This was kind of a fun round for me because this was the course that I played on when I was a kid.
I had a bit of a delay in posting about this one, I played the day before Father's Day, due to house-sitting and getting ready to move and doing a lot of writing for Bleacher Report, etc...
It was a perfect day for golfing, no wind or anything, and I felt good.
The day started off really well, I hit greens in regulation on the first three holes right in a row, but couldn't sink a putt to save my life.
There was a bit of a road block when we hit a par 3 at hole number four. Some guys about three groups ahead of us were taking way too long to play, and the group right in front of us was slow for the entire front nine, always waiting until the group in front of them was either on the green or walking off of the green in order to hit (even on the long par 5's.
Hole 4 was bad because we waited about 25 minutes before we could hit our tee shots, and hole 5 I spent trying to get my rhythm back.
By hole 6, I seemed to be more or less back in the swing of things, if you'll pardon the word play.
I ended up finishing the front nine with a 46, not too bad.
The back nine was far better for everybody. It seems the people who were really holding things up got off of the course, and my group didn't have to sit and wait for anything.
Hole 11 was kind of my crowning achievement of the day. It is a shorter par 5, about 490 from the white tees that is pretty tough because the whole left side is bordered by trees and a little ravine. About 250 in, there is a gulch where the ball is playable, but you would play it out of the rough.
I hit my drive just short of the gulch, and a bit on the right side, so I had a straight, clear look at the green and was only about 220 out, according to my little caddie app.
So pulled out my 3 wood and bombed it. The ball clipped the leaves of one of the trees, but if anything that helped me. The ball scooted onto the middle of the green and stopped about 15 feet from the cup, on in 2. Gave it a good putt, and it broke just a bit more before the hole, leaving me a little tap in for birdie. Totally legit!
Next hole stunk, but I kept a pretty consistent game the rest of the back nine, including another birdie on a pretty tough par 4 that has a beast of a green.
I finished up the back nine with 42, and carded an 88 for the day. I was quite happy, all-in-all.
Walked the whole time as well since my wife had just gotten me a nice push cart for my clubs that day. Now I can walk 18 but not have to carry the whole thing on my back, which stinks.
Can't wait to get out again, because I'm really feeling it this summer.
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Monday, June 13, 2011
Sin Bin On the Bleacher Report!
Hey guys,
I know that I've been very sparse posting on the home blog site here. I have been doing a lot of work for Bleacher Report, and haven't had a lot of stories that translate to both places here.
I just posted several stories that I ran on B/R as well, but haven't had a lot of Avalanche/Bronco specific things to do.
I don't believe there will be an NFL season this coming year, but with the NHL draft and the start of a new NHL season, I will be back with much more consistent work.
Plus, I had been hoping that I would see more from A-Mac with the NBA and with MLB as well.
I'll have to get on her about that.
At any rate, if you've been following along, I really appreciate it, and I'll try and do better for you as we go along.
There have been a few projects I've been working on.
First, obviously, is the Bleacher Report. Here is a link to my profile page, please feel free to check out the many other things that I've been writing. I also try to post each of those B/R pieces to my Facebook page.
Apparently FB is redoing their group pages, so I may have to re-invite everybody to this at some point, not quite sure when.
Hope all your summers are off to an amazing start, and will continue that way. We'll see more of you soon!
KG
I know that I've been very sparse posting on the home blog site here. I have been doing a lot of work for Bleacher Report, and haven't had a lot of stories that translate to both places here.
I just posted several stories that I ran on B/R as well, but haven't had a lot of Avalanche/Bronco specific things to do.
I don't believe there will be an NFL season this coming year, but with the NHL draft and the start of a new NHL season, I will be back with much more consistent work.
Plus, I had been hoping that I would see more from A-Mac with the NBA and with MLB as well.
I'll have to get on her about that.
At any rate, if you've been following along, I really appreciate it, and I'll try and do better for you as we go along.
There have been a few projects I've been working on.
First, obviously, is the Bleacher Report. Here is a link to my profile page, please feel free to check out the many other things that I've been writing. I also try to post each of those B/R pieces to my Facebook page.
Apparently FB is redoing their group pages, so I may have to re-invite everybody to this at some point, not quite sure when.
Hope all your summers are off to an amazing start, and will continue that way. We'll see more of you soon!
KG
Chris Drury Being Bought out By NY Rangers? Could This Spark a Return to Colorado?
