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Post by W on May 2, 2019 21:08:43 GMT
The change is underway, a rebuild. Going with the 2019 NYR model.
OUT:
Gabriel Landeskog </3
Bo Horvat
Colton Parayko Adam Larsson
William Nylander Reilly Smith Brett Connolly Artemi Knyazev
IN: Eli Salchow, F (9th overall) Mike Patel F (16th overall 2023 SJ) Alois Christl, F (20th overall by Colorado in 2022)
Kasper Simontaival, F (20th overall in 2020 TOR)
Britt Marson F (33rd overall 2022 BOS) Denny Bateman, F (45th? overall by STL in 2025) Kaedan Korczak, D
Calle Rosen (not staying)
Josh Manson (not staying)
With additional 4 first-rounders, a second and a third on the way in the next two years.
How do they all fit in the future plans of the organization? I don't know! I haven't got that far. Just going back to my roots of winging it. Typically that's how it's worked well in the past, overthinking being the Killer Croc that ate Batman.
Speaking of The Dark Knight, Colorado already has a slew of crime fighters in it's depths, Kyle Wight, Dany Lessard, Oscar Corr and to whom they just added first-rounder Denny Bateman. It's a horrible cover, we all know it's Bruce Wayne. But that's at least one muscle-bound shit-wrecker for each line.
But imagine a line of Lessard, Wight and Bateman. All first round enforcers expected to just punch their way to a cup, presumably following the coaches instructions, "By the end of this shift, I need one of you in the box." Hopefully those three will make up for Miroslav Hric getting his feelings hurt or Kyle Crnkovic's reluctance to make contact with his own mother.
There may be more moves to be made. Lawson Crouse, Nikita Okhotyuk and Michael Vukojevic are still on the roster. Olivier Rodrigue and Joel Farabee are reported to be staying, presumably to reach the floor, but we'll see what happens in the near future.
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Post by W on May 4, 2019 18:33:59 GMT
Today we're looking at analyzing whatever semblance of future the Avs have right now. That's probably going to change but we need to know what we got. Quite a few first rounders, a few of which were coincidentally drafted later in their classes, mostly players who fell.
Lawson Crouse: LW/RW 28 PWF. Captain? Oldest, does everything well, prone to the occasional bonehead penalty.
Greg Elkaim RW 25 AOF. Strong late bloomer needs to work on D. Kasper Simontaival RW/? 24 AOF. 20th overall. Possibly underdeveloped, 3rd best RW in the 2020 class. Ed Robinson RW/? 24 TWF. Blue-collar type, lacks offensive instincts. Larry Steinmentz RW/? 25 TWF. Inconsistent yet shifty checking wizard. Eli Salchow LW/C? 20 AOF. 2nd best LW of '23 fell to 9th, developing a complete package and Center capable. Joel Farabee LW/C 26 PLY. Elite vision and hockey IQ. Needs to support other skilled, finishing forwards to be effective. Alois Christl LW/? 21 AOF. 20th overall projected to be above average defensively. Kyle Crnkovic LW/C? 23 AOF. Has blazing speed, high hockey IQ, scoring touch, but doesn't play physically at all. Jesper Boqvist LW/? 27 AOF. Inconsistent scoring forward. Boris Olevsky C/RW 21 AOF. Diet-Malkin, floating big Russian with scoring touch and heavy game.
Henrik Strandlund C 23 AOF. Projected one-dimensional scoring forward with potential personality issues.
Olivier Rodrigue G 25 One of them "Goalie" Goaltender types. Starter.
Anthony Filiatreault G 23. Drafted 30th overall, 2nd highest goalie in 2021, claimed off waivers.
Kaedan Korczak TwD 25. All-situational right handed top 4 D. Parallels drawn to Duncan Keith, also 2nd rounder.
Michael Vukojevic PhD 24. Inconsistent top 4 two-way D still finding his game, shows flashes of top minute ability.
Nikita Okhotyuk OFD 25. All-situational former 5th rounder same class as Vuko and K.K. with lazer shot.
Harvey Cohen PhD 25 Late-blooming strict stay-at-home shutdown defender to add bulk.
Sergei Chuchnov C/RW 19, AOF. 20th overall. Smart, calm, big-bodied, consistent physical Belarusian.
Ludek Frajtov RW 21 AOF. 3rd rounder tracking well as a two-way performer.
