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 .
, who do you think will be the odd defenseman out. At the beginning of the season, I felt it would be Ossi Vaananen, but now he seems to be playing well.
— Chris Schelstad, Sudbury, Ontario
Chris – Well, there’s the hot question of the moment with the Avs.
It’s going to be a tough call for Avs coach Joel Quenneville to make. I think Vaananen has been much better of late. He’s a plus player and has been more physical. Ken Klee is the team’s top plus player, so how do you justify sitting him? And Patrice Brisebois regularly gets over 20 minutes a game, so how does he get benched all of a sudden?
The other thing we haven’t considered here is a trade. The Avs might try to make a deal for one of their other D-men, instead of just benching them. On the other hand, Quenneville likes to have a spare D-man around in case of injury. But he already has Kurt Sauer, who has played all of one game so far.
It’s a very interesting question, and one we’ll get the answer to soon. I couldn’t say who will be the one benched right now. It would just be a guess at this point. The Avs could also move one of the D-men to a forward spot, but I don’t see that happening.
Yo, Adrian! Why did Jose Theodore switch leg pads a few games into the season? I liked the white ones more. Thanks. Go Avs!
— Nick, Huntington Beach, Calif.
Nick – Goalies don’t switch their pads too often, but Theodore did because he wasn’t quite happy with how the old ones felt. He said they felt a little too stiff. Newer pads can give out bigger rebounds because they aren’t as soft as broken-in ones, and apparently he feels the new ones are a bit softer.
Dear Adrian: I have a question about game-winning shootout goals. If they are counted in a team’s goals-for column, why are they not counted in a player’s goals-for and game-winning-goals columns, too? For example, Joe Sakic has two shootout game-winners now, but his stats say he has only nine goals so far this season. Thanks.
— Blakesley, Sebastopol, Calif.
Blakesley – Interesting name.
The answer, basically, is because. They just don’t count toward individual statistics, period. But there are shootout statistics that can be just as “valuable” to players come contract time, and I know there are some fantasy leagues that count them.
Rules are rules, though, and the league just decided shootout goals shouldn’t be counted along with regular goals, and I think they have a point.
How do officials decide when to waive off an icing call? I constantly see a defenseman coming back for the puck, which looks like an icing call, and hear the announcer say the icing is waived off. Can you explain the circumstances of this situation?
— Rob D, Iowa City, Iowa
Rob – At times, it’s an automatic call for the linesmen, and there are times when it’s a judgment call. The linesman might waive off icing if he feels the puck is close enough to the retreating D-man, or if he feels the D-man isn’t hustling hard enough to go get it. If he is trying to stall to get an icing call, the linesman can sense it and might make him pay by waving it off. Basically, those are the only two scenarios when icing is waved off.
Hey, Adrian! At what point will the Avs’ consistently inconsistent play start to reflect badly on Joel Quenneville? He’s got some really talented people on the payroll, but their play is frequently unfocused and sloppy. Isn’t it a coach’s job to motivate and discipline his players?
— Scott, Aurora
Scott – Sorry, I’m not with you on this. I think Coach Q has done a whale of a job with this team. For all the star power he lost, he still has the team with a winning record, one that won a playoff round last season, too.
Yes, they’ve looked sloppy at times, but look at what he does when that happens: , and he responded. He lit into the team on New Year’s Eve last year, and they went on a tear after that. He benched Jose Theodore, and he’s been better of late.
I don’t think the problem has been one of coaching, in other words. I think it’s probably the Avs’ biggest strength right now.
I know it is sacrilege to criticize Joe Sakic, and I certainly recognize the depth of his greatness, but in the “salary cap NHL,” all players must be measured against their cap figures. Unfortunately, Joe is making about $8 million this season with his secret bonus included, and a point per game doesn’t justify his salary. Jose Theodore is clearly the biggest disappointment versus his cap number, but shouldn’t Joe be in line for a pay cut next year even with his great leadership factored in? A salary of $4 million seems pretty fair to me.
— Patrick Feldman, Santa Fe
Patrick – Sorry, I’m not down with this one either. A point a game isn’t good enough? For a 37-year-old? I think that’s pretty darn good. And forget the bonus money – that’s for a job well done in the past, I’d say. I know it counts toward the team’s cap this year, but his real salary is just under $6 million.
This is a guy who is one of the best leaders in the league, who still is the best player on the ice more often than
not, a future Hall of Famer who still works his tail off night in, night out. If you ask me, Sakic is a bargain right now for the Avs. And, no, I don’t think you insult your longtime captain with a big pay cut – especially when he’s still your leading scorer.
Don’t you think the biggest problem this season has been a lack of defensive consistency?
— Jim, Cozad, Neb.
Jim – Yes, that and goaltending. But defensive consistency extends to the forwards, too. They have been lazy at times in their own zone, making more of a burden on the back end. The Avs have been better overall defensively of late, but, yes, they are not as talented on the blue line as previous Avs teams. I think Jordan Leopold will help a lot, though, so let’s talk more about this when he comes back.
At the risk of hurting a lot of people’s feelings, I must admit that I did not care for the new “rail cam.” Actually, I hated it. Too unstable to be able to focus on the puck and too close to the action. You couldn’t tell what was going on or see any part of a developing play. Has other feedback been positive or negative?
— Travis Riggins, Wichita
Travis – You’re talking about the new rail cam on Versus, used for the first time the other night when the Avs were in Dallas.
Personally, I liked it. Yes, it might give some people motion sickness, but I felt a lot closer to the action than the traditional camera angles. I like the fact that TV people are trying to think outside of the box for hockey again – just so long as they don’t go back to the glowing puck.
I liked how you could follow right along with the skater on plays, right over their heads. I think it’ll grow on fans eventually.
Adrian Dater can be heard every Wednesday from 4-5 p.m. for “The Puck Stops Here” on KLZ 560 AM. Adrian 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 .