According to a report released by NHL.com today, the New York Rangers are considering buying out the last year team captain Chris Drury's contract.
The 34-year-old Drury, who will be 35 before the start of next season, was limited in action this year due to injury.
He played in only 24 games, scored only one goal (which happened to be in the last game of the season to the Rangers clinch a playoff spot) and had four assists. A very disappointing season all-in-all.
If the Rangers were to buy Drury out of his contract, Drury would become an unrestricted free agent, capable of signing with whomever he pleases.
So, if Chris Drury does become available, would it make sense for the Colorado Avalanche to try and snap him up?
The first question to answer regarding a return to the Avalanche would have to be: What kind of contract he would get?
Drury, as I mentioned, is going to be turning 35 this offseason and is coming off of the least productive season of his career.
He is scheduled to make $5 million in the last year of his contract but will very likely not command the same sort of money that he did when he initially signed with the Rangers.
This is due to three things. First, he's coming off the least productive season of his career.
Second, he was injured most of this season.
Third, he's much older and his chances of scoring up to 30 goals are not very good.
That being said, the Avalanche really won't have to worry too much about what kind of contract he is going to want, as they will have close to $30 million in cap space to deal with when free agency begins.
Next question to consider is whether or not this is even a good idea.
Drury's 35, and he doesn't really fit the mold of the Avalanche mantra of "building from within." Plus, the Avalanche are already pretty heavy at the center position.
Sure, he's a former Avalanche player, but he's older and seems to be in the twilight of his career.
On the other hand, he would be accepted by Avalanche fans immediately as many of us were devastated when he was traded away.
He has captained two different NHL teams (Rangers and Sabres), so you know his leadership abilities are completely unquestioned. It might not even be outlandish to suggest that Drury could become the next captain of the Avalanche.
It would help to have another veteran player on the roster for the younger guys to look up to and learn from.
Plus, Drury's career has been a picture of consistency, and not just from a productivity standpoint.
This season was the only season in Drury's entire career that has seen him play fewer than 70 games, and his career low in games played before this was 71.
On a team that was absolutely devastated by injury last year, it's nice to know that there is that kind of consistency.
So in the end, even though he's much older, bringing Chris Drury back to the Avalanche seems to have more positives than negatives.
So let's jump into the future and say that the Avalanche do sign Chris Drury—what would be his role with the team?
Obviously, Drury would not come in and be that first line center that is going to rack up points all over the place.
I would most likely compare his role to be similar to that of Manny Malhotra, for the Vancouver Canucks.
Drury would be a third or fourth line center who sees time on the penalty kill and on defensive zone face-offs.
Drury has always been very proficient at taking face-offs, and it would be good to be able to switch between Drury and Stastny depending on the side of the ice.
This type of role might also give us a bit of an idea about the kind of contract he would get as well, since he definitely isn't the 39 goal scorer he was in Buffalo.
All things considered, Chris Drury could have a positive impact on the Avalanche if he were to be re-signed.
He's a great leader, is already loved by the Avalanche community, has won championships with the Avalanche before, could help improve the horrendous Avalanche penalty kill, and is an all around good guy.
It's possible that the Avalanche might give him a chance to come back to the place where he was not only rookie of the year, but a Stanley Cup Champion, but it might be a bit of a stretch.
Either way, I'll always be a fan of Chris Drury.
The 34-year-old Drury, who will be 35 before the start of next season, was limited in action this year due to injury.
He played in only 24 games, scored only one goal (which happened to be in the last game of the season to the Rangers clinch a playoff spot) and had four assists. A very disappointing season all-in-all.
If the Rangers were to buy Drury out of his contract, Drury would become an unrestricted free agent, capable of signing with whomever he pleases.
So, if Chris Drury does become available, would it make sense for the Colorado Avalanche to try and snap him up?
The first question to answer regarding a return to the Avalanche would have to be: What kind of contract he would get?
Drury, as I mentioned, is going to be turning 35 this offseason and is coming off of the least productive season of his career.
He is scheduled to make $5 million in the last year of his contract but will very likely not command the same sort of money that he did when he initially signed with the Rangers.
This is due to three things. First, he's coming off the least productive season of his career.
Second, he was injured most of this season.
Third, he's much older and his chances of scoring up to 30 goals are not very good.
That being said, the Avalanche really won't have to worry too much about what kind of contract he is going to want, as they will have close to $30 million in cap space to deal with when free agency begins.
Next question to consider is whether or not this is even a good idea.
