Denver Post sports writer Adrian Dater posts his Avs Mailbag every Thursday during the 2007-08 NHL season on DenverPost.com.
To drop an Avalanche- or NHL-related question into the Avs Mailbag or visit DenverPost.com’s .
Hi, Adrian. My name is Johnny, and I have been a Joe Sakic fan since the start of his career. I would like to know more about his injury and when he will be able to return on the ice. Thank you.
— Johnny, Montreal
Johnny – I take it you prefer Johnny to John? It’s funny, some Johns always stay known as Johnnys for some reason. Although Johnny Bench’s first baseball cards had his listed as “John” Bench.
Anyway, Sakic will be out another seven to 11 weeks – according to the original prognosis by the Avs, which you should always believe at your peril – following hernia surgery. I’m no doctor, but hernia surgery is worse than groin surgery apparently, but not as bad as “sports hernia” surgery. Sakic apparently did not have a “sports” hernia.
So, it’s just a waiting game now, and it’s going to be tough sledding without their future Hall of Famer. It’s going to be a tough fight now just to get into the playoffs.
With Joe Sakic out for a few months, what are the chances we can get Peter Forsberg back into an Avs jersey?
— Jack Jr., Littleton
Jack Jr. – I am officially now a millionaire! Or, I would be if I’d gotten a dollar for every time I’ve been asked this question in the last eight months or so.
As of this writing, Forsberg is still in Sweden, trying to see if his foot is going to be good enough to make a return to the NHL. But we’re already past the New Year, and there still are no tangible signs that this is going to happen. He has not been spotted skating anywhere of late. The last time he tried, a couple months ago, he had to come off the ice from the pain.
I would suggest Avs fans stop waiting on Godot (I mean, Forsberg) as the savior. It’s gotten to the point where it’s just not healthy thinking anymore, this hope-against-hope mentality. He’s also 34 years old. Even if he was healthy, we’d still be talking about a player whose best days were behind him.
Let’s move on a little and start thinking about other ways to win hockey games, instead of hoping for a second coming from No. 21.
Adrian – Have you noticed that Scott Hannan makes terrible passes (if you call wildly flailing at the puck a pass) out of the zone? Seems to me like that is the main reason his plus-minus is so awful; his defense is good but his ability to clear the puck out of the zone could use some work. By the way, “Blood Feud” was awesome.
— Cole Cooper, Thornton
Cole – Thanks for reading.
Hannan is no Bobby Orr with the puck, it’s true. He does have a tendency, I’ve noticed, blindly to flip the puck up the wall under pressure, which often leads to interceptions by the point man.
His strengths are (or, have been) playing the body and being in good position down low, and staying with his man. He does need to work on some of his passing decisions, for sure. But as I’ve said before, I think he’s been a better player for the Avs than his plus-minus indicates. That said, he hasn’t had a great year so far.
Adrian – I’m in the Air Force and currently deployed to the Middle East. I read the game recaps and look at the boxscores on ESPN, and read The Post and the News after every Avs game, but I have a hard time grasping what the real highs and lows of the team are. I gather the defense isn’t doing too hot, but what else aside from that? Thanks.
— James D., Qatar
James – An e-mail from Qatar, wow. I’m always amazed when I get queries from far-off places.
Hmmm, well trying to interpret your question correctly, I take it you want a little more of the inside skinny on what the team’s mindset is? All I can best tell you is that the team is just kind of in survival mode right now, because of the many injuries of late. Losing Joe Sakic is a huge blow. Now Ryan Smyth is out with a sprained ankle, and those can take weeks to get better. Kurt Sauer still has dizziness when he skates (he tried it again Tuesday and had to come off the ice early).
So, the players are just kind of trying to deal with the blows that seem to be coming every day. The continuity of the team has been shattered because of the injuries. The makeup of the lineup is changing almost every night. There is a new guy from Lake Erie called up every other day it seems. So, right now, everybody is just trying to go to battle with the army that they have, to quote a former defense secretary.
Once Jordan Leopold and Kurt Sauer are healthy, which players do you send down? I certainly hope it’s not Kyle Cumiskey. He has really added a dimension to the team.
— Greg Morris, Highlands Ranch
Greg – I loved you in “Vegas”, along with Robert Urich.
That’s a good question, but one we might not get to answer the rest of the year. Right now, nobody knows when Sauer will come back. It’s a shame. He was having a great year, then he gets a concussion in San Jose after a Patrick Marleau hit under his chin.
I’d hate to see Cumiskey get sent down, too, as I love watching him fly up the ice. The problem is, he doesn’t seem to know what to do with the puck once he gets close to the net. Believe me, the Avs coaches have been frustrated by that, and they are trying to work with him on it.
He still doesn’t have a goal, despite his unbelievable wheels. He just needs to keep getting more experience and I think he’ll be a very good offensive defenseman. Maybe more time in Lake Erie would be good for that, though.
Adrian – What ever happened to Vitaly Kolesnik? I see he is still in the Avs system, but I wonder what their plan for him is since they have a lot of goalies in the system. Would it make sense to package him with another player, or two (John-Michael Liles/Marek Svatos), for a “tough as nails” defenseman and a pick?
— Jeff, Michigan
Jeff – No, Kolesnik is no longer in the Avs’ system. You must be looking at an old media guide or something.
At last glance, he was playing in the Russian League. He decided to leave the Avs a couple years ago and return home to play. I thought he showed promise, too, as a goalie, but he was a little homesick and didn’t like his chances of being a No. 1 with the Avs. So, off he went.
Adrian – It seems to me that the Avs’ power-play system is based on close-in (to the keeper), precision passing and shot taking. The point men are only there to set up the passes and keep the play onside. Is this because they don’t have a “big thumper” (like Rob Blake or Ray Bourque) at the point? They rarely take a slap shot from the point.
— Dan Rish, Albuquerque
Dan – Yes, good observation. I agree with that, and it’s been a source of frustration among the coaches as to why the point men haven’t shot the puck as much as they should.
Power play goals so often are scored off rebounds from point shots. No, the Avs don’t have a thumper anymore like Blake or Bourque, but John Liles has a serviceable enough shot, and he should fire it more.
Too often, the Avs try to play tic-tac-toe hockey on the PP. That was easier to do when you had guys like Forsberg and Sakic doing some of the passing, but too often now you see the point men trying to make the perfect play to a guy down low, instead of just blasting it on net and seeing what happens.
Hey, Adrian! Where would you rank our third and fourth lines with those of our championship years? How do Ian Laperriere, Ben Guite, Cody McCormick and the Monsters stack up against folks like Shjon Podein, Stephane Yelle and all the others who were third- and fourth-liners during our Cup runs? With a healthy top two lines, can the energy, physical play and occasional scoring we are seeing from the third and fourth translate into something more than just making the playoffs this year?
— Mark, Fairbanks, Alaska
Mark – Right now, I like the bottom lines better than I have of several recent Avs editions. First off, you neglected to mention Cody McLeod, and I love this kid – not just because he has flaming red hair either. He’s a tough farm boy from Manitoba who just wants to finish his check and make a royal pain in the butt to the opposition. He goes right after guys on the forecheck and hits hard. And, he’s scored a couple of nice goals so far. Which, in hockey parlance, is always a nice
“bonus.”
But I also like Ben Guite’s aggressiveness and attitude. And Lappy goes without saying that he brings it every night, and McCormick has been a better player than before – although his last couple games have been only so-so.
So, yeah, I think these bottom lines are doing a nice job. Now, if the top two can get some health and production going, this could be a good team again.
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 .
