Confirmed with Link: Svech and ZLH to Avs for Drury+

[Dadof5boys]

Now since its been a minute. I was advocating to consolidate some of our prospects into either a younger player or picks. We turned two prospects that struggled to stay at the nhl level for one reason or another and were going to have to be exposed to waivers into a youngish NHL player. Not exactly as much value as I was hoping but im filled with Homer juice and value my trade assets highly.

So

Forsberg ror Evangelista
Stamkos wood fink/o'hara/kemell
Ross pinchuk march
Schaefer drury ozzy

Raising the Cup of Mediocrity continues.

 

[Dadof5boys]

Yeah an alternative way to view this is that CMac likes some of our other young players better and just opened up one more roster spot for someone else rather than trying to turn guys into something they’re not.

Sure but us bungling things in the past doesn’t mean this wasn’t the right move to do today.

I don't think it was the right move, but alas, time will tell. Just more bottom 6 filler pieces..got to love it.

 

[AtlantaWhaler]

Meh, not much to care about here. Established bottom 6 center best suited for the 4th line for two players that will ultimately follow the same path as Tomasino and Parsinnen. No major loss and no big pickup.

I dunno… I think Drury makes our 3/4 line better, especially at center. PK gets better too

 

[Predsanddead24]

I don't think it was the right move, but alas, time will tell. Just more bottom 6 filler pieces..got to love it.

Svechkov and L’Hereux were just marginally younger bottom 6 filler pieces if that.

 

[Flgatorguy87]

I don't think it was the right move, but alas, time will tell. Just more bottom 6 filler pieces..got to love it.

Svech and ZLH were bottom 6 filler pieces by absolute definition. The idea they could be more because they were drafted early by the last regime is a sunken cost fallacy. Drury is an elite defensive/FO/matchup center. Tell me something either of Svech or ZLH were elite at aside from potential. In the words of the late Floyd Reese, potential is the word that's gotten more GMs fired than any other.

 

[Flgatorguy87]

Now since its been a minute. I was advocating to consolidate some of our prospects into either a younger player or picks. We turned two prospects that struggled to stay at the nhl level for one reason or another and were going to have to be exposed to waivers into a youngish NHL player. Not exactly as much value as I was hoping but im filled with Homer juice and value my trade assets highly.

So

Forsberg ror Evangelista
Stamkos wood fink/o'hara/kemell
Ross pinchuk march
Schaefer drury ozzy

Kemmel is the next guy I had circled. He's not as far down the runway, but he better start gaining altitude.

Ozzy is a meh piece to me, I honestly didn't see him as much different than ZLH. I mightve even liked him slightly more as he seemed more consistent night to night. They were honestly quite similar and redundant pieces in my mind.

 

[Genie]

Definitely going to miss ZLH. If Colorado gives him a chance I think he could be a solid bottom six guy.

With Svechkov, I question his long-term fit in the NHL. Not enough skill to be a top six C, but not enough grit/defense to be bottom six. Then again, Bruno really didn't do him any favors and he's still young. Unfortunately, Bednar is similar to Brunette with his treatment of younger guys.

Drury is a known commodity, fills a desperate need, is solid as hell, and is still young enough to stay for a while.

The trade makes sense to me, as honestly I don't see ZLH or Svech exceeding what Drury provides, and there is a non-zero chance they don't even reach his value.

 

[Softball99]

They want playoffs for the new additions that are coming, sports dollars are now being split 4 ways and consumers buy tickets for winners not rebuilders. This makes more sense now. Rnee is coaching for his next contract. Trotz gave us overpaid can't move top 6ers so bottom 6ers and more spots for the kids he sees 0potentially fitting his team identity. The vets are going to be more valuable at the deadline if it goes tits up. And you have plenty of mentorship for the kids while everything sorts out

 

[Predsanddead24]

When does a player go from young and full of potential to a filler bottom six vet? Must be either at 24 or 25 I gather.

 

[Genie]

When does a player go from young and full of potential to a filler bottom six vet? Must be either at 24 or 25 I gather.

It's definitely younger than it used to be.

 

[Bringer of Jollity]

@Osprey is this our Michal Handzus and Kyle Calder offseason? Getting the vet placeholders in place.

 

[Bye Bye Blueston]

 

[shadow1]

WTF. I thought you were a Preds fan all these years. But then after the playoffs, I thought I had it all wrong, and you were a Kings fan. I'm losing my marbles.

Let me say something constructive. Drury was basically Colorado's 3C the past two seasons. When MacFarland made the Rantanen trade, the Avalanche had zero down the middle. Their bottom-6 centers were Kelly (a LW) and Ivan (an unripe rookie). Drury really helped stabilize things, but was bumped down to 4C when Colorado added both Coyle and Nelson at the deadline.

Similar story this season. Drury played 3C most of the year and had a strong start. But he hit a wall offensively, and he was once again bumped down to 4C when Kadri was reacquired. In both postseasons, Drury was a standout player, which is why losing him hurts.

I'll warn you all now: MacFarland likes to make trades. I know you can read all about them retroactively. But experiencing them in real time is a different story. He made, I believe, 9 trades in back-to-back seasons. Those were during the season, not including the offseason. In one of those seasons, he traded both of Colorado's goalies in the span of a month. And then Mikko Rantanen like a month later.

