Denver Post sports writer Adrian Dater posts his Avs Mailbag on Mondays during the 2009-10 NHL season.
for the Avs Mailbag.
OK, Adrian, I have been waiting to ask your opinion on this until I saw more of Ryan O’Reilly, but what other Avs player who had No. 37 does he remind you of? Think Little League World Series. I mean, both Ryan and Chris Drury are hardly ever out of position. And had Drury stayed here, he would now be our captain, like you predict about Ryan’s future (no offense intended, “Footer”). Both just know what to do and when to do it.
— John McKay, Henderson, Nev.
John – I definitely think O’Reilly could be a captain of this team some day. He’s got a lot of quiet leadership qualities, and plays hard in all the little areas that go unnoticed.
Drury did wear the No. 37 his first few years with the Avs before switching to 18 his last year. He never should have been traded, and we’ve covered that ground plenty before. O’Reilly is finally an heir apparent kind of guy to Drury, although I doubt he’ll be the kind of goal-scorer Drury was. But make no mistake, O’Reilly is a major reason why this team has the record it has right now, and he’ll be a fixture here for a while, I believe.
A few of us at work are finding conflicting reports of when David Jones becomes an unrestricted free agent. Same date: Some say UFA, some RFA. CBA shows 27 with four seasons would be a UFA. He will be the correct age and have enough seasons by the time his contract ends.
— Michael, Denver
Michael – No, Jones won’t be a UFA when his current contract ends. He’s signed through next season, but he’ll only be 26 by July 1, 2011. July 1 is the date when players become “eligible” for the next stage in any contract status.
Avs fan from Van, sometimes it hurts! What are the latest rumors around the team as regards to the deadline? Buyer/sellers? Possibly move some contracts/UFAs: John-Michael Liles, Brett Clark, Ruslan Salei, Marek Svatos, Darcy Tucker, etc.?
— Mark Herget, Vancouver, British Columbia
Mark – It’s still too soon to say. I get a kick out of people when they talk about playoff standings and trade stuff in … December. We’re not even to the halfway mark yet. Liles, though, is a possibility to pop up in trade rumors. When Kyle Cumiskey comes back, they’ll have seven D-men, and one of them will have to sit. How can you sit Ryan Wilson, the way
he’s playing right now? He’s playing opposite Adam Foote right now and it’s been a good combination.
Liles has a big contract, and if you pumped the Avs’ management full of truth serum, it might come out that they’d like to move that contract and go with the younger kids and maybe get a needed forward and/or picks for him.
Adrian – How many beat writers are there out there who have covered the team since its inception? Like you. Thanks.
— Martin, Denver
Hmmm, interesting question, Martin. I believe John Glennon of The Tennessean in Nashville has covered the team from Day One, but I actually think Denver Post Broncos beat writer Jeff Legwold was the actual beat guy the team’s first year in town, and Glennon was a backup. Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal has covered the team from Day One of the team’s NHL existence, and he’s obviously a dean of the NHL writers and a font of knowledge. After that, I think that’s pretty much it.
Thanks for making me feel real old!
Adrian – Do you know what has happened to Dan Hinote, one of my all-time favorite Avs? Is he still playing?
— Rane Millard, Fort Morgan
Rane – Dan Hinote currently is playing on the Swedish team, MoDo, with his good buddy Peter Forsberg. Unfortunately, both players are hurt right now. Hinote has a high ankle sprain and Foppa has a cracked rib. Hinote signed with Forsberg’s team a couple months ago, after not finding much interest in his services anymore in the NHL.
Hey, Adrian. Do NHL players talk a lot of trash? How does it compare to other sports? The NFL is getting out of hand. The NBA has been that way of a while. Thank you.
— Roger, Denver
Roger – Yes, there’s plenty on the ice. There’s an awful lot of it actually.
Obviously, there are lots of contentious moments in a hockey game, and when that happens players’ mouths don’t stop working. Thing is, players in hockey don’t talk any trash when the game’s over. Even after the nastiest of games, it is rare when a player doesn’t morph back into a polite, vanilla-sounding person with nothing but respectful things to say about the opposition. But when the game’s on, players beak at each other all the time.
Adrian – I see that Ilya Kovalchuk may be on the trading block if he doesn’t get his extension. He is an $11 million-a-year guy, but young and a great talent. Do the Avs have the cap room, and if so, will we make a run at him?
— Brad Jacobs, Tampa, Fla.
Brad – No. The Avs are not going to trade for a guy who wants $11 million a year in his next contract, and they are definitely not going to trade any young players to get Kovalchuk as a rental player.
The Avs played that game in the past, but they don’t play it anymore. If Kovalchuk is an unrestricted free agent this July, might the Avs be interested in making an offer? Possibly, but you can forget any trade for him involving young players. I love Kovalchuk as a player, but you just can’t mortgage your future for guys like him anymore in this league. Not in a salary-cap era.
Adrian Dater has covered the Colorado Avalanche since the team moved to Denver in 1995. for the Avs Mailbag.