Mike Patel LW 20 AOF. Top 3 RW '23 fell 16th overall. Scorer with physical edge but needs work without puck.
Tomas Zahrisson LW 21 PWF. 4th rounder project.
Oscar Corr LW 21 ENF. One of many pugilists in the system, late pick so he's pretty far down on even that depth list. Britt Marson C 21 RP. Whatever that means. Early 2nd rounder.
Ulf Nyman C 21 RP. As Britt but 3rd round.
Stepan Tomeckov C 23 PLY. Underdeveloped 4th rounder.
Miroslav Hric OFD 21. Late 1st skilled D who needs to bulk up.
Kiril Nevolin OFD 23. 5th rounder with decent defensive capability minus physical edge.
Bohumir Valenta DFD 21. 3rd rounder who needs to add to his frame or game to make NHL.
Tomek Tiainen PhD 20. Drafted 4 spots after Bohumir, projected much, much lower. Leadership ability.
Fr�d�ric Reny OFD 21. 5th round project '23.
Radim Kurzka OFD 20. 5th round project '24.
Vaclav Rapach G 21. 5th rounder projected shortly after Tomek Tiainen in the same class. Future backup.
Erick Lamb RW 19 PWF.
Denny Bateman RW 18
Branko Resotka RW 19
Kyle Wight RW 18
Dany Lessard LW 19
Anthony Spears LW 18
Evgeni Kulchelmin G 20
Jim Simonson D 19
Tero Honka D 19
Renaud Lauzon D 18
Marten Saevas D 18
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Post by W on Jun 3, 2019 1:54:05 GMT
Lawson Crouse RW 29 6500000 5 99 79 80 84 76 82 76 82 61 70 84 66 84 81 78 77 Not untouchable but not cheap.
The six-foot-four powerforward has been a staple of the Colorado franchise since the beginning of PTPHL and during the recent exodus of players in the name of a rebuild he was named as one of the few prime aged players staying on. Partly because he's amazing, but also because he's been the only constant name since the beginning, and the team needs to sell seats to someone. Or is it more sentimental?
Wyatt has always been reluctant to post him on the block and almost as reluctant to name him an untouchable. He knows a player like that on the team-friendly deal he has could earn him a decent haul in a trade, but at 29 he's expected to last throughout a full-rebuilding process. So what gives?
"Presently, there is no plan to trade him, or make him a full no-movement player." Wyatt said into the mirror. "During this time he has to earn his place like anyone else. The trades are over with. Now we're building up. So if he moves, it likely won't be for futures anymore."
So far so good then for Lawson? To be given a message like that at this point in his career would be disheartening, no? A player who has earned his keep from day one and stayed through two transitional periods in just 9 seasons, and now a rebuild in his 10th, he has to earn it all over again? He has to play at his best but that's impossible in this kind of headspace, but he can't phone-it-in because if he doesn't want to stay he has to make himself tradeable, but he doesn't have the personnel around him to boost his numbers. So what does he do? What would you do?
"The best I can." Exclaimed Lawson after a startlingly thunderous crack of an office door smashing through the drywall, hair blowing in the wind of the doorway he just kicked open. "These are rough times," he began in his dark tone, a voice like chewed gravel. "But if I give up on myself now, what am I? A real man makes his own way. I'm here to prove that to myself. Everyone else is either getting behind me, or out of my way."
And with that, he left the room to an audience stricken silent by the awe of the man who proceeded to walk into the sunset. We don't know why, we never asked. We couldn't care.
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Post by W on Jul 17, 2019 10:29:39 GMT
Big Move on Blueline
The Colorado Avalanche just traded defensemen Kaeden Korczak and Michael Vukojevic to Tampa Bay for defensemen Sergei Katenin and Ryan Leach, along with AHL Right Wing sniper, Mkhail Litvinov and 'future considerations.'
Korczak, acquired in the Horvat-Parayko trade with St. Louis (another Lin managed team, so he knows who he's getting) during what is now known as "The Exodus," played two seasons as the Avs top defender. While he did very well despite losing circumstances, in the final year of his deal he is dealt to a perennial contender along with Vukojevic, a defender cut from the same cloth as his right-handed counterpart, Kaeden. "Vuko" was acquired at the same time in the Seth Jones trade with Washington.