Drury's 35, and he doesn't really fit the mold of the Avalanche mantra of "building from within." Plus, the Avalanche are already pretty heavy at the center position.
Sure, he's a former Avalanche player, but he's older and seems to be in the twilight of his career.
On the other hand, he would be accepted by Avalanche fans immediately as many of us were devastated when he was traded away.
He has captained two different NHL teams (Rangers and Sabres), so you know his leadership abilities are completely unquestioned. It might not even be outlandish to suggest that Drury could become the next captain of the Avalanche.
It would help to have another veteran player on the roster for the younger guys to look up to and learn from.
Plus, Drury's career has been a picture of consistency, and not just from a productivity standpoint.
This season was the only season in Drury's entire career that has seen him play fewer than 70 games, and his career low in games played before this was 71.
On a team that was absolutely devastated by injury last year, it's nice to know that there is that kind of consistency.
So in the end, even though he's much older, bringing Chris Drury back to the Avalanche seems to have more positives than negatives.
So let's jump into the future and say that the Avalanche do sign Chris Drury—what would be his role with the team?
Obviously, Drury would not come in and be that first line center that is going to rack up points all over the place.
I would most likely compare his role to be similar to that of Manny Malhotra, for the Vancouver Canucks.
Drury would be a third or fourth line center who sees time on the penalty kill and on defensive zone face-offs.
Drury has always been very proficient at taking face-offs, and it would be good to be able to switch between Drury and Stastny depending on the side of the ice.
This type of role might also give us a bit of an idea about the kind of contract he would get as well, since he definitely isn't the 39 goal scorer he was in Buffalo.
All things considered, Chris Drury could have a positive impact on the Avalanche if he were to be re-signed.
He's a great leader, is already loved by the Avalanche community, has won championships with the Avalanche before, could help improve the horrendous Avalanche penalty kill, and is an all around good guy.
It's possible that the Avalanche might give him a chance to come back to the place where he was not only rookie of the year, but a Stanley Cup Champion, but it might be a bit of a stretch.
Either way, I'll always be a fan of Chris Drury.
Avs and Leafs, Possible Trade Partners? Doubtful.
We are very close to the month of June, which means a few things are just around the corner.
Free agency, the NHL entry draft and teams being able to wheel and deal again.
Over the past couple of weeks, there have been a couple of stories written that predict that the Avalanche would be ideally suited to trade with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Both articles outline, and correctly so, that the Maple Leafs could address two of their needs with a couple of the current Avalanche players.
Toronto definitely needs a first line center, and the fact that trade rumors circulated around Stastny around the trade deadline this year makes Stastny look like a possibility for the Leafs.
Toronto also needs to replace Tomas Kaberle on the blue line with another solid offensive-minded defenseman, and the fact that John-Michael Liles ends up in trade rumors every single year no matter how well he is playing also could make the Leaf's organization perk their ears up.
The big question that has been raised in both of these articles is who the Leafs would give up in order to get both of these guys.
As far as Stastny goes, I have two issues with the idea of Stastny being shipped off to the Leafs.
First, the trade rumors only really began to fly around Stastny because his dad, Peter Stastny made critical comments of the Avalanche after they traded young stars Chris Stewart and Kevin Shattenkirk to St. Louis in exchange for Erik Johnson and Jay McClement.
Why does the fact that his dad popped off at the mouth mean that Stastny should be traded?
Just because his dad happens to be a former member of that franchise, the old Quebec Nordiques, somehow means that Paul shares the same thoughts as his dad?
Personally, I don't follow that line of reasoning.
Anybody who watches the Avalanche knows that Stastny is a leader on this team, and really has been ever since he came into the league.
He could also very easily be the next captain of the Colorado Avalanche.
Second, you would have to think that Stastny has got to be their second choice for a first line center, considering that Brad Richards is the headliner of this year's free agent class.
That being said, the Leafs may have to do some trading to being with in order to make room for the inevitable large contract that Richards will demand.
Assuming that Toronto keeps all of their other potential free agents, they only have a bit over $3 million of cap space.
This could make signing Richards quite difficult.
That being said, the same sort of challenge comes with Stastny. Times aren't the same as before the lockout, and Stastny's $6.6 million cap hit is a huge consideration that needs to be taken into account when considering who will be going where.
With John-Michael Liles, it seems that trade buzz follows him around every year, yet he is still wearing an Avalanche sweater.
