Adrian Dater is reporting that prospective Norwegian defenseman Jonas Holøs would like to be released from his current contract with the Colorado Avalanche.

This consideration is shocking given the potential Holøs displayed last season and in camp, but it is hard to blame the guy with the plethora of defensemen in the system and the seemingly random order of succession in Colorado.

Dater says that Holøs is looking to find a team in Europe to play with, and that despite being assigned to the Lake Erie Monsters to start the season, Holøs has yet to play a game. If it is a question of playing hockey and developing into the player we all know he will become, the move to Europe makes the most sense. Holøs lost ice time with the Avalanche last season, and while the reason isn’t exactly known, he did spend a lot of time in the press box for games which hurts his chances at improving his play because he isn’t ever playing.

This is, perhaps, one of the reasons that future Avalanche defenseman Stefan Elliott was reassigned to start the season. Keeping Elliott growing is of utmost importance.

Holøs will be missed in Colorado and we at The Avalanche Guild wish him the best in the future.

Mueller?

There has been no official update on why Peter Mueller was a scratch for last night’s blowout against Craig Anderson and the lowly Ottawa Senators.

What do you think?

The Colorado Avalanche have now won the first three matches in a five game round trip, most recently dispatching the Columbus Blue Jackets in a shootout and the lowly Ottawa Senators in a blowout.

The most important thing to take away from these two newest wins is that Colorado continued to improve their play between nights. While they struggled in the first two games to score, it seemed it would carry on in Columbus until rookie Gabriel Landeskog managed to redirect a Jan Hejda shot when jumping out of the way. This forced the shootout, which Milan Hejduk and Matt Duchene easily managed to win.

Semyon Varlamov has been an animal so far this season, turning away 30 or more shots in each of his three games. He got the night off in Canada, as he should have, allowing Jean-Sebastien Giguere a chance to prove why the goaltending tandem in Colorado could be quite the devastating one-two punch. Giguere allowed one goal early on but he denied the next 15 shots he saw, paving the way for Colorado to find some confidence offensively.

Hejduk opened the scoring up for Colorado for the second time in three games and Landeskog followed his lead by netting the game winning tally, his second goal in as many games. The Avalanche didn’t stop there, taking advantage of a struggling Ottawa squad. Goalie Craig Anderson was ultimately left to his own devices tonight as the Avalanche scored seven goals in all, including two by Joakim Lindström. Lindström was filling in for a scratched Peter Mueller, who was “given the night off”.

It is quite possible that the Swede will continue to find himself on the roster over other players as he has made a more immediate impact. The Avs finally got some special teams success as well, scoring four powerplay goals and one short handed goal from the master, Dan Winnik. They did however allow a powerplay goal as well, bringing their 100% penalty kill streak to an end.

Without a doubt, the Colorado Avalanche were on their game tonight. They made very few mistakes and, when they did, they were bailed out by a handful of saves from Giguere. It is important to note that the Senators looked absolutely awful in this game and were easily picked apart. While devouring less than adequate teams is the sign of a strong club, the previous three games are a warning of the potential struggles that Colorado may undergo against more competitive teams in the NHL.

A solid win by the burgundy and blue, Colorado will look to continue their streak on Saturday as they take on the Montreal Canadiens.

What do you think?

Welcome to a new segment counting down the days until the Colorado Avalanche open the season against the hated Detroit Red Wings tonight, October 8th. We will take a look at five reasons why you should be excited about the Avalanche this season.

It’s no secret that the Colorado Avalanche have struggled with goaltending since the departure of the great Patrick Roy. Fans have seen names come and go, loving some and loathing others. I won’t hide the fact that I thought Jose Theodore would be “the one” during his time in town. He managed to carry the team into the playoffs, stealing a round from the Minnesota Wild. Sadly his inconsistencies weren’t forgivable to everyone and he left town over a matter of pennies, heading to the Washington Capitals.

The next promising goalie to come around was Craig Anderson. Anderson waltzed into the locker room and everything changed. The Avalanche squad that was supposed to finish last made the playoffs, sitting squarely on Anderson’s shoulders. Fans were all but planning the Anderson parade and then contract negotiations broke down. Rumored to be a bit self-centered, Anderson decided he wanted a lot more years and dollars on his contract and, if the team wasn’t willing to oblige, he would play his way to someone who would pony up the cash.

By the end of the season, Colorado basically gave Anderson away for nothing, choosing not to re-sign his replacement, Brian Elliott. It seemed that Anderson wasn’t the one.

Meanwhile, contract talks had broken down with goalie Semyon Varlamov in Washington and the 23-year-old netminder was already talking with the KHL about joining them for the coming season. Unwilling to let such a young, potentially bankable goaltender walk for nothing, the Capitals were ready to take any offer that came their way.

Varlamov heard, through his agent, that the Avalanche were willing to make an offer if he would sign a contract and come play in Denver. A longtime Avalanche fan, Varlamov immediately said yes, and on July 1st – Free Agency Day – Varlamov’s rights were traded to the Avs for a first and conditional second round draft pick. Varlamov signed a new deal in Colorado just hours later.

What kind of player did the Avalanche end up with? The future of the crease guardian.

Labelled injury prone by many due to the fact that the kid has yet to play 30 or more games in a single season, Varlamov is an explosive, determined goalie that has put up fantastic numbers in his short career. He’s 30-13 with 12 overtime defeats and four shutouts under his belt. Through those 59 games, Varlamov has saved .917 percent of all shots faced, allowing 136 goals. He also allows just 2.39 goals per game, which is decent. But it is more powerful considering the offensive punch that this Avalanche team has.

Varlamov is dynamic, exciting, and passionate but he would be nothing without a challenger to compete with him for ice time. The Avalanche have long had a lopsided goaltending tandem, hardly inspiring any keeper to earn playing time. This year will be different though, as veteran player and former Conn Smythe (playoff MVP) winner and Stanley Cup Champion Jean-Sebastien Giguere was also acquired on Free Agency Day. Plagued by injury the past few seasons, Giguere has proclaimed his health to be the best he’s had in years.

It is apparent, when watching Giguere, that he can still play despite being one of the fewer “old dogs” on the young Avalanche roster. At age 34, Giguere is ranked 8th in the NHL for career wins with 231 and shutouts with 34. in 525 games played, Giguere is 231-195 with 25 ties, and 56 overtime losses. Through this, Giguere has managed to maintain a fantastic .913 save percentage, allowing just 1,258 goals on 14,398 shots. Giguere has a 2.87 goals against average as well.

Ultimately these numbers mean nothing as they are based on different seasons with different teams. What is important here is that neither goaltender gives an inch and they arguably manage to keep their team in the game on a nightly basis. Both goaltenders have been given a new opportunity to succeed and this will be a chance that neither is willing to let pass them by.

Goaltending in Colorado hasn’t looked this good in years and with Giguere mentoring and challenging Varlamov for ice-time, this season will be one of surprising success.

The only thing missing now is a full-time goalie coach to ensure quality development in the future.

What do you think?

Two Guys 1 Puck is back and ready for the season with an all new episode covering what you’ve missed since the Colorado Avalanche season ended.

Ryan and Jonathon are joined by newcomer and Burgundy Brigade co-founder Kevin Goff as they discuss the 2011 NHL Entry Draft, Free Agency Day, offseason acquisitions, prospects and more. Independent goalie scout Justin Goldman also joins the program to talk Semyon Varlamov, Jean-Sebastien Giguere, and Cedrick Desjardins.

