That said, the Avs have had been relatively lackluster in the period of free agency thus far.
What talent has been let go?
Andrew Brunette – Bruno returned to the Wild and will no doubt prove to us how stellar he really is when we play the team nineteen times this upcoming season. For reasons unknown to most of us, Bruno was seeing decreased playing time and his performance likely suffered because of it. Negotiations were pretty much at a stand still and Bruno felt snubbed in the way he was let go.
Jose Theodore – A head-case goaltender with the potential to reach the upper echelons – with hard work and lots of dedication. He wanted more money than he was worth and negotiations never really picked up.
Kurt Sauer – A decent defenseman and a large presence out on the blue line. Sauer will be missed more than his blue line buddy.
Jeff Finger – So long! Finger has been on my shitlist, replacing Clark, after his icing touch up faux pas in game three of the first round of last seasons playoffs. Everybody in the building knew where the puck was going to bounce, but not Finger. Tough luck but you lost me.
Who did we keep?
John-Michael Liles – A stellar young d-man who is likely to find his name in the ranks of great players by the time his career is over – barring any run in with goon Todd Bertuzzi. Liles recovered from a rough first half bringing an entirely new level to his game.
Adam Foote – One of my favorite players. Foote is still a commanding presence on the blue line and has what it takes to lead this team, should he be called upon. Foote showed his dedication by wanting to return to Colorado and I expect he’ll stick with us until he retires.
Wojtek Wolski – This kid is hot and, with more experience and maturity, will be a force to be reckoned with. It is rumored that Wolski could see some time at center, whether or not Super Joe decides to return.
Marek Svatos – Although nothing has officially stated that Svatos is staying, The Rocky’s Rick Sadowski mentioned Avs GM Giguere as believing “Marek Svatos will be ready to go after missing so much time with a knee injury.” With line-shift happy Coach Q out of the picture, maybe Svatos will get the ice time he deserves. See game tape of Svatos during mid season injury drought.
What’s with passing on all of the other talent?
When it comes right down to it, everybody is waiting on Captain Joe Sakic to make a decision. Now I thought, long ago when this indecision was still somewhat of a rumor, everything would be ok because Sakic would decided before July 1 and the Avs could still have time to make deals if they needed it. No offense Joe, but you’re kind of screwing us over at this point. The team is sitting on roughly $7 million and passing at chances for people like Brian Rolston or Marian Hossa. Hossa, by the way signed with the hated Wings. The team that destroyed everybody all year long and doesn’t need any more help. The team that shut out the Avs in every game they played each other this season.
Andrew Raycroft is great, but who is he? What about Cristobal Huet, who had a great season and just signed with the Hawks? That team is going to be a contender with all of their young talent and a proven goaltender. Raycroft may have had one stellar season, but then again maybe Huet was a onetime deal as well. But don’t forget the accolades associated with Jose Theodore when he first came to town. We all know how well that worked out for us.
We have some new talent with Dary Tucker and Per Ledin, but I don’t see what the draw is there. We have in Laperriere what the stats show these two guys to be. Unless they are some sort of hidden offensive force to be reckoned with, I would have taken my chances elsewhere.
Whether or not Sakic decides to come back, the Avs are beginning to look like one of those fresh talent teams. But can we hold our own against the Oilers and the Hawks, both of which have wicked talent in their younger players.
Free agency isn’t over and the time for making moves is just warming up, so only time will tell how well we will really be.
Keywords: Avs, Blackhawks, CO, Colorado, Colorado Avalanche, Denver, Foote, Free Agents, Giguere, Hockey, Huet, Ice, Joe Sakic, Laperriere, Liles, Marek Svatos, NHL, Oilers, Puck, Sakic, Signings, Sports, Teams, Trades