Liles' appeal is obvious as he came very close to hitting 50 points this past season, and might have if he hadn't been injured for the last week of the season.
He quarterbacks the power-play very well, is very fast, is still solid in his own zone despite the fact that he is much smaller than your average defenseman, and is only 30 years old.
He plays very well with solid, stay at home style defensemen with good shots from the point, so he might make a great partner for Toronto captain Dion Phaneuf.
Still, with his successful productivity and experience in the league, he is a very valuable commodity to the Avalanche who boasted the league's youngest team for the last two years running.
Looking at the players the Avalanche would have to give up, personally, I don't see a trade for both of these players ever coming to pass.
That being said, it doesn't mean that it couldn't happen. So, what might be a possible trade to bring all of this to fruition?
Let's look at each team's needs.
Avalanche Needs
Goaltending. If there was anything that the Avalanche absolutely and positively needs, it's a proven number one goalie that they can count on to play 60-70 games a season and not buckle under the work load.
Size. Just a general need that needs to be addressed in several locations.
Both offensively and defensively, the Avalanche are small.
The Avalanche are getting Kyle Quincey back for the start of next season, so he will bring some size back to the lineup, but that far from solves things.
Defense. The Avalanche defense was not only small, they were incredibly inconsistent and quite frequently looked as if they were unable to play without a sense of panic always in them.
Toronto Needs
According to these articles that I am referencing, the Leafs are most in need of a solid first line center, and a play making defenseman.
Here was the most interesting trade referenced out of the two articles.
Colorado trades Paul Stastny John-Michael Liles, 11th overall pick, 153rd overall pick to Toronto.
Toronto trades Nazem Kadri, Jonas Gustavsson, Mike Komisarek, Tyler Bozak, Carl Gunnarsson, Jiraj Mikus, 25th overall pick, 39th overall pick and 86th overall pick.
The draft picks seem to work out here, but let me tell you why this trade is a bad one for the Colorado Avalanche.
The Avalanche are giving up their top line center and number one assist man, Paul Stastny, and one of their most valuable offensive producers from the blue line and get neither of those style of players in return.
Kadri is a prospect that has promise, but only might end up being a first line style player. It isn't even clear if Kadri would end up on a second line behind Matt Duchene.
Gustavsson was drafted with a lot of hype, which he has not lived up to. He played in 23 games for the Leafs this year and ended up with only six wins, and a goals against average of 3.29.
The Avalanche already have two glorified back up goalies, we do not need another one.
Komisarek could add some size to the blue line which is good, and it is possible that Tyson Barrie or Stefan Elliot (Avalanche prospects who both dominated the WHL last year and signed entry level contracts with the Avs towards the end of the year) could make up for Liles' production.
Gunnarsson and Bozak combined for 50 points between the two of them last year, which Stastny surpassed by himself even though he had an low productivity season.
Then Mikus seems to be another defensive center prospect that might be a third line center, second at best.
The Avalanche already have three of those types of centers on their team right now.
Yes, that is a lot of players for the Leafs to give up, but nothing that gives the Avalanche the same type of value that they are sending away.
If the Avalanche are to trade Liles and Stastny to the Maple Leafs, then the Leafs should be prepared to see a name like Grabovski, Kessel, maybe even Phaneuf heading the other way.
Just because the Avalanche were god awful this last season does not mean that they will trade away some of their best players for a slew of third liners.
Personally, I don't see any type of trade like that happening, but it is possible.
If I were to tweak things around a little bit, here is what I might do.
Colorado Trades: Stastny, Liles, 11th overall pick to Toronto (there is an insane amount of trade value there that not a lot of people realize because the Avalanche had such a bad year)
Toronto Trades: Phaneuf, Grabovski, Komisarek 25th overall draft pick, (39th overall draft pick).
Even this trade I don't see as being particularly realistic for either team because of all the leadership that is going from both teams.
Not to mention that it doesn't really address all of the needs that the Avalanche have.
The Avalanche aren't too interested in acquiring depth at the moment, especially if it is in exchange for two of the pillars of their organization.
In conclusion, it is highly possible that the Avalanche and the Maple Leafs could end up doing some kind of a deal over the summer, but the ones listed in the two articles significantly undervalue what the Avalanche are giving up and would need back in order for them to happen.
It seems to me that the best course of action for the Avalanche is to try and augment the team a bit more through free agency and the draft rather than blow up the roster by getting rid of two big time leaders on the team.
