Grade the Avalanche deadline

[hoserthehorrible]

If the Avs don't make the playoffs, Matthias and Boedker walk after the season, and Gelinas sucks then it's a D-.

If the Avs win the Cup this year, Boedker and Matthias re-sign team friendly deals in the offseason, and Gelinas is a solid #5 or #6 Dman then it's a A+.

I think Sakic made a relatively low risk gamble to help the team make and win in the playoffs this year without mortgaging key pieces to the future. He also did not hamstring the team by taking on high priced long term contracts in the process (yet).

Without having the benefit of time travel or a crystal ball I'd rate the trade deadline a B+. The Avs NHL team is better because of the deals, the team didn't give up any top prospects or #1/#2 draft picks, and the top two players we did pick up could possibly be re-signed in the off season.

 

[Over the Pants Landy]

I give it a B - Really happy we didn't deal any 1sts or 2nds

 

[AvalancheFan19]

A if they make the playoffs and retain Boedker for cheap.

B if they make the playoffs and let Boedker go.

C if they don't make the playoffs and retain Boedker for cheap.

F if they don't make the playoffs and let Boedker go or overpay him.

 

[Drury_Sakic]

Because it's 20 games of that top six forward and Wood/Bleackley could have been turned into something that has value long term even if Avs didn't see a future for them here.

There is a reason every other wild card fighting team chose not to be big buyers this trade deadline. Just one. Because we're going for it!

Other bubble teams gave up....

Boston:
2nd Round Pick
4th Round pick
3rd Round Pick
5th Round Pick
Few no-name prospects

Pitt:
3rd Round Pick
7th Round Pick
Few No Name Prospects

Ottawa:
2nd Round Pick
Shuffled Prospects/Warm bodies

Florida:
2nd Round Pick
3rd Round Pick
6th Round Pick
4th Round Pick


Not all that different than what the Avs did really, frankly the Avs gave up far less...all 4 are bubble teams....and all but Ottawa acquired players that are probably rentals.

Out west Sharks and Ducks both gave up a good haul of prospects/picks to make deals for players they probably will not keep...though it would seem as both are locked into playoff spots and on the contention uptick, so I could see not classifying them as bubble teams, as their point totals are not far away from several central teams...but they are locked in of course and are both on rolls.

*note, not comparing against the true contenders that also went all in, NYR, Caps, Stars, Hawks, and so on.

 

[Colorado Avalanche]

A for me and here's why:

- We acquired a legitimate top-6 forward with speed
- We acquired a legitimate bottom-6 forward with speed and size who wins a hell of a lot of board battles
- We acquired a depth defensemen with a cannon of a shot who is an upgrade on Redmond/Guenin/Bodnarsuck/Gormley

- We kept Rantanen/Bigras/Zadorov/Compher/Meloche/2016 1st/Pickard. Cream of the crop of our prospects are all still here
- We got rid of Tanguay
- We got rid of Bleackley who by all accounts wasn't even going to get signed

Really, giving this management group an "A" is a no-brainer for me. People are going to disagree with trading for Boedker and giving up Wood/Bleackley but I see it as we improved short-term and are not hurt long-term, either.

Good post. Basically how I look at this TDL.

 

[McMetal]

Overall, I think the value scale clearly tips toward Colorado with all of these deals. We got depth at the wings, a top six forward, and an insurance defenseman without sacrificing any sure-thing prospects or early picks. If we don't make the playoffs, obviously that assessment changes, but we now look a hell of a lot more likely to do that than we did a week ago. And if Boedker asks for too much money, we can let him go and all we lose is Bleacks and Wood.

 

[agentblack]

I said C+
Does it also feel like both guys were brought in because the pp has let them down in critical moments lately?

 

[JoemAvs]

C-

Going for rentals when you are on pace for 87 points shows a lack of willingness be being honest about where you are as a team. But at least they didn't give up any of the most valuable pieces. It could have been uglier.

Not a fan of Gelinas trade, knowing how quickly Roy get bored with defenders.