Tired of waiting for the season to start? Itching for a chance to look at the new talent at training camp? Pass the time with the latest episode of Two Guys 1 Puck.

Be sure to check the show out on iTunes as well for all of your offline and mobile listening needs.

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Tell us what you think? Are we wrong? Let us know.

Last week Mike Chambers, all around resident hockey bamf, announced that the Colorado Avalanche would again be partnering with the University of Denver Men’s Hockey team for a pro camp this season.

Semyon Varlamov's Goalie Camp | Courtesy of Dmitry Chesnokov

Scheduled to take place at the University of Denver next Monday, August 22 through Friday, August 26th, the pro camp will see players from both sides hitting the ice and eventually scrimmaging with and against each other.

“The camp made its debut a year ago, and it was a big-time success for players and fans alike,” writes Chambers. “The Avs were represented by Paul Stastny, Kyle Quincey, Peter Mueller, Cody McLeod and David Koci, among others, and pros such as former Pio great Tyler Bozak of the Toronto Maple Leafs, former Avs forward Ben Guite and 408-game NHL veteran D-man Garnet Exelby also participated.”

The camp is open to the public and should feature a great look at not only the Colorado Avalanche, but past and present talent from the University of Denver. You might see some of these guys in the NHL in a few years.

Speaking of camps, check out the above picture of Semyon Varlamov at a goalie camp he hosted in Russia recently.

New Mask In Town

Courtesy of 25Stanley.com

Check out the new mask being painted for Jean-Sebastien Giguere. The mountains are awesome and the yeti foot badge in the front is great. Don’t get me wrong, it looks better than Craig Anderson’s ugly mask, but what is with the team logo running up the chin these days? We’ll have to wait to see what Varlamov has over his head.

Courtesy of Paul Bereswill, Ronald Martinez, Doug Pensinger - Getty Images

Also, if you haven’t had the chance, be sure to welcome our newest additions to the team!

What do you think? Going to pro camp? What would your mask look like?

Not even a year ago it was quite shocking for some to see the Colorado Avalanche organization implementing social media as a means of promotion. Starting with a Facebook page and a Twitter account, fans began wondering if they’d ever see an Avalanche player take on a social media role.

The NHL caught up with former players Craig Anderson and Chris Stewart earlier in the season and asked them about their thoughts on using social media. At the time it seemed quite the long shot that any Avalanche player would end up engaging with fans or sharing their life as a professional athlete.

Then Matt Duchene emerged. Talking with Adrian Dater about joining Twitter, Duchene said:

“Growing up, I was always wondering ‘what was Joe Sakic like or what was Peter Forsberg like as a person, or Patrick Roy. This way, anybody who is a fan of the team – or me, I guess – would get to see that more, and make them feel closer.”

The tweeting was few and far between, about what you’d expect coming out of the media controlled state of the Colorado Avalanche, but it provided some nice glances into what made Matt Duchene tick. A scandalous comment about vodka during the All-Star Game and Duchene all but vanished for the second half of the season, yet he reappeared, more talkative than ever in the off season.

Duchene joined quiet Norwegian defensman Jonas Holøs, who’s largely inactive Twitter account saw less than once monthly action.

Conspiracy theorist’s suspicions about the Avalanche organization stifling individual voices reignited anew as almost immediately after Chris Stewart was traded to the St. Louis Blues, he was tweeting all of the time – despite his above comments about not intending to use the service.

Less than a month after the season ended, two new additions to the Avalanche roster also joined their fellow NHL comrades in using the social media service to spread the gospel of themselves. The first was Dan Winnik, who likely gave in to peer pressure from his friend and social media sports icon Paul Bissonnette from the Phoenix Coyotes. With a enjoyably refreshing twist, Winnik was the first of the current Avalanche roster to consistently interact with fans and frequently responds to questions while also leaving his opinions on the current Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Winnik also called out fellow teammate Ryan O’Byrne, exposing his presence on Twitter before O’Byrne had even sent his first message out into the interwebs. O’Byrne, who is moonlighting as an analyst for the NHL Network, is likely to pick up tweeting more consistently, though it will be hard to beat out Winnik in instant social media popularity.

But it isn’t just current players who are active online. There are both prospects and alumni using the medium as well. Colorado’s 2010 first round draft pick Joey Hishon is somewhat present on the service, as is up and coming goaltender Calvin Pickard. They are joined by alumni Marc Denis, Matt Barnaby, Curtis Leschyshyn, Theo Fleury, Shjon Podein, and Rick Berry, and John-Michael Liles.*

Wouldn’t it make sense to have Joe Sakic be the online face of the front office? It could be similar to how local football hero John Elway behaves in regards to his work with the Denver Broncos. Who wouldn’t listen to every word Joe had to say?

*More prospects have joined the Twitter game as well as some new draftees including: Tyson Barrie, Stefan Elliott, Brad Malone, Duncan Siemens, Garrett Meurs, and Dillon Donnelly. Fan favorite and current Lake Erie Monster Greg Mauldin has also joined.*

*Newly signed defenseman Shane O’Brien and recently signed forward Joakim Lindström are also on twitter.*

*TJ Galiardi is the latest comedian to join the online crowd and he hit the ground running. He has been joined by the newly married David Jones as well.*

What do you think? Who will be the next to join Twitter? Who would you want to see active on the site?

Is it really that far fetched to consider the coming season for the Colorado Avalanche one of interminable success with the signing of Semyon Varlamov?

Semyon Varlamov | Courtesy of Caps Crazy

For many, the answer would be a resounding yes. What can you expect from a 23-year-old Russian goaltender who has failed to play over 27 games in a single NHL season? I’d start with stats, however misleading they may really be. In six games during his first taste of the big time in 2008-09, Varlamov managed to stop 146 of 159 regular season shots. Then he marched into the postseason, stole the starting job from Jose Theodore after one bad game, and stopped 357 out of 389, finishing his playoff run 7-6 with a .918 save percentage and a 2.53 goals against average.

His next two seasons, despite injury, were equally as terrific and saw the young prodigy continue to leave his mark with the Washington Capitals. Still, that was it; he had been labeled “injury prone” and now must prove to everyone otherwise. In a recent interview with Puck Daddy’s Dmitry Chesnokov, Varlamov briefly mentioned this topic.

“Three seasons with the Capitals turned out to be not the easiest. From time to time I kept having small injuries.”

With these types of nagging injuries common in the NHL, it would be safe to assume that they were the result of playing through an initial problem. This is typical with most players, but imagine the pressure on a goaltender to be the go-to guy each night. Given the way that Varlamov usurped the throne from Theodore, he most likely pushed through some issues, creating complications in the long run. Still, having played his last game on April 6th Varlamov should be more than healthy enough come training camp and the season’s open.

Consider that the young Russian is a fan of the Avalanche, not unlike burgeoning center Matt Duchene, and that his desire to play in Denver is stronger than in other cities. Would that sway your opinion any?

“My agent called me and said there is a possibility to go to Denver,” Varlamov told Chesnokov. “I replied that we cannot lose this chance. Avalanche is one of my favorite teams in the NHL. And then when the free agent market opened Washington and Colorado made the trade happen.”

Players almost always succeed with the teams they desire to play for – the exception obviously being LeBron James. But it isn’t as if Capitals General Manager George McPhee was thrilled about letting Varlamov leave Washington even if it was for a first and second round draft pick. “I really didn’t want to do it, but he’d indicated that was going to go… and I started to think of different scenarios where we could end up with nothing for him,” McPhee said to NHL.com Analyst E.J. Hradek in a recent interview. “Colorado and four other teams were interested and it just came together pretty quick.”