Free agency, the NHL entry draft and teams being able to wheel and deal again.
Over the past couple of weeks, there have been a couple of stories written that predict that the Avalanche would be ideally suited to trade with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Both articles outline, and correctly so, that the Maple Leafs could address two of their needs with a couple of the current Avalanche players.
Toronto definitely needs a first line center, and the fact that trade rumors circulated around Stastny around the trade deadline this year makes Stastny look like a possibility for the Leafs.
Toronto also needs to replace Tomas Kaberle on the blue line with another solid offensive-minded defenseman, and the fact that John-Michael Liles ends up in trade rumors every single year no matter how well he is playing also could make the Leaf's organization perk their ears up.
The big question that has been raised in both of these articles is who the Leafs would give up in order to get both of these guys.
As far as Stastny goes, I have two issues with the idea of Stastny being shipped off to the Leafs.
First, the trade rumors only really began to fly around Stastny because his dad, Peter Stastny made critical comments of the Avalanche after they traded young stars Chris Stewart and Kevin Shattenkirk to St. Louis in exchange for Erik Johnson and Jay McClement.
Why does the fact that his dad popped off at the mouth mean that Stastny should be traded?
Just because his dad happens to be a former member of that franchise, the old Quebec Nordiques, somehow means that Paul shares the same thoughts as his dad?
Personally, I don't follow that line of reasoning.
Anybody who watches the Avalanche knows that Stastny is a leader on this team, and really has been ever since he came into the league.
He could also very easily be the next captain of the Colorado Avalanche.
Second, you would have to think that Stastny has got to be their second choice for a first line center, considering that Brad Richards is the headliner of this year's free agent class.
That being said, the Leafs may have to do some trading to being with in order to make room for the inevitable large contract that Richards will demand.
Assuming that Toronto keeps all of their other potential free agents, they only have a bit over $3 million of cap space.
This could make signing Richards quite difficult.
That being said, the same sort of challenge comes with Stastny. Times aren't the same as before the lockout, and Stastny's $6.6 million cap hit is a huge consideration that needs to be taken into account when considering who will be going where.
With John-Michael Liles, it seems that trade buzz follows him around every year, yet he is still wearing an Avalanche sweater.
Liles' appeal is obvious as he came very close to hitting 50 points this past season, and might have if he hadn't been injured for the last week of the season.
He quarterbacks the power-play very well, is very fast, is still solid in his own zone despite the fact that he is much smaller than your average defenseman, and is only 30 years old.
He plays very well with solid, stay at home style defensemen with good shots from the point, so he might make a great partner for Toronto captain Dion Phaneuf.
Still, with his successful productivity and experience in the league, he is a very valuable commodity to the Avalanche who boasted the league's youngest team for the last two years running.
Looking at the players the Avalanche would have to give up, personally, I don't see a trade for both of these players ever coming to pass.
That being said, it doesn't mean that it couldn't happen. So, what might be a possible trade to bring all of this to fruition?
Let's look at each team's needs.
Avalanche Needs
Goaltending. If there was anything that the Avalanche absolutely and positively needs, it's a proven number one goalie that they can count on to play 60-70 games a season and not buckle under the work load.
Size. Just a general need that needs to be addressed in several locations.
Both offensively and defensively, the Avalanche are small.
The Avalanche are getting Kyle Quincey back for the start of next season, so he will bring some size back to the lineup, but that far from solves things.
Defense. The Avalanche defense was not only small, they were incredibly inconsistent and quite frequently looked as if they were unable to play without a sense of panic always in them.
Toronto Needs
According to these articles that I am referencing, the Leafs are most in need of a solid first line center, and a play making defenseman.
Here was the most interesting trade referenced out of the two articles.
Colorado trades Paul Stastny John-Michael Liles, 11th overall pick, 153rd overall pick to Toronto.
Toronto trades Nazem Kadri, Jonas Gustavsson, Mike Komisarek, Tyler Bozak, Carl Gunnarsson, Jiraj Mikus, 25th overall pick, 39th overall pick and 86th overall pick.
The draft picks seem to work out here, but let me tell you why this trade is a bad one for the Colorado Avalanche.
The Avalanche are giving up their top line center and number one assist man, Paul Stastny, and one of their most valuable offensive producers from the blue line and get neither of those style of players in return.
Kadri is a prospect that has promise, but only might end up being a first line style player. It isn't even clear if Kadri would end up on a second line behind Matt Duchene.