In return, Colorado acquired two defenseman of their own in Sergei Katenin and Ryan Leach. Katenin is a top-end shutdown defender and Leach the opposite, an offensive dynamo who is commonly knocked as "soft." In Colorado with their heavy development program, Leach will be looked to develop more on the physical side. Big picture, Avs downgrade in the two-way department on the blueline and have become more specialized, which fits Colorado's build well. Also, saved themselves a few years of UFA status in a year they might miss.
"There's a framework we're working at here," said Mr. Wyatt. "And these two guys fit the mold better than what who we had. We're still working at perfecting it, but we're steps closer. That's not to say anything bad about who we had to give up to get there, but the losing got to them, they deserve it to be in a winning culture and they got it. Hopefully this helps us in the long run too."
"It was a learning experience for sure," said Michael. "I got to see what that environment is like. They're good guys in a bad situation, and that sucks, but I don't believe they'll stay there. I enjoyed my stay but I'm not going to lie, can't wait to don the Bolt."
Said Ryan Leach, "Fuck."
4 Points
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Post by W on Jul 29, 2019 0:30:29 GMT
Colorado Trades Kauko Anttila to New York for Alexander Holtz.
The reasoning behind this move according to GM W, is that two GMs spoke of two players that were having a difficult time fitting in to the locker room or on-ice chemistry. So they swapped them to perhaps spark their interest with a change in scenery. But these two have common ties that landed them in an awkward predicament. Both players are the same age and, up to this point, have played similar minutes. Kauko's contract is up after this season but Holtz has 2 more years left.
In Colorado, we have Kauko Antilla. Acquired in a waiver pick up from Montreal, W saw PK potential where it was previously lacking. Kauko however had untapped potential and rose to be one of Colorado's more skilled players. But no matter where he played in the lineup, he not only struggled to produce, that line's production didn't change. On the season, Antilla has only tallied 14 points. Kauko was drafted in the 5th round by the Flyers, was traded from Philadelphia to Vancouver for a 5th and again to Montreal in a package deal for Stephen Halliday where he played for only three months before being waived. He will now play for the Rangers in a depth role for the foreseeable future but likely won't stay there for too much longer.
In New York, we have former first rounder Alexander Holtz, who was drafted by the same team that waived Kauko Antilla, yep, Montreal. But the Habs packaged him with Fucale to Toronto for a temporary band-aid in net with Frederik Andersen. In the same season Antilla was moved to Montreal and waived, Holtz was traded to the Rangers in a 6 player swap (all of whom are reportedly back on the block at this time). Holtz has had a rough season netting only 32 points and racking 66 penalty minutes in frustration at his ice time. In Colorado he'll get more ice and opportunity to be a more offensive threat.
Comparing the two: Antilla is more a special-teams ace, whereas Holtz is born to compete in even-strength situations. Antilla is aggressive and brilliant defensively, Holtz is not. Holtz knows when to throw a hit, Antilla is a little more reserved with his body preferring to play the safe game. They both have a good shot in their own right, Holtz has shown the ability to play with skill players whereas Antilla is still struggling to find his game. The knock on Antilla is that all this skill may be for nothing if he can't put it together. Holtz's baggage is that he's constantly compared to his draft position and may never live up to the first round hype.
So who won the deal? At the time, it seems a fair trade so no one. For the future, we'll see. Kauko could have even more untapped potential and Holtz could finally have his breakout season in Colorado.
+4 Points = 12
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Post by W on Aug 9, 2019 1:18:19 GMT
NEWS and stuff
In a slightly confusing move, Colorado traded 8th overall in a terrible season and deep draft to Nashville for 25 year old former 9th overall, Dylan Guenther. After openly bad-mouthing him when he was playing for Edmonton for his undisciplined style of play, Wyatt now praises him as a "core addition to the club."
James Wyatt: "I don't take back what I said. He was very undisciplined. But we've talked with him and coordinated some training with Nashville as a deal to get both parties to feel happy. Hopefully we've reigned in some of that bad behavior to be able to be competent in the top 6. It's on him now to SHOW ME WHAT YOU GOT!"
Guenther is currently penciled in next to Joel Farabee at center on the second line, hopefully together they can find enough chemistry to boost the scoring of the Avalanche in the 3rd year of their rebuild. Since moving Antilla, their Right Wing seems a little sparse, while their left is loaded. It would be expected Wyatt makes more moves to address this issue.
Dylan Guenther: "It's definitely not what I was expecting. Traded twice and told to be moved I have to agree to extra-curricular training. I was happy in Nashville, but it's part of the business."
Points: 12+4=16
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