What a crazy, crazy season. Of course, stories of crazy seasons end
best with a championship (see every sports movie ever made), so the
Avalanche story is a bit of an anticlimax, saving one of their
worst performances of the year for Game Seven of the Western
Conference Finals.
It started out with a new coach after the old one left in
controversy; the top offensive defenseman missing in a holdout; an
injury epidemic that left fewer standing than the plague; and,
subsequently, a five-game losing streak and subpar play for much of
the first couple months.
But then, the injuries stopped, Sandis Ozolinsh got re-signed, Joe
Sakic and Peter Forsberg got hot, Valeri Kamensky and Claude
Lemieux picked it up, Patrick Roy remembered that he's Patrick Roy,
and things got rolling. Two rookies that no one expected to have an
impact, Chris Drury and Milan Hejduk, played well enough and mature
enough for the Avs to nearly corner the market on Calder Trophy
finalists.
No one's truly appreciated the job Bob Hartley did. In his first
year as a professional coach, he wasn't afraid to shake things up,
challenge the stars (Valeri Kamensky and Patrick Roy), mix up the
lines (the coupling of Peter Forsberg and Joe Sakic was inspired),
and work through a defense decimated by holdouts and injuries.
Pierre Lacroix, who's often taken a beating, was one of the top GMs
in the league this year. He had the guts to trade his own son and
turn it into Cam Russell, a solid defenseman. He got rid of
disgruntled Keith Jones and picked up Shjon Podein, who brought
back memories of Mike Keane. He locked up some stars before they
could become free agents. And his trade for Theo Fleury was
brilliant; particularly if the Avalanche can keep him. Lacroix made
up for past mistakes with an A+ year.
Often inconsistent, the Avalanche carried that into the playoffs:
scraping by against the vastly overmanned Sharks, catching fire
against the hated Red Wings, and then blowing a perfect opportunity
against the Stars. The Dallas series highlighted all the
Avalanche's flaws: not enough defense, not enough hard work. Seeing
Derian Hatcher carry the Cup around the ice should give Lacroix
some ideas on how to get the Avalanche back to the top.
|
Peter Forsberg
by Meredith Martini
|
TEAM MVP: Peter Forsberg. The best player in the
world, and, this year, he was the team's best player in the
playoffs. When Forsberg's on and can control his temper, the
Avalanche are unstoppable.
SURPRISE: Aaron Miller. After several years as a
part-timer, he emerged as a solid top-four defenseman, and carried
the team's defense through injuries in the first few months,
leading the team in ice time. He tired out a bit in the playoffs,
but truly came into his own this year as a full-time NHLer, and
also a future team leader.
Honorable Mention: Milan Hejduk. No one outside of Pardubice
had heard of the young Czech winger before this year, but he (and
fellow rookie Chris Drury) had an immense impact on the Avalanche
lineup. Hejduk is cool, calm and collected, has a knack for coming
through in the clutch, and plays smarter than most players his age.
When he went down in the Dallas series, it was a serious blow to
the Avalanche.
DISAPPOINTMENT: Theo Fleury. Don't get me wrong, the
Avalanche should go to great lengths to keep him around, but he was
acquired specifically for the playoffs - and subsequently
disappeared against Dallas. Hopefully, next year, he'll have the
chance to make up for it.
OFFSEASON CHANGES: Pierre Lacroix did a great job in locking
up Peter Forsberg, Patrick Roy, and Adam Foote, making this summer
much easier. But there's still plenty of changes in the offing:
Valeri Kamensky - after his superb playoff performance, speculation
started that the Avalanche will keep him (he'll be an unrestricted
free agent) around. Don't count on it. The Avalanche have a lot of
offensive talent, Milan Hejduk rendered ol' Val somewhat
expendable, and Alex Tanguay is close to being ready to play. The
money will probably go to getting another physical defenseman. The
Rangers are reportedly interested in Kamensky.
Sylvain Lefebvre - a tough call. Another unrestricted free agent
(and another the Rangers want), he showed his age this year, but
had a strong playoff. The Avalanche need defensemen, and Sly is a
smart one. The money is on him getting re-signed, if they can
afford it.
Theo Fleury - Wants to stay, and the Avalanche will likely decide
he's worth it. They should. Count on him returning.
Alexei Gusarov - A couple years ago, he was the Avalanche's best
defenseman in the Stanley Cup run. This year, he frequently looked
lost. An unrestricted free agent, say goodbye to Goose.
Joe Sakic - Stupid rumors have him being traded to the Rangers. This
makes no sense for two reasons: a) he's now entering the cheap year
of his mammoth contract, so it would be dumb to trade him after
paying 95% of the salary, and b) who do the Rangers have that
anyone else wants? Adam Graves and his bad back? Jeff Beukeboom and
his bad back? Another rumor has Sakic going to the Blues for Chris
Pronger. That's considerably better, except it's unlikely anyone in
the Blues organization is smoking enough crack to get rid of
Pronger. Sakic will be in the Avalanche colors next year.
Dale Hunter - If he doesn't retire, the Avalanche will let his
contract go.
Expansion - the Thrashers will be drafting, and the Avalanche will
lose someone. Likely subjects: Greg deVries, Eric Messier, Shean
Donovan, Warren Rychel. It's time to let Rychel go anyway, as he
did nothing this year but take dumb penalties and lose fights; let
Scott Parker take his place, as Parker can at least win
occasionally and has an upside. Donovan looked scrappy in
occasional playoff duty, but has never even come close to living up
to his potential. Messier has become a bit tougher but couldn't
even crack the Avalanche's defense-thin lineup. If they can hold on
to him, deVries would be welcome back next year, but boy oh boy
does he have a knack for the ill-timed penalty.
New faces - Tanguay is quite likely. Parker will see more time.
Defenseman Martin Skoula may get a chance to fill the Uwe Krupp void
- an offensive defenseman who isn't as scary in his own zone as
Sandis Ozolinsh. Christian Matte will likely, as he does every year,
go back-and-forth between Hershey and Denver several thousand times.
Marc Denis, goalie of the future, will get more of a look.
Needs - Defense, defense, defense. Adam Foote and Aaron Miller
played 600 minutes a game in the playoffs. With injuries up front,
Jon Klemm was used mostly as a forward. Having a full season of Cam
Russell will help, but the Avalanche need more.