“It was a good move for Colorado,” McPhee said on a July 1 conference call.

And with all of the talk about how Varlamov was demanding the number one goaltending position on any team, it appears that he was ultimately misrepresented. He has frequently talked about how he has to earn his right to start. “An athlete shouldn’t be afraid of competition. To me it [Giguere] is yet another challenge,” Varlamov told Chesnokov. “I will do everything to become Colorado’s number one goaltender. This is my goal that I can state publicly.”

Independent goalie scout Justin Goldman elaborated a bit on Varlamov’s technique in a recent post on The Goalie Guild.

“He’s constantly busting at the seams with energy and explosiveness. Every push from post-to-post looks like he’s being launched out of a cannon, yet he still has the sharp footwork to stop on a dime and set his feet for shots. He’s aggressive with his positioning and has a fierce focus in his eyes, yet still displays plenty of grace.”

Goldman later added, “Varlamov is still one of the most skilled 23-year old goalies in the world.”

So what if he cost two draft picks just to negotiate with? The team can’t rebuild through the draft forever. The guy has tremendous upside, valuable growth potential, a positive attitude, a strong work ethic, and he is excited about playing in Colorado. His play this season will likely mirror that of Craig Anderson when he first came to town, before he quit on the Avs. Really though, none of this matters.

It doesn’t matter because it couldn’t get much worse from last season. The Colorado Avalanche finished second to last in the entire NHL. They managed to win the franchise’s second lottery draft pick in the history of the team – the first having come two years prior. They shipped off large contracts, regardless of the on-ice product that would be leaving. Fans suddenly found themselves depending on Peter Budaj yet again, while poor Brian Elliott unfortunately came in to a deflated team and still couldn’t win a job.

Things are different now. Varlamov will have healthy goalie competition from a veteran in Jean-Sebastien Giguere. More than half of the defensive lineup from last season has been changed and is now stronger and meaner. The offense, which was great to start, has presumably been shored up. There is no reason to expect that Varlamov, with a refreshed team in front of him, can’t succeed. With expectations at an all time low from last season, have a little faith. Varlamov shouldn’t have to do much to prove that black days in Denver have fallen by the wayside. Phase I of the rebuild is complete. Phase II? Develop and compete.

What do you think? Do you trust Varlamov or are you worried?

There has been much debate as to the status of unfortunate Colorado Avalanche forward Tomas Fleischmann. Many have reported that he hasn’t been medically cleared to resume playing hockey, which in turn has hindered his negotiations with the Avalanche.

Tomas Fleischmann | Courtesy of Chris Schneider, AP

However, TSN’s Bob McKenize has offered up a different scenario to fans today. On his Twitter feed, McKenzie delivered a series of tweets describing Fleischmann’s situation. First he mentioned Flash as someone to keep an eye on tomorrow during Free Agent Frenzy:

Two interesting free agents with injury history to keep an eye are goalie Ray Emery and forward Tomas Fleischman – @TSNBobMcKenize

He quickly decided to further elaborate by adding:

Fleischmann has twice had his career halted by a blood clot issue, but medical reports now say he has a clean bill of health. – @TSNBobMcKenzie

Fleischmann, who puts up #s in potential top 6 forward role, has been told as long as he stays on medication, he’ll be free of clot issue. – @TSNBobMcKenzie

Fleischmann had been removed from the active Avalanche roster during the season after suffering from shortness of breath. When pulmonary emboli were discovered to be the very serious culprit, he was placed on medication and deactivated for the remainder of the season. Now, it turns out that he will be able to play on medication, which should prevent the issue from returning.

I mentioned that we, in Colorado, hadn’t heard of this news, to which he replied:

@AvsGuildRyan Well, he’s not technically medically cleared until team designates that but he has treatable condition like Jed Ortmeyer’s…
@AvsGuildRyan…that won’t prevent him from being cleared. Make sense?

Why am I sharing all of this information with you? Simple, Fleischmann had eight goals and 13 assists in just 22 games with Colorado last season. He was on pace for 70+ points overall. It was obvious that he needed a change of pace from the struggling Washington Capitals and he obviously thrived in Colorado. He also had unbelievable chemistry with Matt Duchene, increasing Duchene’s productivity during this period as well.

Unless news of Fleischmann’s health suddenly changed today, it would appear that the Avalanche organization is preparing to let this excellent player walk away for nothing. I won’t pretend to know what has gone on in the negotiating room with Flash but I do know what many a player has left the team over essentially pennies: Jose Theodore, Ian Laperriére, Matt Hendricks, Peter Forsberg and Adam Foote just to name a few. If this is the case, it would be very disappointing to see yet another trade pan out to nothing but a salary dump for the club (Craig Anderson for Brian Elliott).

What do you think? Would you like to see Fleischmann return?

Last year, with nearly a month to go before the 2010 Entry Draft, the Colorado Avalanche announced the signings of what they believed to be two key parts of their rebuilding plan. On the same day, both enforcer David Koci and goaltender Peter Budaj re-signed with the team.

Brian Elliott | Courtesy of Zimbio.com

There was no hesitation or contemplation about the necessity of these moves. While suspect to some at the time, the curiousness of those signings comes in retrospect, as the Avalanche have yet to sign a single goaltender to their 2011-12 roster. With Budaj apparently on his way out of Denver, one would think that Brian Elliott would be sufficient enough to sign while the team hunts for a true, competitive number one contender.

Yet that doesn’t seem the case. Despite trading away a potential career goalie in Craig Anderson for what many believe to be a clone of Budaj, the Avalanche hardly seem to be a team that would give up one player and then let the new guy walk for nothing. Still, there has been no hint of contract negotiations between Elliott and the Burgundy and Blue.

While the Avalanche have signed veteran Milan Hejduk, Lake Erie Monsters pugilist Patrick Bordeleau, and newcomer Swede Joakim Lindström to one year contracts, one has to wonder if they aren’t hesitant to round up their remaining 8 rostered restricted free agents and two unrestricted free agents until after the draft.

Sure, it would be a lot easier to make a trade if the guy doesn’t have heavy contract baggage. Colorado could easily sell off the rights to a few players and let the new teams settle their contracts. With the draft nearly a week away, it would appear that the Avs, who admitted that a goaltender was their top priority, are looking to wheel and deal.

Avs General Manager Greg Sherman has come out and said that he isn’t interested in trading away the team’s second overall pick. This doesn’t mean that the 11th overall pick is safe, certainly if the right offer comes along. It’s no secret that eyes are on current backup goaltenders such as Jonathan Bernier and Corey Schneider and with names like TJ Galiardi, David Jones, Kevin Porter, Matt Hunwick, Ryan Wilson, Ryan O’Byrne, Kyle Cumiskey, Philippe Dupuis and Tomas Fleischmann all awaiting new contracts, it is certainly possible that Colorado is looking to deal.

But is there a deal worth making? With uncertainty about the landscape following a new Collective Bargaining Agreement between the NHL and the NHL Players Association, the Avalanche have been hesitant to lock down any player with a large contract. In fact Paul Stastny is the only player on the team with a contract past the 2012-13 season.

And still there is another problem that needs solving. Even if the Avs were to land an Ilya Bryzgalov or Tomas Vokoun, what could these players accomplish with largely no goaltending staff available? It was no surprise that netminding was such a weakness last season, as Colorado opted to roll with a largely absentee goalie consultant in Kirk Mclean instead of a full blown goaltender coaching staff. Keepers are precious, mentally robust creatures that need to be catered to constantly.