D with the same reasoning. I just like Boedker less than most (hence the D) but hopefully he proves me wrong.

They did not trade our best prospects / top picks so it is not an F.

 

[LazRNN]

I've got to wait and see how the new guys work out, but first impression is I'd prefer the Avs have gone with in house options to improve the roster. I don't know if Tanguay would have been happier being traded or being benched but I there's a decent chance Rantanen could have been as good or more effective than Boedker on the Mack line. The concept of rentals for a team in this stage of development is hard to get behind, but it's not out of the realm of possibility that Boedker and Matthias can end up contributing positively to a playoff push, and no matter how things shake down a playoff run IS a good thing for the team's development. The Gelinas deal could be a nice one if he turns into a legit NHL d-man.

 

[Mules]

Frankly, I can't believe Tanguay amount for anybody, let alone Bodker.

I am happy with the trades made today. It shows management wants to make playoff and will do everything to help out. I hope it will rub to our players too.

 

[dahrougem2]

Phaneuf and Johansen aren't rentals and I have the feeling Ottawa will live to regret that trade. Penguins added Justin Schultz as a rental, so they are clearly out of their minds.

Bleakley was 100% going to turn into at least 53rd overall pick, confirmed by Sakic. That has value. But who knows, perhaps they just saved us from getting another Stuart or Berra.

No they aren't rentals but the premise is still that teams battling for wildcard spots made deals, some of which (Sens/Phaneuf and Pens/Schultz) can be looked at as worse than ours. We aren't the only team making trades to potentially improve our team and make a run at the post-season.

 

[McMetal]

Frankly, I can't believe Tanguay amount for anybody, let alone Bodker.

I am happy with the trades made today. It shows management wants to make playoff and will do everything to help out. I hope it will rub to our players too.

According to interviews, the players seem to see it that way too. We'll see this week if the words translate into actions.

 

[Soedy]

just look at the lineup for next year if Boedker resigns

LANDESKOG - MACKINNON - BOEDKER
GRIGORENKO - DUCHENE - RANTANEN
MATTHIAS - SODERBERG - COMEAU
IGINLA - MITCHELL - SKILLE

BEAUCHEMIN - JOHNSON
ZADOROV - BARRIE
BIGRAS - GELINAS

VARLAMOV
PICKARD

Looks good to me.

I really liked the moves that we made. I want to see play off hockey this year and I think Sakic did the best to make it a reality. We are a way better team than we were a week ago.

 

[Tweaky]

Solid B, 86%, with the expectation that they win 2 playoff games, re-sign one of the two UFAs to a market level deal. Grade goes up with additional wins (1% per), signing both, and/or signing them to a more team friendly deal than expected. Grade goes down with fewer wins, points out of playoff spot, not signing either or overpaying with $ or term.

 

[Colorado Avalanche]

just look at the lineup for next year if Boedker resigns

LANDESKOG - MACKINNON - BOEDKER
GRIGORENKO - DUCHENE - RANTANEN
MATTHIAS - SODERBERG - COMEAU
IGINLA - MITCHELL - SKILLE

BEAUCHEMIN - JOHNSON
ZADOROV - BARRIE
BIGRAS - GELINAS

VARLAMOV
PICKARD

Looks good to me.

I really liked the moves that we made. I want to see play off hockey this year and I think Sakic did the best to make it a reality. We are a way better team than we were a week ago.

So much potential there. Looks good!

 

[The Abusement Park]

Boedker turned down 5x5 and is reportedly intending to test the market.

I think that was more because he wanted to get the **** out of Arizona, which I can't blame him for.

 

[klozge]

Team got upgraded on 3 positions (possibly even in a significant way) without giving away much. That's an A in my book.

Edit: I expect them to re-sign Boedker for okay money if he plays well.

 

[Hasbro]

I want to give them extra credit for infuriating the stat whackers.

 

[tucker3434]

I would be quite uneasy giving him 5x5.

