Avs Mailbag: Are the trade winds blowing?
Adrian Dater Denver Post sports writer Adrian Dater posts his Avs Mailbag on Mondays during the 2009-10 NHL season.
Pose an Avalanche- or NHL-related question for the Avs Mailbag.
No trades in sight for young Avs team By Adrian Dater
It's only January, but already NHL teams are making decisions about whether to buy or sell at the league's trading deadline. Why now, when the deadline isn't until March 3?
Hard Times Ahead For AvsThe Colorado Avalanche have gone from perennial contenders to potentially perennial losers, at least for the near future. Drained by retirements, defections and years of trading for the present the Avs now are basically starting again from the ground up.
They've gotten off on the right foot with the selection of Matt Duchene. But there is so much work to be done with needs at almost every position but possibly centre.
With a likely very young team on the ice, and a rookie coach and GM leading the way, there may be lots of long nights on Colorado.
Thanks, JoeThis is a tough goodbye to a legendary player. Every year we lose guys who will likely make the Hall of Fame. Sometimes we lose them in groups of three, four, or five. But it's not often we lose the quality of man we are about to lose in Joe Sakic, and I have one word for him.
Sakic RetiresESPN is reporting that after 20 seasons, Avalanche superstar Joe Sakic has decided to retire. Sakic spent his entire career with the Nordiques/Avalanche and has been a face of the franchise ever since Quebec moved to Denver, Colorado in 1995. Sakic is one of seven players that has 600 career goals to go alongside 1,000 career assists. Sakic is just one of the greats on that list, one that includes greats like Mark Messier, Wayne Gretzky, and Mario Lemieux.
Armchair GM: The Colorado AvalancheThere probably isn't any team in the league that needs more retooling than the Colorado Avalanche. Yet, oddly enough, they could turn things around pretty quickly the way they are sitting.
They do not have quantity in terms of young talent, but they do have some quality. Kevin Shattenkirk projects to be a top 4 defensemen, and possibly a top 2. He should make an impact this year. They do have their franchise center in Paul Stastny, a couple solid support players (Hejduk, Wolski, Smyth), a top 5 pick, and a lot of salary coming off the books next season.
Roy to caoch the Avs?TSN.ca is reporting that the Colorado Avalanche have offered Patrick Roy the head coach position in Colorado. What is a little odd about the situation is that the Avalanche have yet to fire Tony Granato who still has 2 years left on his present contract.
News on Darcy TuckerThe Toronto Sun is reporting on the possibility that Darcy Tucker may have his contract bought out by the Avalanche at the end of the season.