The fact that Colorado has yet to sign anyone between the pipes for this season is a red flag, gears are working and a plan is in motion. But what will happen? Will Elliott continue to play in the Pepsi Center or is he just another pawn in the franchise’s chess game?

What do you think?

Last week’s episode of Avalanche Weekly is finally live, just in time for you to catch up before tomorrow’s episode.

This show features a plethora of information. Recorded the night before the trade deadline, listeners now have the knowledge to laugh at the trade speculation that is frequent throughout the show. Dan, Justin, and Derek are joined by special guest Bill Ranford, who is more than happy to discuss winning the Stanley Cup, the Disney film Miracle, filling his time during retirement, goalie coaching, and what it’s like being traded.

Ranford is a former NHL goaltender who played for the Edmonton Oilers and the Washington Capitals among other teams during nearly an 18 year career. He finished with a 240-279-76 record and a 3.41 lifetime goals against average and .888 lifetime save percentage.

The guys also discussed the recent Avalanche trades, including the Craig Anderson trade in depth, the potential for trading John-Michael Liles, the recent Avalanche struggles, Sidney Crosby, concussions, teams still in playoff contention, the trade of Brad Boyes, and even the future of Colorado’s goaltending.

Hosted by Dan Bettlach, Justin Goldman, and Derek Armstrong, Avalanche Weekly can be heard live on Sunday nights from 8-10 pm MST on Mile High Sports Radio AM1510|FM93.7 and online at Mile High Sports.

What do you think?

Except for a minor league swap with fellow cellar dwellers, the Edmonton Oilers, the Colorado Avalanche were surprisingly resolute in their silence on the trade front today.

With a recent downturn, many people expected the team to begin selling talent in order to restart the ongoing rebuild but it appears that Colorado is content to compete with the current roster in tact. That isn’t to say that the Avalanche front office wasn’t entertaining offers from around the league but that the deals just didn’t materialize.

There is one player on the team who is most likely more relieved about today’s outcome than any other: defenseman John-Michael Liles. For Liles, the trade deadline seems to be an annual event full of stress and rumors about him being moved. Whether he’s having a career year, scoring over 40 points or he’s playing for a draft pick, Liles is rumored to be on the move.

A polarizing player amongst fans of the Avalanche, Liles really seemed convinced that this would be the year, hanging his head in the Avs locker room after suffering another listless defeat at the end of this rough Avalanche season. In a recent post-game blog, Adrian Dater wrote:

This was Liles, well after the game, when most teammates were already getting dressed from tonight’s loss: slumped back in his chair, his chin propped up by his left hand, lost in thought. A guy who seemed to have be elsewhere mentally and, frankly, depressed, despite having one of the coolest jobs in the world. I could relate, though our paychecks were always different. But money comes in a poor second place to peace of mind… I’ll never forget that forlorn look on his face tonight in that locker room. As bad as he probably felt tonight, I can personally vouch to him and the Avalanche: it’ll get better.

Depending on who you ask, Liles is either the new, Martin Skoula-type goat of the team playing too soft or a potential captain, providing valuable experience on the ice and in the locker room. Yet, in a show of support, fans of Johnny “Hot Pocket” adopted a social media hashtag, #DontTradeLiles, to show their solidarity for keeping the 4th ranked scorer on the team in town.

*UPDATED* Dater writes about Liles not being moved:

I just got off the phone with Liles himself too, and he’s very happy he’s staying. And, he says to say THANKS to all the fans who started a Twitter campaign today not to trade him. He’s humbled by it.

*

In all likelihood, management probably couldn’t find any reasonable offers and word on the street was that the asking price on Liles was too high for many teams. Also, the team arguably had their trade deadline recently when they shipped out one hit wonder Craig Anderson in return for Brian Elliott and a struggling Chris Stewart and Kevin Shattenkirk for Jay McClement and Erik Johnson in a matter of a few days. The Avalanche front office will likely evaluate where they stand through the end of the season and look to the free agent market this summer to begin filling in the missing puzzle pieces.

What do you think? Can this team still compete? Is there something missing.

While this may appear as a flip flop to my previous defense of Colorado Avalanche head coach Joe Sacco, I will admit that I struck that position merely to counter the spreading opinion that he may be the real problem in Denver. That said, it is starting to appear like a lot of the trouble that this team is having could be the result of the guy in charge night after night.

Fans have heard it over and over again, Joe Sacco announcing to the world that he would play the players who gave the team the best chance to win each night. It was his go to line when asked why so and so was benched. Essentially he was calling out that player for lack of effort even after sending the message via benching. If this was the team motto, the impetus for players to give a full effort, then why has Matt Hunwick, who is largely the failure of the team to this point, continued to play as much as he has?

With players like Cameron Gaunce and Jonas Holøs waiting to come up and contribute with smart, strong, and often physical play, how is the continued presence of Hunwick justifiable when Matt Duchene, Daniel Winnink, Ryan O’Reilly, and even Chris Stewart have been benched at some point this season for failing to perform their duties? It’s possible that it is because Hunwick refuses to challenge Sacco’s collapsing status quo.

Rumblings of dissent are beginning to trickle through Denver. Talk of players, whether current or former, clashing with the coach is something that, while unconfirmed from the organization itself, should not go unnoticed.

When Stewart recently slapped Denver fans in the face with his comments about playing his first game in St. Louis, it was infuriating at first. But looking back at the comments, he could be targeting the organization instead:

“That was great. That was probably the best crowd I’ve ever been in front of. It’s going to be easy to play here if the fans are like that every night.” – Courtesy of the Denver Post

It was clear almost immediately that many fans were upset at the loss of Stewart and the up and coming Kevin Shattenkirk. Despite obtaining a potential solution to the fledgling defense in Colorado, Erik Johnson, and a first round pick, Avalanche supporters were shocked that a team in the midst of a rebuild would give up young talent so quickly. Even worse though, was the response from analysts, experts, and former players from around the league.

Hall of fame player and former Quebec Nordiques winger Peter Stastny became so irate at the situation that he lashed out, lambasting the organization while on a St. Louis radio broadcast:

“This young team was ready to challenge, almost, for a Stanley Cup this season. They were so good. All they needed was some more chemistry, and some synergies. Instead, they destroyed the team. I mean, that was a one-way deal. Mr. Armstrong will look like a genius. I don’t know what they were thinking in the Colorado organization. I should not have said this, but I’m so, so mad what they’ve done to this team. They’ve moved the team about two to three years back again.” – Courtesy of the Denver Post

Biting commentary from a former legend isn’t something to be taken lightly, but it can be dismissed as the grumblings of an angry father. Yet still the deluge of negativity continued, with goaltender-turned-analyst Kevin Weekes questioning the state of the team in a blog entitled “Avalanche of confusion”. Weekes writes:

“I know first-hand that deals happen in pro sports, but trading two core pieces leaves me wondering not only where the Avs have fallen to but where they’re going, and most important of all, what blueprint they are following.”

Later he added:

Clearly the recent moves in Colorado are making splashes around the league. Dan Tencer, the Edmonton Oilers radio man, cited reputable analyst Pierre McGuire as also hoping on the Avalanche bashing bandwagon:

This comment is almost the most shocking, because it flat out questions the entire, albeit young, legacy of Colorado’s current front office.

