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 .
Do you think the Avs will make the playoffs? What kind of impact do you think they can make in the playoffs if Peter Forsberg and Adam Foote are healthy?
— Scott Wood, Woodslee, Ontario
Scott – I think the Avs squeak in, but they HAD to beat either Vancouver on Wednesday – they won 6-3 – or Edmonton on Friday.
If the “F Men” are healthy, the Avs are a much better team and can beat anybody. But will Forsberg and Foote stay healthy for an entire playoff run? I’d put the odds at about 25 percent that either one would go the whole way without missing one game. That’s just the way it is, especially with Forsberg. Something ALWAYS happens.
What is the trade value of Wojtek Wolski in the offseason? I would like to see him moved. He has a high turnover rate and struggles to see the whole ice when he is on a rush.
— Chris, Fenton, Mich.
Chris – A young player with 20-goal ability. Do you really want to give up on a guy like that so quick? Do you really think you’re going to get equal value in return? He’s a plus player this year, so how bad has his defense really been?
He’s not a playmaker, it’s true. But his assist numbers aren’t bad, either. I think it’s time to stop trying to make this guy out to be more than he is. He’s a kid with a good shot and a goal-scorer’s mentality. Don’t expect him to be Frank Selke, and don’t expect him to be Cam Neely. Yes, he could be more physical, and yes he could go to the net harder. He knows that, and the coaches certainly remind him if he forgets.
I wouldn’t ship the kid out just yet. Besides, the Avs are an older team than many in the conference. Teams like Chicago, Columbus, Phoenix and Edmonton are young and improving. The Avs are going to need to keep some of their younger bodies around to compete in coming years.
Hey, Adrian. Living in Kingston, and being a huge Avs fan, I’m sure you can guess what I’m going to ask about … Chris Stewart. Can you give me an update on his time with the Monsters? What do you think his future is with the Avs?
— Paul, Kingston, Ontario
Paul – Talking to some around the Avs who would know better than me, it’s been a so-so kind of season for Chris Stewart in Lake Erie. He has 22 goals and 40 points in 67 games, and a minus-11. I think the Avs would like to see him use his size a little more around the net, and in general. But the team remains pretty high on him, and next year he should have a decent chance at a roster spot. A kid with his size needs to use it to his advantage.
If the Avs do not make the playoffs, or end up eighth and out early, is this the team of the future, or do we see major changes of both coaching and players to compete once again for the Presidents’ Trophy? Detroit can do it during this new salary-cap era, and it makes my stomach turn.
— Tom, Glenrock, Wyo.
Tom – There’s no question Detroit has done a masterful job making the transition to the cap era. It seems like their players don’t age much. Kris Draper seems as fast as he ever was, Nick Lidstrom never looks any different, etc.
If this team doesn’t make the playoffs, there certainly will be some changes. Joel Quenneville could definitely be out of a job. He’s working on the last year of his contract now, and a second straight non-playoff year could be fatal to a new deal. Francois Giguere is a more patient person than Pierre Lacroix, though, so don’t expect anything to be done in haste – and I think he has a good relationship with Coach Q, and also knows this team was ravaged by injuries this year.
Excuse or not, the injuries are going to be a factor in how Giguere evaluates Quenneville’s performance this season. It’s easy for people to throw Q under the bus, but how’d you like to be the coach of a team that lost Joe Sakic for half the year, and numerous other top players for long stretches?
Don’t make me out to be a Q apologist here, though. I’ve stated some criticisms here and on and elsewhere. But it won’t be my decision or yours whether he’s back next year or not.
Hey, Adrian. Think we’ll see “Teejers” in the playoffs? I hope so.
— Aaron, Ann Arbor, Mich.
Aaron – Yes, T.J. Hensick could well be a playoff performer for the Avs at some point. Injuries always could make him a phone call away from getting on a plane to Denver. As of this writing, he’s got nine points in his last nine games for the Monsters.
Hi, Adrian. While in theory it makes great sense to spread the scoring talent over three lines, am I alone in thinking that the Avs should just load up the first two lines, with Joe Sakic, Peter Forsberg and Andrew Brunette on the first, and Milan Hejduk, Paul Stastny and Ryan Smyth on the second? No disrespect to David Jones, but Brunette seems to have good chemistry with Peter and Joe, and Smyth certainly didn’t come to Colorado to play on the third line.
— Chris, Toronto
Chris – Yeah, I’ve never been a big fan of “spreading the wealth” over the lower lines. To me, you play your best offensive players with each other, and not with the plumbers. That’s why I’m not a huge fan of seeing Peter Forsberg with Tyler Arnason and Jones at the moment. That said, I don’t think Forsberg and Sakic are a good pairing anymore. The reason is they’re not as quick as they used to be. Both of them like to have the puck on their stick a lot, too. The only good thing about Forsberg playing on a third line right now is that it keeps his minutes down some, keeping him fresher and less apt to get hurt.
If I were Coach Q, my top two lines probably would be this: Forsberg-Stastny-Brunette and Smyth-Sakic-Hejduk.
I think Sakic and Smyth would be a good pairing eventually. I know they started training camp together, with Brunette, and things didn’t go so well. But I think they would do well in a playoff situation, and I love Forsberg and Stastny together. I might even dump Brunette off the top line in favor of Wolski, as I think Bruno tends to be out of place in an up-tempo game, and Forsberg and Stastny are much more up-tempo than him.
Hey, Dater. I was watching the game against the Devils on March 15 and realized that I rarely, if ever, see a goalie interviewed in the breaks between periods. It would have been great to hear from Martin Brodeur. Why don’t we hear from the goalies between periods? And thanks for all the blog updates!
— Scott, Longmont
Scott – The reason has to do with the fact that about 95 percent of goalies believe it is a jinx to talk on game days, either before or during the game. I don’t always like it as a reporter, but that’s the deal.
Patrick Roy never talked to reporters on game days, at the morning skate. Neither does Jose Theodore, nor almost every other goalie.
Hi, Adrian. Do you think that by having all of the alternate captains as offensive players shows Joel Quenneville’s distaste for the blue line? Mind you, this is a team that used to rotate four with at least one defensive captain. Ian Laperriere and Andrew Brunette are great, but adding two defensive captains might not hurt.
— Aaron, Ypsilanti, Mich.
Aaron – No, I don’t think it has much to do with anything. Q is a former defenseman, so he’s not going to view his own defenders that way. If Adam Foote comes back to the Avs next year – and I think it’s about 99 percent he will – I think you’ll see him be an alternate captain for sure. And if Joe Sakic retired, Footer would be the captain.
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 .
