After Sunday night, 11 games remained in the regular season for the Avalanche. Consider this, then, the 71-game-mark season awards — and other housecleaning items.
TEAM MVP: Craig Anderson — Not much room for debate on this one. Signed to a two-year, $3.6 million UFA contract last summer, Anderson has proved to be an absolute steal. Before he gets married this summer, Anderson hopes to add a long playoff run to his resume. Regardless, expect a contract extension to happen at some point not long into next season.
MOST UNDERRATED: T.J. Galiardi — Without Galiardi, there is no chance of a playoff spot for the Avs. Not only has he been a solid offensive contributor, but his defense and penalty-killing work have been indispensable.
BEST REDEMPTIVE SEASON: Scott Hannan — Yes, perhaps the Avs overpaid more than a little when they gave him a four-year, $18 million deal in 2007. But this season, at least, they have gotten a good return from the veteran D-man. He eats up a lot of minutes and has missed only one game in nearly three years with the Avs. That’s worth something.
BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT: Attendance — A last-place finish a year ago, the star defections of previous years and the economy produced a big drop in season-ticket sales. That helps explain a lot of the Avs’ attendance problems. But nobody expected the crowds to stay as low as they have, even as the team has turned into a young, surprising one.
BEST “ROCKY” STORY LINES: Matt Hendricks, Chris Durno — After years in the minors for each player, when a lot of guys might have given up, they both made their NHL debuts this season and have been valuable contributors.
MOST REFRESHING ADDITION: Matt Duchene — There was no overrating of what turned out to be the No. 3 pick in the draft. Du- chene leads all rookies in scoring and is the leading candidate to win the Calder Trophy. He’s also engaging, smart and ever curious about things other than hockey — all at the age of 19.
BIGGEST UNANSWERED QUESTION: Do they have the right stuff? — Detroit, Calgary and St. Louis aren’t too far back in the playoff race. Can the Avs see this thing through to make the playoffs? Or will their youth and inexperience finally show through when it matters most?
Check with me in another 11 games on that last one.