These comments lend credence to the idea that the Avalanche are beginning to seem like an organization lost, adrift at sea, unable to control the ship now that the waves are picking up. Tencer also sourced the Denver Post’s Terry Frei, stirring up the pot about the Stewart situation:

Frei’s comment suggests that perhaps the organization was fed up with behavior that Stewart exhibited during the All-Star break, whether neglecting to stay in shape or two much partying around town. It wouldn’t be out of the question then to assume that tensions were high between Sacco and Stewart, based on something that was brewing just before the largest downturn in franchise history. It is apparent that goalie Craig Anderson took issue with something in Colorado and perhaps Stewarts’ lackluster return from injury was also the result of a loss of passion for his first NHL team.

The hardest part to swallow of all of the Avs woes is the fact that this team was competing on some level with the same players right up until a point in late November or early December. There is no question that the team aspect of the game fell apart after the All-Star break but what could be poison enough to take the steam out of every player?

Merely one or two tainted personalities in the locker room shouldn’t be enough to smack the compete right out of the rest of the team. Yet constantly walking on eggshells, wondering when the next benching will happen or how long a line will stay together or even how many times a goalie will be pulled in one game is ultimately going to have a detrimental impact on the quality of the game. Playing goaltender Russian Roulette each night doesn’t help inspire a team to build upon current successes.

Strategies in Colorado are failing, being easily picked apart by the rapturous gulls that prey on a cowering team that is unable to defend itself. Many in Denver are left wondering if the fire sale is near, unable to fall asleep at night for fear of another midnight express whisking valued talent off to another part of the NHL. With a team that supporters know can compete with the best of them, the time to sell off experience in return for prospective talent has long since passed.

Fans are wondering how many players have to leave the team before management more closely examines another possible solution to the loss of luster in Denver: the possibility that the players are no longer responding to their coach. While ridding the man in charge of an ongoing rebuild may take the team a step backwards, it isn’t nearly as big a step back as losing talent, experience, and leadership in favor for draft picks, promising players in the system, and a league minimum bottom line would be. There is no need to hit the panic switch when the dreary state of the Avalanche can be remedied so easily from within.

What do you think?

Adrian Dater is reporting that the Colorado Avalanche offered former goaltender Craig Anderson quite a stellar deal at the end of last season, which was refused by the quickly forgotten hero.

While many have argued for or against the theory the Anderson didn’t care about the Avalanche anymore and that it was possible that he wanted out of Denver, the case is certainly stacked against him now. Dater reports that Anderson was offered “a two-year, $7.5 million contract extension during the offseason.” An offer which Anderson obviously turned down.

What Anderson’s motivation was for this move is likely known by a select few, but it seems pretty obvious that he wasn’t enjoying some aspect of his time here in Colorado. Who knows, maybe he only signed here to be noticed as a starting goaltender, lifting his name from the shadows of other talent.

It will be interesting to see if Ottawa will be able to offer a new contract to Anderson exceeding or even meeting that which he deems of appropriate value for his worth for the following years. The Senators have six unrestricted free agents to consider next season, including Anderson and assuming Pascal Leclaire is sent packing. The team also has five restricted free agents to talk to and they must also plan for seven free agents total the following season.

Whatever the situation with Anderson, this news has shed some light on an ugly situation that is now a blatant stain on his reputation. What will other teams think about Anderson refusing a highly appraised contract before having an abysmal season where he largely seemed vacant and uncompetitive? A larger question would be: Is Craig Anderson content to be in Ottawa if he didn’t like the situation in Colorado? How long will it be before he, like Evgeni Nabakov, refuses to report to a team he doesn’t want to help rebuild?

There were rumors from last season that called into question the team-player integrity of Anderson in the locker room. They gain credence with each new piece of information regarding how it all went wrong in Colorado.

An email was sent in to Anderson’s agent, Justin Duberman but was not responded to at the time of posting.

What do you think? Does this news change your opinion of Anderson?

Episode five of Two Guys 1 Puck is now available. Despite being quickly outdated in a matter of hours, it is still worth a listen.

This week, Ryan and Jonathon were again joined by Justin Goldman, who helped kick off the immediate discussion about the Colorado Avalanche trading away fallen hero Craig Anderson to the Ottawa Senators in return for Brian Elliott. Among the topics discussed were future goaltending prospects, free agent goalies, and possible reasons behind such a shocking move by the Burgundy Boys.

TG1P was also blessed with a very special guest, Adrian Dater from The Denver Post. Dater also chimed in about the Anderson situation, showing the same amount of surprise for the move as most anyone else. He also graciously deliberated future trade options, of which he was on the money and Ryan was way off. Peter Forsberg and the old days of hockey reporting were also discussed  in a stellar conversation about your Colorado Avalanche.

Give it a listen!

You can download this episode and all of our previous ones on iTunes.

What do you think?

With two new additions acquired from the St. Louis Blues, the Avalanche took on the San Jose Sharks, hoping to pull a win out of their proverbial hats.

It took a total of six and a half minutes for the Sharks to bury the puck behind Peter Budaj. Devin Setoguchi broke through the Avalanche defense and popped it top shelf. Two power plays for San Jose late in the first period gave the Sharks a 3-0 lead, goals coming from Setoguchi and Ryane Clowe.

When the second period rolled around, the Avalanche did a great job of shutting down the Sharks in the neutral zone and actually made some good chances for themselves on Antti Niemi. The best chance came from Ryan Stoa, as he broke around the Sharks defense and sent Niemi sprawling. Unfortunately, Niemi was able to make the save.

The third period was more of the same for the Avs. They had a few chances, but the Sharks shut them down. With under two minutes left, Setoguchi had a break away chance and was able to convert for the hat trick. The game ended 4-0 and marks the 6th time the Avs have been shut out this season.

We got to see some of what Jay McClement and Erik Johnson are going to bring to this team. Neither had a bad game, they were just surrounded by players who have lost their confidence. Let’s hope their presence in the locker room will start to improve the attitude of those around them.

Notes: Craig Anderson had a shut out in his first game for the Ottawa Senators. Chris Stewart had two goals and Kevin Shattenkirk tallied an assist in their first game with St. Louis. You take the good, you take the bad, you take them both and there you have the facts of life.

What did you think?

While it may be hard to accept when you’re favorite player, someone you have grown fond of, is shipped away from your local team, fans of the Colorado Avalanche need to remind themselves that they enjoy winning.

The Avalanche have been on an abysmal spiral, arguably since the team rang in the new year, unless you want to go all the way back to the Chris Stewart injury in November. Since then, players have underwhelmed and the team has struggled to believe in itself. In one week, they set franchise records for the longest losing streak and the most goals allowed in a game since the Avalanche rolled into Denver.

Craig Anderson didn’t perform the way he did last year. Stewart, while off to a hot start, was largely absent since returning from his broken hand. TJ Galiardi, Jonas Holøs, Kyle Cumiskey, Adam Foote, Matt Duchene, Peter Mueller, David Van Der Gulik, Craig Anderson, Kyle Quincey, Ryan O’Reilly, Paul Stastny, Tomas Fleischmann, Cody McLeod, David Koci, David Jones, Brandon Yip, Chris Stewart, Scott Hannan, and Kevin Shattenkirk have all been out this season with an injury. Some players have even had multiple injuries.

While you can’t blame a season on injuries, as the Vancouver Canucks are trying to prove, you can’t deny that nobody enjoys losing. The players don’t like losing, the fans don’t like losing, and certainly the management doesn’t like losing. With the state of the game in Colorado, the only thing that could be done to right the wrongs was to make moves.

Players in Denver have long since known that trades are an inevitable part of the game.

“When you lose this many in a row, there are going to be changes. It’s part of the business. You hate to see a teammate like Andy go, especially after what he did for us last year,” said Stewart to Terry Frei yesterday.

