MONTREAL — It would be positively foolhardy to draw any firm conclusions based on the Avalanche’s first week of games this season. So without further ado, let me draw some firm conclusions to this Avalanche season already:
The defense and goaltending will be much better. (Only two of the top six defensemen who started on opening night last season for the Avs — Kyle Quincey and Ryan Wilson — are still in the lineup.)
Quincey seems like a new addition again too, after missing most of last season with a separated shoulder. Instead of an aging captain (Adam Foote) and a handful of others on the small side, the Avs now have a defense that doesn’t tolerate any ice shavings kicked in its face. Wilson is the relative small-fry of the group, and he stands 6-foot-1 and 207 pounds.
The defense is also young, with only Jan Hejda 30 or older. No, these aren’t the Avs of 2000-01 on the blue line, with Foote, Ray Bourque and Rob Blake. Wilson and Ryan O’Byrne have had some anxious moments together and it might be nice to have a bit more skill back there, but overall the difference in the defense compared with the easy-to-play-against group of last year has been stark.
In goal, Semyon Varlamov has been, um, “Varlemous” so far. In all seriousness, it is dumb to draw firm conclusions on goaltenders, because it is such a mentally taxing position and their confidence can come and go like the tides.
But this much can be conclusively said about the new Avs goalie: he’s quick on his feet — very quick. He might have the fastest lateral movement of any goalie the Avs have had, and that includes Patrick Roy.
He also is quick to smother rebounds, something Peter Budaj never could do well in his years here. Varlamov jumps on loose pucks like the football player diving first to get the fumbled ball.
The book on Varlamov is that his glove hand is vulnerable, especially up high. But he has flashed a lot of quality leather so far in his three starts.
Jean-Sebastien Giguere, at 34, certainly isn’t as nimble as Varlamov. But who would you rather have as the backup goalie? Budaj and/or Brian Elliott, the tandem of late last season, or a former Stanley Cup and Conn Smythe winner?
The offense may be better, but big worries will remain. The Avs burst forth with seven goals Thursday night in Ottawa, plastering former goalie Craig Anderson with 39 shots. So, what is there to worry about?
For starters, it took until only Game 4 for top-six left winger Peter Mueller to need time off. After missing all of last season with a concussion, Mueller was described as “not feeling well” enough to play against Ottawa, and entering Saturday there was still just that vague listing of his status.
While newcomer Joakim Lindstrom played great in place of Mueller, scoring two goals, having to count on him as a possible replacement for anything long term would be worrisome.
And, while he has done some good things, relying on veteran Chuck Kobasew to be a top-six forward seems fraught with peril. He entered Saturday’s game still looking for his first point and is coming off two seasons in Minnesota in which he scored 18 goals in 105 games.
The big bright spot up front has been the play of the third line, and it seems reasonable to assume things will stay good there. Gabriel Landeskog appears to have been worth all the hype as a No. 2 overall draft pick, with two goals, three points and 16 shots on goal in his first four NHL games.
No team is perfect and this team is no exception. But it can safely be said now about the Avs: The worst is over.
Around the league
Crosby’s return remains up in the air
While it’s tremendous news that Pittsburgh mega-star Sidney Crosby is back to wearing a black helmet at practice, which means he is cleared to take contact again after nearly 11 months of being sidelined with a concussion, expectations are low among Penguins insiders that he’ll return anytime before next month at the earliest. For one thing, the Penguins don’t have many available practice days this month, “which makes it difficult,” coach Dan Bylsma told reporters. The Avalanche plays at Pittsburgh on Nov. 15 — just sayin’. . . . How big are the Maple Leafs in Ontario? More than 2,000 fans snaked around a 500-seat practice rink last week at CFB Trenton — an Air Force base 90 minutes east of Toronto where the team spent three off days — just to glimpse their heroes. The Avs play in Toronto and against old friend John-Michael Liles on Monday night. . . . It is considered a formality that the Red Wings will switch to the Eastern Conference next season. In fact, their players are already publicly rubbing their hands together in anticipation. “It would be a lot easier (traveling) in the East. That would be a huge difference,” forward Henrik Zetterberg said. “Those are long trips, and especially in the playoffs. That’s when it really affects us, having to go sometimes, two or three rounds in a row to the West Coast.” . . . Former Av Wojtek Wolski appears to be out of favor with another team. He was given a chance by the Rangers to play left wing on a line with new star center Brad Richards in the preseason but was quickly moved off the line by coach John Tortorella, and now Wolski is sidelined with a recurring groin problem.
