Denver Post sports writer Adrian Dater posts his Avs Mailbag each Wednesday during the 2006-07 NHL season on DenverPost.com, which earned distinction for its online-exclusive series of Mailbags at this year’s Colorado AP Reporters and Editors Awards.
To drop a question into the Avs Mailbag or visit DenverPost.com’s .
Is Marek Svatos the future of the Avs?
— Brandon, Westminster
Brandon – Well, obviously, he is a big part of it. But right now, I’m more excited about the prospects of guys like Wojtek Wolski and Paul Stastny. They are both bigger and I think can do more things with the puck. Svatos is a sniper, a guy who can score off the rush and off rebounds. But he’s not really a setup guy, not a guy who can ward off opponents and still make plays like the other two can.
Svatos has looked a little rusty so far, his one game with two goals notwithstanding. But how well he plays will go a long way toward determining how far this team goes this year.
What happens when Pierre Turgeon returns? I, for one, really like our lineup right now, but for Jordan Leopold’s absence, and I’m not really sure where Turgeon (or Cody McCormick for that matter) would fit. I’d rather have Paul Stastny centering the second line, or Tyler Arnason at the least. How about you?
— Mike Tyler, Riverside, Calif.
Mike – That’s a good question, especially with regard to Turgeon. If I had to bet, I’d say he will be a part-time player when he returns, probably a fourth-line center or winger. He might get some ice time in place of, say, a Mark Rycroft or Brad Richardson on occasion. I doubt he will be a regular on any of the top three lines, unless injuries strike.
McCormick, I think, is going to have a hard time cracking the regular lineup, too, but he could see some time on the fourth line as well. I don’t think you’re going to see Paul Stastny dropped to the minors, especially after he’s shown he can put points up on the board on the second line. He has looked very good with Wojtek Wolski, and on an Avs team that looks a little more offensively challenged than previous ones, they can’t afford the luxury anymore of having their best prospects develop more in the minors.
Adrian: I was excited when the Avalanche signed George Parros. Now that the Avs finally have a heavyweight again, please tell me they are going to play him occasionally!
— Jim Strong, Superior
Jim – Well, I’m sure he’s going to play a little, but don’t hold your breath on seeing him every night this year. Frankly, I’m not sure why the Avs felt they needed to go out and get a big tough guy, even without Brad May.
As I write this, the Avs have played four games and I can recall only one fight, by Ian Laperriere. The NHL has changed so radically, with fighting becoming almost extinct, that I’m surprised a guy like Parros is even still in the league.
I keep reading about D-man Johnny Boychuk. When is this kid going to get his chance with the Avs? I mean, you can only learn so much from the minors.
— Loren, Loveland
Loren – I think Boychuk will still get a chance to play with the Avs, possibly still this season. But it’s clear his career suffered something of a setback with his demotion to Albany in the preseason. Frankly, he didn’t look so good in the couple of games I saw him play. There were a couple of giveaways, and his bread and butter is supposed to be his stay-at-home play.
I thought this would be the year he might crack the Avs’ lineup, but it didn’t happen. So, while he’s still young and he shouldn’t be given up on, the clock is ticking on his career. You only get so long to impress the big club before you get
labeled a career minor-leaguer.
Hi, Adrian. Is it just me or does Jose Theodore give up an awful lot of rebounds by using his body to block shots and not his glove?
— Bob Aquin, Cheyenne
Bob – Yeah, I guess I’ve noticed that a little, too. He has never been a goalie who relies on his glove hand for saves, however. But, yes, he has left a few juicy rebounds so far this season. For the most part, I think he’s played pretty well, though. He’s usually in good position, and he’s not a big flopper of a goalie. He keeps himself very low to the ground, and is quick on his feet.
Frankly, I don’t think the defense in front of him has been very good so far. A big part of any defenseman’s job is to clear away rebounds his goalie leaves, and I’ve noticed the Avs’ D-men being a little too slow to react to pucks around the net. In other words, where have you gone, Rob Blake?
Hey, Adrian. It seems like we’re hearing more and more about pro athletes who are having to retire early because of what ends up to be heart conditions, like our own for the Avs and a center from Detroit. Are there new tests being done now that are finding these or have there always been this many, and they are showing up more in the media?
— David, Erie
David – I’m not a doctor, but I think it’s obvious that the leaps in medical technology in our country the last 20 years mean it’s easier to “catch” things on tests. You talk to older players, and basically all they did for medicals in training camp was cough for the doctor and that was it. Things like electrocardiograms were non-existent.
We’ve seen athletes drop dead from heart problems (Reggie Lewis, Hank Gathers) and seen others like Jiri Fischer collapse on the ice. So, obviously, teams are much more cautious when it comes to this issue. There are big insurance liabilities if, say, a team let a player play when it knew he had a failed heart test. The team just can’t risk it – for financial reasons and, more important, for the health of the player. It’s too bad what happened to Konowalchuk. But at least he didn’t end up like a Lewis or Gathers.
Hi, Adrian. The Avs Mailbag is awesome. Thanks for sharing your views. Do you see the emerging prototypical star player in the new NHL as being small and speedy or large and strong?
— Ron, Parker
Good question, Ron, and probably the answer is a bit of both. Speed is probably the most important attribute in the game now. You can be big and still be fast, and you can be small and still be slow. But players with great wheels have always had a place in the league, regardless of size. Look at Theo Fleury and Yvan Cournoyer.
What you can’t be anymore is slow, period. Slower players could still play in the league up to a couple of years ago, by clutching and grabbing, but no more. And that’s a good thing.
I believe that No. 26 was retired by the Avs/Nordiques in honor of Peter Stastny. Why is John-Michael Liles permitted to wear that number? Thanks.
— Thang Nguyen, Virginia
Thang – We’ve had similar questions like that in the Mailbag before, and the short answer is: the Avs felt like, when they moved to Denver, that retiring numbers from the Nordiques would look a little funny in a Denver arena. So, they retired the numbers of the Nordiques greats in the Quebec Colisee, but had a new slate when coming to Denver. So, guys like Liles were able to wear that number. Just like Warren Rychel and others have worn the No. 16, once worn by Hall of Famer Michel
Goulet.
Adrian – I happened to catch a “Hockey Night in Canada” discussion, and they talked about how the Avs are operating on essentially a $39 million cap because of bonuses to both Rob Blake and Joe Sakic. Why can’t they get any relief from that, especially since Blake is gone?
— John Barrows, Marshall, Minn.
John – That is basically correct. The Avs are, in effect, working on a $39 million cap again. Sakic and Blake both have $2.3 million of bonus money from the contracts they signed in 2001 counting against the cap this year. When they signed their contracts in ’01, a clause said they would both be paid $3 million each if the team declined their options on a sixth year of the deal. Because of cap concerns last year, the Avs had to decline their options last year, and the bonuses kicked in – reduced to $2.3 million from a 24-percent rollback as part of the new CBA.
The NHL ruled the bonus money must count against the cap – the Avs argued against it – and there you go. It’s unfortunate for the team, but those deals back in ’01 were roundly praised by Avs fans. Getting those guys under contract for that long was seen as a coup at the time, and nobody knew how drastic the salary cap would eventually be, back in those days.
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 .
