roster I legitimately think they can take Vancouver to 7 games in the conference final.

 

[dahrougem2]

I don't think either 92 or 62 will be ready for season opener and 13 is suspended.

Would not shock me at all to see Kovalenko - Mittelstadt - Ritchie as the 2nd line.

 

[chet1926]

I don't think either 92 or 62 will be ready for season opener and 13 is suspended.

Would not shock me at all to see Kovalenko - Mittelstadt - Ritchie as the 2nd line.

It's very likely neither of those guys play right away. There will be chances for someone to grab a spot and try to run with it.

 

[Balthazar]

Kovalenko - Mittelstadt - Ritchie as the 2nd line.

 

[RoyIsALegend]

Would not shock me at all to see Kovalenko - Mittelstadt - Ritchie as the 2nd line.

Nobody will shoot the puck.

It could make for entertaining hockey watching them all overpass until Manson rips one 10 feet wide from the point.