Denver Post sports writer Adrian Dater posts his Avs Mailbag each Monday during the 2005-06 NHL season on DenverPost.com.
To drop a question into the Avs Mailbag or visit DenverPost.com’s .
OK, so we all know that the Avs haven’t been that great at the shootout. Maybe they should change the lineup? Keep Marek Svatos as the lead, but maybe put Antti Laaksonen as the second shooter, or maybe John-Michael Liles or Rob Blake. The current order just doesn’t seem to be working. What do you think?
— Kelli, Littleton
Kelli – Yes, I think it’s time to get Laaksonen in the shootout. He’s proven adept at scoring on breakaways this year, and scored a shootout goal to win a game in New Jersey. It would be hard to bump Joe Sakic, Milan Hejduk or Svatos from the top three shooters, but the fact is the Avs have been terrible in shootouts, and maybe Laaksonen gets a chance over Hejduk now? I still think much of the Avs’ shootout problems have been a fluke, but when things aren’t working, it’s time for something new.
Adrian – I hope you can settle a family dispute. When Phil Sauve skated down the rink to , I wondered if it was really about some unresolved past hostility between them, such as over a woman? Sauve’s explanation (that it was a 6-on-5, so he had to join in) wasn’t a very convincing story. Is there something else you know about that would have provoked him into doing something that looked a little silly? Thanks.
— Laurel White, Denver
Laurel – LOL, no I don’t think that fight was over a woman. I know Aebischer is married and has been with her for a long time.
Sauve said he saw Aebischer throw a punch at one of his teammates, so he felt he needed to take Aebischer on. He had given up seven goals, so of course he was frustrated and probably thought he needed to show his teammates he was still a battler. He didn’t impress Flames coach Darryl Sutter much, though. Sauve was placed on waivers the next day, then traded to Phoenix.
I am a big David Aebischer loyalist (through it all), and I really like the artwork on his latest mask. You wouldn’t happen to know who or what company designed and/or painted it, would you? I know it’s kind of a bizarre question, but I’m curious and out of people to ask! Thanks! I appreciate the Avs Mailbag and DenverPost.com. It makes following my team much easier from way out here on the East Coast.
— Emily Riffle, Thurmont, Md.
Emily – I believe that Aebischer has his mask designed by an outfit called WJDPro Inc. I’m not positive of that, but his mask is listed on its website ().
Is there any truth to the rumor I’ve heard that Milan Hejduk is being shopped around as trade bait?
— Sam Miller, Longmont
Sam – Anything is possible, but I doubt it. Hejduk did the team a favor by signing a long-term deal at a little less money than he probably could have gotten elsewhere, and I think Avalanche GM Pierre Lacroix will reward him by keeping him here. I also think it would be very dangerous to give up on a player with Hejduk’s talent.
But if any player could bring in another top-flight player in return, it’s Hejduk. And this is a business. So, anything can happen.
Nice job on the Avs Mailbag. Here is a fun one: What do they do with all the hats they pick up after a hat trick?
— James Hoople, Denver
James – They are given away to charity. They are all gathered up in a bin and given to homeless shelters, places like that.
Adrian – I am a very big fan of Marek Svatos. Do the shootout goals count toward his scoring stats?
— Leo Lesperance, Boulder
Leo – No, no shootout goals count toward a player’s official stats. There are shootout stats kept by the league, but they don’t go into a player’s season totals.
As a jaded Avs fan, I have noticed that Avalanche GM Pierre Lacroix loves to trade young talent such as Chris Drury, Steve Reinprecht, Radim Vrbata, Adam Deadmarsh, Aaron Miller, Stephane Yelle, Ville Nieminen and Brian Rolston. After losing Peter Forsberg and Adam Foote this offseason and seeing what a great year Marek Svatos is having, how long before Svatos gets traded? I hear Dean McAmmond and Jeff Shantz are available.
— Farid Jabbour, Colorado Springs
Farid – Your note drips with sarcasm. Yes, Lacroix has traded some young talent over the years, usually in moves designed to get a last piece of the puzzle toward a Stanley Cup. Some of the deals have worked – Rolston got Ray Bourque, after all; Deadmarsh and Miller brought Blake and Steve Reinprecht, which won a Cup – and some haven’t. The Chris Drury deal is one that did not work out for this team, no question about it.
If Svatos is traded, the Avs better get an excellent player in return. I don’t think you’ll see Svatos traded any time soon, though.
Hey, Adrian. Thank goodness for the Internet – it allows me to read your Avs Mailbag down here in Atlanta! I’ve been looking at Colorado’s payroll and thinking ahead. If the Avs let Rob Blake, Bob Boughner and Brad May go after this season, they would be a whopping $10 million under the salary cap. In my opinion, those three aren’t worth the money, and letting them leave would allow the Avs to make some big moves, such as getting a top-shelf center and another wing. They could also bring Wojtek Wolski up for good as a bonus. I hope Avalanche GM Pierre Lacroix has thought about this. What do you think?
— Eric, Atlanta
Eric – They are going to have a lot more cap room than just $10 million. The Avs have roughly $13 million committed to players for next season, leaving nearly $27 million to play with – and the cap number is going to increase next season.
I think you’ll see the Avs active in the free-agent market. A lot of the big names are being signed by teams already, but I think there will still be some nice players available, and you can bet Colorado will spend close to the cap limit.
Good to see at least one of my college pals is making it big. Hope all is well with you.
— Ron Algeni, Hinsdale, N.H.
Ron Algeni, what a surprise!
A definite blast from the past here. For those Mailbag readers interested in my personal life (those one or two of you out there, including you, mom), Ron is a former classmate of mine at Keene State College in New Hampshire. He also was a member of our championship intramural basketball team. Unhappily for me, he also was a member of the 1983 Hinsdale High School basketball team that defeated my Mascoma Royals in the state semifinals. I finally got over that loss, oh, 20 minutes ago or so.
Ron may not remember this, but he also lent me five bucks one night so I could take my longtime girlfriend at the time, Sheila, out to the movies. Yes, back in the ancient days of the early ’80s, you could go to dollar night at the movies and still have plenty left for popcorn. Broke as always at the time, Ron came through with the fiver, and I got to be a big spender to Sheila.
Don’t know about making it big, but great to hear from an old friend. Drop me a line at adater@aol.com and let’s chat.
Adrian Dater has covered the Colorado Avalanche since the team moved to Denver in 1995. To drop a question into his Avs Mailbag or visit DenverPost.com’s .
