Pre-Game Talk: Week of Home with our Heads in our Asses (Wed vs. NJD, Fri vs. MIN)

[expatriatedtexan]

I still don’t understand how can someone look at the Avs roster and say fire Bednar, specially when the team is in the playoffs. I’ll say fire him if we get a true 2nd line and help on defense and the team still underperforms

I'm not sure how anyone could have watched this season and not have some concerns about the guy.

[edit... seems like it's been hashed out a lot in the trade rumors thread as well. My thoughts are simply that he refuses to the use CMac has given him for their intended purposes. He get's outcoached because he doesn't have another way. He doesn't have another system. I freaking hate to say this but Granato and Sacco at least tried to give lines different identities based on their supposed skills.]

 

[The Pwnerer]

“This is a huge point in the season for us,” Avs defenseman Cale Makar said. “I think every single guy on this team, we’ve got to prove to management that this should be a group that they invest in. And if we keep having games like this, it’s going to be hard for them to justify it.”

“It’s going to be on us,” Makar said. “We know as a group we have a lot better than this. It’s just unfortunate that we can’t find the consistency. We played well last night, but just couldn’t find the goals. You just have to get back to it and be better tonight, and unfortunately, we weren’t.”

Cale Makar: Avalanche must “prove to management” team is worth trade deadline investment

When is the “real” Colorado Avalanche going to arrive this season, or will it?

www.denverpost.com

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A once in a life time defenseman fell to our laps. Generational talent. Really hope management seizes this opportunity and he can come away with another championship or two before he retires.

 

[Jasenr]

They definitely need to take more shots but if they're not going to do jack shit if they keep settling for perimeter shots and not pay the price in front of the net. This should not require them to get Nuke back in order to do it either.

One thing that needs to stop five weeks ago is forcing centering feeds and cross-ice passes out of desperation they know damn well aren't going to make it. Those just result in turnover after turnover and sometimes an odd-man rush the other way.

Its the god awful gamesystem(for this roster) which has now been exposed heavily. 1 line and 1 dedensive pair can execute it.

None of the other lines can and still somehow they are forced to play it. Thats why it looks so awful.

Play trap with all the other 3 lines or something else more suitable to their skillset.

If Avs continue this way they are not going to playoffs...

 

[myperbixhurts]

I'm not sure how anyone could have watched this season and not have some concerns about the guy.

[edit... seems like it's been hashed out a lot in the trade rumors thread as well. My thoughts are simply that he refuses to the use CMac has given him for their intended purposes. He get's outcoached because he doesn't have another way. He doesn't have another system. I freaking hate to say this but Granato and Sacco at least tried to give lines different identities based on their supposed skills.]

I think the problem is that you guys think the Avs have a better roster than what they’re showing, but they really don’t. They are what their record is, a wildcard team.

 

[sethro109]

With our offense dead in the water, I expect maybe 1 point. I think the team will be better after the TDL, but by then, we'll most likely be in a horrible hole.

 

[AvBuff]

It took the Avs 5 years after 1996 to win a second Cup with Sakic, Forsberg, Roy, Foote, Ozo et al. Between '96 and '01 they got knocked out of the playoffs by the Wings, Dallas and Edmonton. That was pre-salary cap.

You can have an intelligent discussion about how Sakic and Forsberg equate to Cale and Nate. We certainly don't have Patty Roy. Pierre Lacroix v CMac? You make the call. Bednar v Crawford/Hartley? I''l take Bedsy.

This is a tough, unforgiving league to grind out a dynasty - or even repeat.

I'm not climbing any ledges. Yet.

 

[CobraAcesS]

Bednar did put Necas on the 2nd line in the last game, although it was for short period of time, but Mitts is dragging that line down. If you move Drouin up and put Necas with Mitts and Parssinen, the results are gonna be the same

I remember like one shift with Mitts, it looked like he put Necas with Drury.

Which is dumb as f*** because they didn't play together in Carolina. Like they're going to have chemistry because they both came from Carolina lol.

