Betrayed by the NHL’s new shoot-first-ask-questions-
later rules, the Avalanche has no shot at winning the Stanley Cup.
The reason might surprise you. It’s not the loss of sublime center Peter Forsberg. Although hockey tickets in Denver are overpriced now that “Foppa” has left the building, the Avs still know how to score goals.
Here’s the real problem. Bleeding from the blue line and propping up the wrong goalie in net, Colorado finds itself defenseless against the league’s elite teams.
“Our team defense has to be better,” Avalanche coach Joel Quenneville said Tuesday. “In this new game, the ‘D’ is a lot more exposed than in the past. It’s not easy. It’s challenging. And it’s something we want to get better at.”
After a decade of spoiling fans with outrageous success, the Avs have slipped.
Oh, they remain good enough to qualify for the playoffs. This team, however, is not a serious threat to win a championship – for the first time since arriving in Colorado.
Sure, it’s a bummer deal. But it’s no reason for you or general manager Pierre Lacroix to mope and wait for next year.
If the Avs want to be somebody in this league again, they must immediately embrace two brave ideas.
Trade starting goalie David Aebischer, and give the job to rookie Peter Budaj.
Find defenders who can use sticks as precision tools rather than crude weapons, no matter the cost.
Under the new rules of hockey, possession is nine-tenths of the law.
Avs veteran Rob Blake can explain everything anyone needs to know about the new NHL in a no-nonsense decree that nails the truth harder than one of his trademark hip checks.
“Either you have possession of the puck or you’re going to be on the penalty kill,” said Blake, giving me the perfect words to describe this wild brand of hockey we’ve all been working to comprehend since opening night.
While opening the ice has been a bonanza for offensive-minded MVP candidates such as Ottawa winger Dany Heatley and Jaromir Jagr of the New York Rangers, the most invaluable player in the league is Detroit defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom. The Red Wings’ king of sharp skating and precise passing rules. Muckers and grinders drool.
“That’s why Detroit is so good in this game. The Red Wings never gave the puck away in the old game. Not giving it away is even more important now. If you don’t have the puck, you’re going to be in trouble,” Blake said.
The Avalanche is losing games within the increasingly dangerous zone found 5 feet inside the blue line, where too many trespassers now waltz in with a chip pass and act like they own the joint.
John-Michael Liles grasps the nuances and can finesse these subtle changes in the game to his advantage. He has become Colorado’s best defender. But too many Avs now look slow or awkward skating backward.
While departed all-star Adam Foote isn’t walking back through that arena door, what Colorado is missing on defense doesn’t have to be expensive. Where have you gone, Greg de Vries?
The defensive woes of the Avalanche, surrendering the most goals per game in the Northwest Division, are magnified without a strong presence in goal. It would be pointless to blame Aebischer, whose 87.8 save percentage ranks 39th in a 30-team league, for not being Patrick Roy.
But it’s time to send a Dear Abby letter and end this relationship. Aebischer is a steady NHL goalie, but this 27-year-old veteran is never going to place doubt in the head of shooters the way Roy often did.
Budaj, scheduled to start tonight against Phoenix, is unproven, but his every breath hints at the cool swagger and steel nerves required to be something special. There is only one way to find out. Play him regularly.
Benching Aebischer would be a waste, especially for Colorado, stuck with so little wiggle room under the salary cap. So trade his $1.9 million annual paycheck to a team in the grips of a goaltender crisis.
Although the Avalanche’s record ain’t half bad, Quenneville knows Colorado expects nothing except the best.
If the Avs start accepting mediocrity on the ice, they will have to deal with something more painful in the stands.
Empty seats.
Staff writer Mark Kiszla can be reached at 303-820-5438 or mkiszla@denverpost.com.