“When you’re in a slide like this, this time of year, something has to be done, whether a trade or a callup,” said Stastny.

Giving up fan favorites is tough, certainly, but giving up young talent is even harder. Shattenkirk immediately earned his spot on the Avalanche roster and was tagged as a burgeoning blueliner to keep an eye on. Without him, the Avalanche wouldn’t have gotten Erik Johnson.

Yet, if this team is going to compete, either this year or next, something needed to be done and General Manager Greg Sherman deserves some applause for refusing to sit by while the Avalanche melted away into the coming Spring. Instead of sitting quietly, the Avalanche stood atop the mountain and shouted.

It remains to be seen whether these moves are the sort of jump start that the team has been looking for, but losing isn’t part of the Avalanche tradition and the team needed to pick itself up off the ground, dust itself off, and get back in the game. If it cost a few lovable players to bring in the right talent, then so be it.

What do you think? Are the Avs on the right track for the future? Are they done making moves?

Well, I sure saw this coming from a mile away. Craig Anderson, who displayed many different signs of frustration over the last few months, was traded to the Ottawa Senators for Brian Elliott this morning. On the surface, the Avalanche get a well-rounded and technically sound butterfly goaltender with a strong work ethic and an upbeat attitude. The Senators get a big goaltender with the ability to be a solid workhorse, meaning he could fetch a decent contract to be their starter next season.

I hope some of you took the time to read the post I wrote yesterday on Anderson’s struggles here in Colorado. I think it points to a lot of the reasons why he was finally shipped to another team. Simply put, he didn’t seem happy at all being in this situation. I think he was unhappy with some of the coaching decisions, unhappy with the lack of support, and extremely frustrated with his own lack of success. It became a downward spiral of sorts, and a trade was made.

To me, the Avalanche benefit from this deal for a couple of reasons. First of all, Anderson was set to become an unrestricted free agent after this season. So for them to find a willing trade partner and get another quality, well-rounded goalie in return, is much better than just letting him walk and getting nothing in return.

Second of all, Elliott is a very capable goalie that I think will create a healthy competition between he and Peter Budaj. This is a great situation for a young team, as the chemistry and competitiveness forces both goalies to work even harder in practices and in games on a day-to-day basis. That’s already a huge benefit that the Avalanche get with this trade.

For the Senators, they get a big goaltender that is capable of being a workhorse and will thrive in a new situation. Anderson brings some intimidation to the crease and if he can revive his intensity and work ethic, this will also be a huge win for the Senators. Health might be a concern since Anderson has struggled to regain his form from last season, but overall I think he’s the type of goalie that thrives on being desperate and unconventional, and therefore could be a great fit in Ottawa.

Overall, I look at this trade as a win-win situation for both teams. The Avalanche move a guy who was clearly unhappy and receive an upbeat and capable goaltender in return. The Senators get a bigger goaltender that is capable of logging heavy minutes and injecting the team with some attitude and intensity. He’ll be “the man” in Ottawa, that’s for sure.

In fact, I am kind of reminded of Ray Emery’s time in Ottawa. He was a big goalie that logged heavy minutes and brought a fierce attitude to the crease. And it was a very positive situation for that team at that time. If you look at Anderson’s impact on the Avalanche last season, then relate it to what Emery brought to Ottawa, there are a lot of similarities in that regard.

So again, I think Anderson was definitely a victim of some very frustrating circumstances here in Colorado. He was simply not happy. I can only speculate on things like clashing with the coaching staff and needing to take a personal leave for a few days. But in the end, his demeanor, his body language and his overall lack of a strong work ethic (compared to last season) really showed. And because of that, I think he really wanted a change.

I’ll have more insight and analysis on this trade on Twitter and on Mile High Sports Radio, AM 1510.

If you were one of those among us that thought Craig Anderson’s days in Denver might be dwindling, you were right.

News just broke that the Avalanche traded Craig Anderson to the Ottawa Senators in return for Brian Elliot. The bad news? They traded Anderson for Elliot.

For a while it seemed that trouble was brewing on the Anderson front, more recently with Budaj getting the starting workload. While one can only speculate about the situation, it did seem that Anderson didn’t fit in Colorado’s scheme this year.

Elliot leads the NHL in overtime losses, is second in lost games, and is 6th in the NHL with 122 goals allowed this season. This trade may be more of an incentive to spur the team into action than a power move. Though who’s to say that Elliot can’t find new life here in Denver? He did help the Senators make it to the playoffs least season.

“Brian is an experienced NHL goaltender. We look forward to having him join our team.” -Avalanche General Manager/Executive Vice President Greg Sherman.

One would assume that Budaj will be the starter for the rest of the season.

What do you think?

“We’re all in this thing together. No one is on an island by themselves.” – Colorado Avalanche head coach Joe Sacco

The Colorado Avalanche are breaking records this year, and not the kinds of records they should be proud of setting. They are on an eight game losing streak – the worst since coming to Colorado – and just allowed a franchise high nine goals in a game against a division opponent. Worse still is the utter apathy and lack of cohesion displayed by the players, leading most to speculate on the future of Sacco’s job with the Avalanche.

In his morning talk with the press, Joe Sacco made a comment that resonated with me. He said:

“We don’t feel sorry for ourselves and no one else will…. We’re a young team, we’ll get through this.”

When faced with the first real adversity in his short coaching career, the man remains confident in the team. He doesn’t call out specific players, hoping to spur them into action by embarrassing them publicly. Instead, he aligns himself with the plight on the ice and also shoulders as much responsibility as the players he nurtures.

To many it seams as if the players have stopped responding to their coach, instead playing a confused game, wandering the ice like a headless competitor, unaware of the competition around him. They are disjointed, out of sync, and wholly absent of any of the confidence that they had to start the season. But you can’t coach talent and you can’t coach confidence. You can coach the game, diagram the plays, choose the lineup and so on, but that doesn’t always win the match. The players still have to believe in themselves.

Watching HBO’s 24/7: The Road to the Winter Classic, fans of hockey were treated to a natural duality between the presented stories. It couldn’t have been much easier for HBO because one team was winning and one team was losing. They didn’t have to force a story out of their footage, one was emerging before their very eyes.

Bruce Boudreau, week in and week out, was on television struggling to bring a glimmer of hope to his fledgling Washington Capitals. Was his job in question? Perhaps. But the poise and determination that he exhibited should earn him some admiration from management. He didn’t throw tantrums, chastise players, or quit on his team. He did, however, have to coddle them, stroking their egos until they found a renewed belief in themselves. This is a coach who has lost in the Conference Quarterfinals every season he’s been a coach, yet remains in charge in Washington.

Now Joe Sacco finds himself in the same position, without the added pressure of the world watching the innermost workings of a private team and without a history of disappointment weighing heavy over his head. He is also without Mike Green, Alex Ovechkin, Alex Semin, and Brooks Laich, not to mention two young but powerful goaltenders. Matt Duchene is on the rise and John-Michael Liles is having one of his best season, despite the recent downturn. But goaltending has been a no-show since early on in the year and you can only lean on Paul Stastny and Milan Hejduk for so long before the entire offensive foundation beings to crumble.

Fire Sacco now and the next coach still has the same players and the same mess to clean up. The only difference is that he didn’t go down with the ship and therefore won’t share the same experiences and lessons. Joe Sacco is a coach on a young team that is searching near and far for an identity. He has just as much to learn about the NHL as the players who look to him for guidance. Like it or not but Colorado is in the second year of a rebuild. Yes, last year was outstanding and took everyone by surprise, but it was never going to happen again.