 

[expatriatedtexan]

I think the problem is that you guys think the Avs have a better roster than what they’re showing, but they really don’t. They are what their record is, a wildcard team.

Our bottom nine (especially bottom six) should be soo damn much better than they are. CMac keeps handing Bednar guys to play roles, but Bednar keeps showing if they can't play MacKinnon's, Makar's or Rantenan's Necas' role, they simply aren't worth his time. The same goes for Makar and Toews on D.

For crying out loud everyone is dying to see see Necas try to spark life into the second line, Bednar's just like nope. f*** a second line. f*** a third line. f*** a fourth line. I've got five skaters and I'm going to give them 100% of my effort and demand 3,000% of theirs. I'm going to run these specimens into the freaking dirt.

These are Bednar's philosophies as I've come to understand them....
1. You will skate hard, or you will skate harder. You will do the later until I say otherwise.
2. You shall be able to pick a pocket, skate the five man unit against you solo and beat the goalie or you suck. Do that better.
3. In the event that you must pass... continue to do so until the opposition gains pocession of the puck. Which leads us to #4...
4. Do not put yourself in front of the net. Not only could you generate a scoring opportunity but more importantly I don't know... it make the other goalie feel bad?
5. Do not remove a player from the puck. If you can not take the puck from the player, just let them go and hope someone else is better at stick checking. Actually transfering any positive kenetic energy into impact damage or collisions effects only result in a decrease in pace. When in doubt... we are not skating fast enough. Do nothing to slow down.

 

[RoyIsALegend]

I remember like one shift with Mitts, it looked like he put Necas with Drury.

Which is dumb as f*** because they didn't play together in Carolina. Like they're going to have chemistry because they both came from Carolina lol.

I remember when Necas was acquired, one of the reporters asked him about Drury. He sounded like he didn’t know who the guy was and gave the most generic answer ever. “Yeah, he’s a great guy and a good teammate.”

 

[myperbixhurts]

Our bottom nine (especially bottom six) should be soo damn much better than they are. CMac keeps handing Bednar guys to play roles, but Bednar keeps showing if they can't play MacKinnon's, Makar's or Rantenan's Necas' role, they simply aren't worth his time. The same goes for Makar and Toews on D.

For crying out loud everyone is dying to see see Necas try to spark life into the second line, Bednar's just like nope. f*** a second line. f*** a third line. f*** a fourth line. I've got five skaters and I'm going to give them 100% of my effort and demand 3,000% of theirs. I'm going to run these specimens into the freaking dirt.

These are Bednar's philosophies as I've come to understand them....
1. You will skate hard, or you will skate harder. You will do the later until I say otherwise.
2. You shall be able to pick a pocket, skate the five man unit against you solo and beat the goalie or you suck. Do that better.
3. In the event that you must pass... continue to do so until the opposition gains pocession of the puck. Which leads us to #4...
4. Do not put yourself in front of the net. Not only could you generate a scoring opportunity but more importantly I don't know... it make the other goalie feel bad?
5. Do not remove a player from the puck. If you can not take the puck from the player, just let them go and hope someone else is better at stick checking. Actually transfering any positive kenetic energy into impact damage or collisions effects only result in a decrease in pace. When in doubt... we are not skating fast enough. Do nothing to slow down.

We don’t have a 2C, 2nd line is none existent, and Drury should be a 4C and he’s playing 3C. We really don’t have a roster to do better than how they’re doing right now. We’re completely a one line team, and have bunch of holes on defense as well

 

[wayninja]

So Bednar is still around huh

 

[EdAVSfan]

The Avs are basically running a roster that’s 15M+ under the cap.
The Landeskog delay continues to loom large. There needs to be finality to his future on this team by the end of the season. The short term and long term handcuffing it creates needs to be finally solved.
He either needs to be able to play regularly in the regular season or he needs to be LTIRed for good. This in-between stops them from being able to fully ice a team.

 

[expatriatedtexan]

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