I say all of that to say this: I see this move as MacFarland bringing in a piece he can depend on. Whether it's as an elite 4C or a 3C you can get by with for stretches, he knows what he has in Drury. That's important because I guarantee he's going to blow this team up, in some shape or form. This guy isn't Barry Trotz, who's hopping on a radio show every week to say god knows what, while making occasional moves around the edges. You'll go months at a time without hearing a peep from MacFarland. And then one lazy Friday night, when you're relaxing and minding your own business, bam! He'll trade Filip Forsberg. Or Matthew Wood. Or who the hell knows.

The final thing I'll say is that thanks to our board insider, we've known this move was coming for approximately 6 months. The word is that Colorado and Drury were far apart on dollars. So it's ironic that the GM who participated in that ill-fated negotiation has just acquired him. But I suppose the calculus has changed now that CMac doesn't have to worry about paying $12.6M to MacKinnon and $15M+ to Makar.

 

[glenngineer]

While at first I was a little shocked, annoyed, disappointed, befuddled by this move, I think I may understand it after reading comments and seeing trajectories of players who have made it out of our system or other systems for that matter.

Development is a dangerous word. To me, a kid is either going to have it or not. Kids who get drafted have similar paths. They either spend another season in juniors, then off to the minors/college, maybe spend half a year to a year there and then make the jump. Very rarely do we see guys marinate/develop and then make the leap. Goalies are a slightly different story but if your guys are spending season after season in the minors waiting to make the leap, it's not going to happen. My last sentence is important - it's waiting to make the leap instead of forcing themselves onto the NHL roster by their play.

How many of our prospects have pushed for spots and been undeniable and never been sent back or sent back for a very short stretch and then called back up for good? Haven't been many lately.

Now think back to guys like Weber and Josi who were second round picks and made the jump. Think about Forsberg and Fiala, they made it up pretty quick, Fiala had a little more trouble but got here and stuck. Hartnell got picked and was here immediately. Hamhuis didn't spend a ton of time in the minors. Ellis the same thing.

So while we sit here and go, these kids weren't given a chance or it's on development or it's on this that and the other thing, at the end of the day, it's on the player and how much they can prove that they have earned/deserved the spot.

Maybe our drafting has sucked too and maybe we looked at certain skills way too much without looking at the desire/heart of the kid and realizing they will not be denied and they will be NHL players.

 

[hockey diva]

I liked ZLH and thought he had more to give if properly deployed.

I don’t understand the drive to make the playoffs. We are old and slow. We are not gonna do bipkus. I don’t want to watch us get swept like we did against Colorado a few years back.

I hope there is some kind of plan because right now I have no hope.

 

[Predsanddead24]

Kieser reporting we’re not going to re-sign Haula because of this move.

 

[Osprey]

@Osprey is this our Michal Handzus and Kyle Calder offseason? Getting the vet placeholders in place.

Maybe if the Preds already had impactful young players that needed veteran stabilization, but they're acquiring veterans and getting rid of kids.

WTF. I thought you were a Preds fan all these years. But then after the playoffs, I thought I had it all wrong, and you were a Kings fan. I'm losing my marbles.

I live to confuse you. I follow both teams. It's kind of funny that we've been crossing paths so often recently because your Avs have been involved with both.

 

[BigFatCat999]

Which leads me to the question will he blow it up for 2027 pics? This draft is OK. Next year’s draft is gonna be very very deep as in potentially a superstar in the top 15 pics deep.

 

[Bringer of Jollity]

Maybe if the Preds already had impactful young players that needed veteran stabilization, but they're acquiring veterans and getting rid of kids.

I live to confuse you. I follow both teams. It's kind of funny that we've been crossing paths so often recently because your Avs have been involved with both.

Well, Deano did ditch Frolov, Cammalleri, O'Sullivan, etc... eventually as well.

 

[Osprey]

Well, Deano did ditch Frolov, Cammalleri, O'Sullivan, etc... eventually as well.

Very true, but he still had the core of Kopitar, Brown and Doughty who were already leading the team in their early 20s. The Preds' core is over 30.

 

[shadow1]

I live to confuse you. I follow both teams. It's kind of funny that we've been crossing paths so often recently because your Avs have been involved with both.

Ah, that makes sense! Welp, looking forward to talking hockey with you again in a couple of days when CMac inevitably acquires Nichushkin next.

 

[Bringer of Jollity]

Very true, but he still had the core of Kopitar, Brown and Doughty who were already leading the team. The Preds' core is all over 30.

True enough. Cammalleri and O'Sullivan I think we're traded season following Doughty getting drafted. Frolove did get a little more burn. I am not supposing CMac thinks he's got his contending core in Martin, Wood, Vange though.

 

[BigFatCat999]

Here’s the problem. Nashville is firmly on the fence. They can make one trade and become playoff contenders or they could blow it up.

It’s the most frustrating thing so here’s my mindset; I have no freaking idea. I am on fully team blow this shit up mainly because this trade market is insane. If Nashville traded Forsberg to Chicago, but got all three of their first in 2027 hot damn! Ryan O’Reilly screams trade deadline guy. But the usual market is a first and a prospect. But could you get more in this trade market? I remember hearing Barry offering up Roman Josi at the draft lottery. I’m just gonna sit back and enjoy the ride.

 

[Soundgarden]

So, Drury is 12th in face-off % among players with 200+ or more face-offs taken. I can see why we'd want him.

 

[Kat Predator]

When does a player go from young and full of potential to a filler bottom six vet? Must be either at 24 or 25 I gather.

The instant they are gone.