I'm a bit worried about what we're going to do with him. Either he continues his below average 2016 play and we lowball him. He walks for free. Or, and possibly worse, he gets red hot next to MacKinnon and goes ppg for the last 20 games. He gets paid. Then he never hits that level again and his contract is our anchor for the next 5 years.

I would just feel a lot better in general if he was signed to $4-4.5 for several more years right now. 20 games is a small sample size and I hope Roykic don't let it influence any potential offer made to Boedker in the offseason.

 

[Iceberg]

Boedker is a rental, i doubt Sakic is worried about signing this guy right now, and there is 0 reason why the player would sign an extension right now either.

 

[henchman21]

I don't think the Avs really plan on re-signing Boedker. They probably give it a fair shot if he plays well, but I don't see them touching a contract in the 5s. Maybe Boedker tests the market, finds it soft, and comes back to the Avs. That is really the only way I see him staying an Av.

 

[BK Avs]

Gave it a B, but it could drop as low as a C or rise as high as an A-.

Positives:
-We addressed almost every roster need.
-We didn't give up any major pieces.
-We didn't dip below 6 picks in either of the next two drafts.

Negatives:
-Gelinas doesn't necessarily make our D much better.
-We gave up assets for players who might turn out to be rentals.
-Wood and Bleakley (or the 2nd he represents) have potential.
-We're back at 50 contracts.

Wood was, at best, our 4th most promising defensive prospect behind Bigras, Zadorov, and Meloche, but could even be rated lower than Geertsen, Mironov, and others.

I don't really understand the Bleakley/2nd round pick situation. If we decide not to sign him, we get a compensatory pick? So, if it turns out we suck at drafting, we're rewarded with another pick? How does that make sense? I get it if we try to sign the guy but he refuses; is this the scenario? Has Bleaks refused to sign a QO? Anyway, I was never high on him, but I guess an additional 2nd would've been nice.

Scenarios in which the grade improves:
-We make the playoffs and retain the services of Boedker and/or Matthias at reasonable contracts.
-Gelinas turns out to be a clear improvement on the bottom pairing and on the power play.

Scenarios in which the grade drops:
-We miss the playoffs.
-We re-sign Boedker and/or Matthias to unreasonable contracts.
-Gelinas ends up another poor option rotating in and out of the bottom pair.

I don't think this can get lower than a C because ultimately we didn't give much up. But I don't think it gets higher than an A- unless we make a deep playoff run, which we probably won't because we aren't true contenders.

 

[Foppa2118]

I don't think the Avs really plan on re-signing Boedker. They probably give it a fair shot if he plays well, but I don't see them touching a contract in the 5s. Maybe Boedker tests the market, finds it soft, and comes back to the Avs. That is really the only way I see him staying an Av.

Agreed. I thinks Rads and Drouin are probably their 1a and 1b wingers they're hoping for, depending on money and assets required to get them.

Boedker I think is their fail safe. They're probably thinking they'll get him to help them into the playoffs. Get quicker on the wing finally and improve the PP. Then see where they are with the other two guys after the season.

They should know where they're at with both by the draft, and probably sooner with Rads, and they'll know Boedker's asking price, and will make the best long term decision then. They didn't give up too much to get Boedker so if they have to let him walk, it won't hurt them too much.

 

[klozge]

Boedker is a rental, i doubt Sakic is worried about signing this guy right now, and there is 0 reason why the player would sign an extension right now either.

Sakic even said he's a rental and only an option in the off-season. I still think Boedker will be an Av next year, though. It should be too good a fit for both parties to walk away in the summer. Only a feeling, of course.

 

[Colorado Avalanche]

Boedker is a rental, i doubt Sakic is worried about signing this guy right now, and there is 0 reason why the player would sign an extension right now either.

Of course there's benefit for player to sign now. What If he gets career ending injury in next game? There's always risk when it comes to sports. If they offer him good contract and he seems to like this team, I have no doubt he would accept it. Why not? Colorado is trending up, he fits the core age.. Looks like pretty good fit to me. Let's see how he works with Duchene/MacK...