Can you fault Sacco for making the wrong personnel choices? Sure. Can you argue that he can be too hard on certain players by restricting their ice time? Certainly. Can you place the blame solely on him for the way the team is playing? Absolutely not. Like it or not, hockey is a team sport and everyone from the opening center to the closing goaltender and beyond to the offices above is responsible for the overall product.

The fact of the matter is that the team on the ice has a few glaring weaknesses and these have been frequently exploited by opposing teams. Peter Budaj is weak with his glove and the majority of allowed goals occur on that side. Craig Anderson is in the throes of inconsistency, intimately debating his own competencies worse than Jose Theodore on a daily basis. The Matt Hunwick experiment – while only recent blossoming from a seed into a dandelion, instead of the orchid we expected – is a failure. The blue line has been in tatters since the commanding presence of Kyle Quincey vanished from the locker room and the physical game was suddenly outnumbered by the offensive-defensive game. Chris Stewart is contributing very little since his hand injury and a fight is the only thing that will save him. There is also no fire from the offense, with every line – save for that of David Koci and Philippe Dupuis – having at least one player who can’t earn their place.

None of these problems were rectified when they presented themselves, and most will likely continue until the end of the season. Joe Sacco has been playing the hand he was dealt. He can’t add his own cards whenever he wants. So if you want to blame Sacco for the team’s play, then you must also blame the scouts, the GM, and the assistant coaches. Why not blame the owner, who dictates financial policy? On top of the players, all of these men have a role to play during the course of the season.

Sacco has one year left on his contract and, with or without him, the team is unlikely to be a major player in the NHL next season. That’s why it’s called rebuilding. Rome wasn’t built in a day and unless every talented free agent decides Colorado is the place to play next year, it makes no sense to get rid of the guy who is growing a team of young men into trained soldiers destined for the battlefield on the way to Lord Stanley’s Cup.

Last season Sacco was praised for his accomplishments. This season he’s condemned for arguably the same thing. Nobody said it was going to be easy, choosing to cultivate a team that will play for years instead of spending their way to the top and then the bottom. We owe it to Sacco to let him at least finish out his contract and really prove his mettle. Now is the time for fans to support their team, no matter how hard it may be. The night is always darkest before the dawn, and I, for one, can see the early shafts of light piercing the violent sky. But maybe that is the eternal optimist in me.

When asked this morning about the future of his job, Sacco replied:

“I don’t worry about that, I worry about preparing the guys. That’s all I worry about.”

What do you think?

The Colorado Avalanche are all about setting records in 2011. So far they’ve set the franchise record for the longest running losing streak -currently at eight games – and the record for most goals allowed in a single game, dropping a 9-1 disaster of a hockey match to the Calgary Flames.

Scoring for the Flames started just 18 seconds into the game and subsided with just a minute and five seconds remaining in the game. Both starting goaltender Peter Budaj and backup-for-the-evening Craig Anderson saw two different stints in the Avalanche net and neither played particularly well. Budaj allowed five goals on 18 shots and Anderson allowed four goals on 15 shots, though Anderson clearly came in cold both times.

The Avalanche managed to play a well rounded second period, scoring a goal and keeping the Flames at bay, but that was short lived as the 2011 Avalanche failed to impress again. Lacking confidence, passion, and often times poise, the Avalanche look their young age. On the whole, the woeful throes of crippling adversity will provide life lessons to a spry team of newcomers.

Though not much consolation, none can deny that an Avalanche rebuild is fully in effect. Management has refused to right a blatant, gaping hole on the blue line and head coach Joe Sacco continues to trust players who take too long to bloom. The time to fix the situation has long been eclipsed by a quest to maintain the bottom line, nurturing fresh talent in the ranks until they can lift the team to lofty laurels once more.

This morning, fans were stunned by the sudden retirement of former superstar Peter Forsberg, who had appeared to play two well rounded games since his most recent return from injury. The news undoubtedly had an impact on the team despite earlier comments from Sacco about the focus of the team:

“We don’t want to have distractions right now, moving forward. …I don’t think (his retirement) should have any real implications as far as what we’re doing here. My job right now is to focus on the players that we have here, not the players that are not available to us.”

Obviously the players were not only distracted by the retirement of a longtime Colorado Avalanche superhero, but by his sudden appearance initially. The team has arguably underperformed since he arrived in town and it is now apparent that many players, and fans, expected Forsberg to save the Avalanche. Instead of cultivating positive moments and building on what made the team once successful, they expected an outsider to carry them to the top of the mountain, refusing to put in the legwork themselves.

The fact of the matter is the season is over for Colorado and not much, if anything, will be done at the trade deadline. Not many players are worth the Avalanche asking price at this point and the team is notorious for letting talent walk for nothing instead of trading them out for anything.

The team has clearly hit rock bottom this season and the one shining light, the single positive side of all of this is that the there is nowhere to go but up.

Game notes: Philippe Dupuis received a major and a match penalty for a blown hit on Olli Jokinen. While many believed the hit to be an intentional knee-to-knee play, supplemental punishment from the NHL is unlikely. Dupuis was the only player to finish with an even p;us/minus rating. Matt Duchene was hit in the left hand by a puck and left the game at the end of the second period. Cameron Gaunce, playing in his second NHL game, was struck in the leg by a slapshot and also left the game. David Koci played over seven minutes tonight and John-Michael Liles finished minus six.

What do you think?

It was a rough game for the Colorado Avalanche last night in Minnesota as they lost three players to injury and received troubling news not 24 hours later.

Injury prone defenseman Kyle Cumiskey suffered another head injury on a hard but clean hit and TJ Galiardi suffered another wrist injury – a possible broken wrist – on a typical physical play in the eventual 3-2 loss to the Wild. This coming after the news that captain Adam Foote would be day-to-day with a leg injury. The Avalanche are clearly in a bind.

The bad news continued into the following day, with Adrian Dater reporting that wayward goalie Craig Anderson would be leaving the team on it’s current road trip and returning to Colorado, citing personal reasons for his absence.

According to Dater:

Anderson is not hurt, and the team said he will only be gone on a day-to-day basis.

John Grahame has been recalled from the Lake Erie Monsters in order to provide support for Peter Budaj, perhaps giving the team a rejuvenating shakeup in the midst of a season damaging slump. According to Robin Carlin, Grahame might not be such a bad choice:

In Lake Erie, goaltender John Grahame just earned honors as the AHL’s January Goalie of the Month by posting 10 wins in a single month. Grahame was the first goaltender in almost three years to do so, and in the process, he tied a Lake Erie franchise record for consecutive victories for the team. Grahame holds a .925 save percentage.

With stats like these on the farm, occurring while Anderson’s allowed three or more goals in 20 of his 31 starts, Avs’ fans have to ask the question: Should Grahame get called up? … If Grahame is ready, it’s possible he could spark the team to a few more wins. And even if he’s not, the potential “future” of the Avs could gain some valuable experience at the NHL level.

With all of the injuries on the blue line, fans of the young Norwegian defenseman Jonas Holøs finally have something to be excited for, as Holøs has received the nod to join the Avalanche in Columbus on Friday. The Avalanche are roughly .500 with Holøs in the lineup, but his calm, determined play on the blue line is something that has been lacking of late.

