Quite unexpectedly, the Avalanche has discovered there is going to be life after Joe Sakic, after all. The sun will rise. And Colorado again can be a force in the NHL playoffs.
The man we can thank for this epiphany?
It’s 22-year-old Wojtek Wolski.
Holy Wolly.
Wolski was born to play center. In the span of a week, this 6-foot-3, 210- pound dude has made a sudden, heavy impact as the scoring force these Avs so badly need. The youngster looks right at home between Ryan Smyth and Milan Hejduk on the team’s top line.
After Wolski came up huge Saturday against league glamour boy Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins in a 5-3 Colorado victory, if the Avs play Wolly the Bully anywhere else except center for the next 10 years, they are nuts.
Or am I crazy?
“You’re right. You look at the way Wolski is playing at center, and the natural reaction is, ‘Gee, what the heck took you so long to put him in that role?’ But, knock on wood, I think it has worked out the right way,” said coach Tony Granato, his smile nearly too wide for the hallway as he walked to the dressing room after his streaky Avs won for the third straight time.
While the inconsistencies of this team during the first half of the regular season have been enough to drive Avaholics to drink, the franchise has recently stumbled into discoveries that should allow Colorado to beat out Phoenix, Minnesota and Columbus for a postseason berth in the Western Conference.
Between the pipes, Andrew Raycroft has finally broken the funk that originally brought him to Denver. Granato now can pick between Peter Budaj and Raycroft down the stretch, giving the majority of starts to the hot goaltender of the moment.
It was out of a sense of desperation, or maybe the realization Tyler Arnason was ill- suited to be a top-line center, that Wolski was moved from the wing, where he tended to float, to a position of more responsibility, where his natural talent has blossomed. With six points in his past three games, Wolski has proved he can be much more than an artist painting masterstrokes in shootout situations.
“It’s not a matter of finding a comfort level,” said Wolski, a promising center who played wing for the Avs from 2006-08 to get on the ice. “There wasn’t an opportunity for me to play center, with Joe Sakic and Paul Stastny on this team. There was not much room. They’re great players, and I’m just happy to pitch in.”
But here’s a strong vote to keep Wolski working on the No. 1 line, even after more famous teammates return to health. His tendency to throw pucks at the net leaves a lot of garbage for Smyth to pick up. The ability of veteran all-star Hejduk can cover for any defensive lapses by Wolski.
By the time the arm injury to Stastny heals, the feet of Peter Forsberg should feel good enough to wear skates. Attention, Avalanche general manager Francois Giguere: How good could Foppa look as Stastny’s left wing? Throw in the size and speed of David Jones, and that’s a second mean scoring line for Colorado.
There are whispers and worries that Sakic is done, broken beyond repair.
But so long as the heart of a Hall of Famer beats in Sakic, I refuse to give up on him so easily.
Here’s the perfect role for Captain Joe if he can make it back in the lineup about the time his teammates are locking down a playoff berth.
When Sakic returns from a snowblower accident and back surgery, he will be 39 years old and rusty, but would be a good extra hand on the power play and be one unbelievable No. 3 center. What foe in the playoffs wouldn’t hate to see Sakic on the checking line?
“If you have three centers, there’s not that much ice time. You usually combine your best assets on the top lines,” said Granato, who believes it was wiser to let Wolski adjust to NHL life as a wing rather than in the center of the action. “But we’ll enjoy that decision if we have to reach it.”
Is there really any choice?
The Avs have found a reason to believe that it won’t require a medical miracle by Sakic to win in the playoffs.
Holy Wolly.
Mark Kiszla: 303-954-1053 or mkiszla@denverpost.com