It is safe to say that the Avalanche game plan has gone horribly awry in the last few months, and questions about goaltending have been pervasive in the least. Anderson seemed no doubt distracted last night, and on the whole was unconcerned about being yanked from the game after allowing arguably only one soft goal. His season has been disappointing after the heroics of last year, and speculation would lead you to believe that it is possible that things aren’t meshing well in the locker room. *This is pure conjecture*

While I am in no way stating fact, one could hypothesize that the strings of benchings and inconsistent play have reached a boiling point with Anderson, who may no longer be interested in playing in Colorado. On the other hand, there could be some sort of injury situation that is being kept silent. That is if you choose to ignore the blatant line claiming otherwise. There could also very well be family or “personal issues” that need to be attended to. Life is apt to throw you a curveball now and again.

With goaltending talent like Jean-Sebastien Giguere allegedly on the market, would a goalie for goalie swap be all that bad right now? Perhaps things just aren’t working out for Anderson and the Avalanche. Perhaps the goalies are sick of being hung out to dry while shouldering the blame in the eyes of the casual fan. Perhaps I am way off – I hope so!

All I know is at this point, any change to the Avalanche roster must be better than the last handful of games.

What do you think?

David Jones scored two goals in the Avalanche’s 3-2 loss to Northwest Division rivals, the Minnesota Wild.

With three goals scored within 51 seconds during the first period, the Avalanche dropped the chance of losing three games in a row by way of shutout.

Antti Miettinen was able to beat Craig Anderson during the first power play of the game to give the Wild a 1-0 lead, but the lead only lasted eleven seconds. Enter David Jones, the man who broke a 135 minute scoring drought for the Avs. Jones received the puck off a face off, popped it in the net, and surprised every single Minnesotan in the Xcel Energy Center.

Forty seconds later, Anderson let in a weak goal as Martin Havlat easily beat the Colorado goaltender stick side, on the ice.

John Madden put a third past Anderson nearly half way through the second period, unfairly sending him to the bench in favor of Peter Budaj.

Twenty-three seconds into the third period, Jones banked the puck off of Nick Schultz and over Niklas Backstrom to bring the Avs within one. Yet, try as they might, the Burgundy and Blue weren’t able to tie the game to force overtime. Avs dropped this one 3-2.

Notes: Kyle Cumiskey was hit during the first period and left with a head injury. He did not return to the game.

What did you think? What do the Avs need to spark some offense?

The Colorado Avalanche had a lot of rust to shake of tonight as they faced the Minnesota Wild in a 4-3 loss.

It was an unreal first period for the Avalanche, who have had eight nights off since the beginning of the All-Star Break, including the game against the St. Louis Blues which was cancelled due to Snowpocalypse ’11.

The Avs got off to a slow start, visible to all when the Wild scored two goals, from Kyle Brodziak and Andrew Brunette in the first 1:01 of the period. It looked all downhill from there but the Avs managed to outshoot the Wild 12-5, peppering goalie Jose Theodore. Craig Anderson also made two huge saves to keep the score 2-0.

The line of Milan Hejduk, Matt Duchene, and Chris Stewart really started clicking in the second and third periods, being the line of production for the Avs. Following some time in the box, Hejduk was able to put his team on the board after a patient pass from Kevin Porter.

Brunette also scored his second goal of the game in the second period, again from blue paint. It may have been prevented, but Ryan Wilson was tripped up by one of his own teammates.

Hejduk would light the lamp again in the third, just 45 seconds in. The rest of his line was keeping the Wild busy on the right side, Theodore included, when he received the puck and banged it into a nearly open net from the left side.

Minnesota just wouldn’t lie down though and Pierre-Marc Bouchard converted after catching Anderson committing to a save, giving his team a 4-2 lead. With 11 seconds left and Anderson on the bench, Stewart was able to bring the score within one, but it wasn’t enough to give the Avs two points.

Notes: The Wild move up to 7th place in the Western Conference tonight. Each member of the Wild who scored has a last name that starts with the letter B. Chris Stewart scored his first goal since coming back from injury.

What did you think? Is there anything that can bring the Avs out of this overall slip in play?

Both Colorado Avalanche goaltenders, Peter Budaj and Craig Anderson, let in two goals each in the Phoenix Coyote’s 5-2 win over the Avalanche last night.

It looked as if there may be some hope for the Avalanche offense in the 4-3 win over the St. Louis Blues on Monday, but the Coyotes quickly put that idea to rest.

Ryan “The Trickle” Stoa was able to squeak the first goal of the game between the leg pads of Ilya Bryzgalov early on, at 4:20 of the first period but after that, the Coyotes took control of the game. Scottie Upshall put a power play goal behind Budaj to tie the game up less than two minutes after Stoa’s tally. Later, Keith Yandle gave the Coyotes a one goal lead, effectively chasing Boods from the net after allowing two goals on nine shots. Craig Anderson didn’t fare much better.

The lone goal in the second period came from Eric Belanger, before things got a bit hairy. The refs ignored a couple of calls on the Coyotes: both for dislodging their own net, one of which arguably denied an Avs a goal. The strangest part though was that the refs refused to review the play. Needless to say the crowd took an ugly turn in their noisemaking.

The third period saw a defeated Avalanche squad attempting again and again to get a puck past Bryzgalov, but the guy was a wall. Kyle Turris notched another for Phoenix nearly thirteen minutes in and that was basically the nail in the coffin.

Matt Duchene never gave up, busting out some pretty slick moves to give the Avs a second goal. Subsequently, he became the youngest player in franchise history to notch 100 points. Spoils to the young All-Star.

With just under a minute left in the third period, with Anderson on the bench for the extra skater, Belanger sent the puck into the empty net for the Coyote’s fifth goal of the night.

Notes: Ryan Stoa has two goals in four games. David Jones sustained a shoulder injury during the game. Paul Stastny was announced to be a replacement in the NHL All-Star Game this weekend.

What did you think? Where do the Avs need the most work?

The Avalanche feel to the Boston Bruins this afternoon at the Pepsi Center for the only meeting between the two teams this season.

After a pounding from the Nashville Predators on Thursday night, the Avs were looking to redeem themselves against the Bruisers from Beantown.

Two minutes in, Paul Stastny put the Avalanche on the scoreboard first for his 100th career goal. Kevin Shattenkirk sent a blaster from the blue line that bounced off of Stastny’s chest and trickled past the goal line behind Tim Thomas.

The B’s would get a similar goal nearly mid-way through the first, the puck seemed to bounce off of Ryan O’Byrne, then off of the stick of Brad Marchand.

O’Byrne would then receive a delay of game call shortly thereafter, leading to a power play goal by Milan Lucic. 2-1 Bruins after one period.

The Bruins tallied two goals in the second period as well, from Mark Recchi and Milan Lucic. It was Lucic’s second of the game. Both goals came from odd man rushes, Craig Anderson getting no help from his defenseman. The period ended 4-1 B’s.

It seemed as though the pounding would cease in the third period when Shattenkirk popped a backhander top shelf on Thomas. That sgave the Avs some steam and they came at the Bruins in full force, having some great chances.

A few saves by Thomas later and the Avs were all but out of the game. Patrice Bergeron put the puck past Peter Budaj, who took Anderson’s place at the beginning of the period.

With 2:52 left in the game, the B’s were called for a double-minor high stick and Joe Sacco pulled his goaltender for the 6-on-4 advantage. The Bruins managed a short handed empty netter, sealing the deal. In the final 15 seconds, Cody McLeod was denied a goal by an intent-to-blow call from the refs.

The game ended 6-2 Bruins.

Notes: Matt Hunwick checked Marc Savard against the boards in the 2nd period, Savard did not return. John-Michael Liles was a team worst minus four.

What did you think? What do the Avs need to do? Should they make some goalie changes, defensive changes, or both?