Gustavsson was drafted with a lot of hype, which he has not lived up to. He played in 23 games for the Leafs this year and ended up with only six wins, and a goals against average of 3.29.
The Avalanche already have two glorified back up goalies, we do not need another one.
Komisarek could add some size to the blue line which is good, and it is possible that Tyson Barrie or Stefan Elliot (Avalanche prospects who both dominated the WHL last year and signed entry level contracts with the Avs towards the end of the year) could make up for Liles' production.
Gunnarsson and Bozak combined for 50 points between the two of them last year, which Stastny surpassed by himself even though he had an low productivity season.
Then Mikus seems to be another defensive center prospect that might be a third line center, second at best.
The Avalanche already have three of those types of centers on their team right now.
Yes, that is a lot of players for the Leafs to give up, but nothing that gives the Avalanche the same type of value that they are sending away.
If the Avalanche are to trade Liles and Stastny to the Maple Leafs, then the Leafs should be prepared to see a name like Grabovski, Kessel, maybe even Phaneuf heading the other way.
Just because the Avalanche were god awful this last season does not mean that they will trade away some of their best players for a slew of third liners.
Personally, I don't see any type of trade like that happening, but it is possible.
If I were to tweak things around a little bit, here is what I might do.
Colorado Trades: Stastny, Liles, 11th overall pick to Toronto (there is an insane amount of trade value there that not a lot of people realize because the Avalanche had such a bad year)
Toronto Trades: Phaneuf, Grabovski, Komisarek 25th overall draft pick, (39th overall draft pick).
Even this trade I don't see as being particularly realistic for either team because of all the leadership that is going from both teams.
Not to mention that it doesn't really address all of the needs that the Avalanche have.
The Avalanche aren't too interested in acquiring depth at the moment, especially if it is in exchange for two of the pillars of their organization.
In conclusion, it is highly possible that the Avalanche and the Maple Leafs could end up doing some kind of a deal over the summer, but the ones listed in the two articles significantly undervalue what the Avalanche are giving up and would need back in order for them to happen.
It seems to me that the best course of action for the Avalanche is to try and augment the team a bit more through free agency and the draft rather than blow up the roster by getting rid of two big time leaders on the team.
Why The Avs Should Pass On Ryan Nugent-Hopkins in the NHL Draft
Only one team in the NHL has a higher draft pick than the Colorado Avalanche this year, who hold the No. 2 overall draft pick.
There is a lot of debate amongst the Avalanche faithful as to who the Avalanche should draft with the second overall pick.
A lot, of course, depends on who Edmonton takes with the first overall pick.
At the moment, the general consensus seems to be that Ryan Nugent-Hopkins will go to the Oilers first overall.
Some on Bleacher Report see this as a very bad idea for the Oilers to do this.
Supposing that the Oilers follow this particular advice and pass up on Nugent-Hopkins, I firmly believe that the Avalanche should follow suit, and allow him to slide by.
First of all, allow me to say that I have absolutely nothing against RNH, it's clear that he's going to be a star in the NHL and has an incredibly bright future in front of him, it just shouldn't be with the Avalanche.
Why? There are two simple reasons.
First off, the Avalanche are already incredibly center heavy on their team.
By the end of the year, the Avalanche had five centers on the active roster. Paul Stastny, Matt Duchene, Jay McClement, Phillippe Dupuis and Ryan O'Reilly who will all make strong pushes to stay on the roster.
There are some who think that the Avalanche will trade Paul Stastny away this summer, but I just can't see that happening, as he is a marquee player on the Avalanche and has a huge contract that not too many teams would want to take on.
Add in the fact that the Avalanche signed top draft pick of a year ago, Joey Hishon, to an entry level contract towards the end of the season, and will expect that he will make a serious push to make the roster for next season.
The last thing that the Avalanche are in need of is another center.
Second, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins would just add to another one of the greatest weaknesses on the Avalanche from this past season.
Nugent-Hopkins is about 6'0" tall, 165 pounds. This is how he compares to the Avalanche centers that I mentioned earlier.
Paul Stastny: 6 feet, 205 pounds.
Matt Duchene: 5 feet 11 inches, 200 pounds.
Jay McClement: 6 feet 1 inch, 201 pounds.
Phillippe Dupuis: 6 feet, 196 pounds.
Ryan O'Reilly: 6 feet, 200 pounds.
Joey Hishon: 5 feet 10 inches, 170 pounds.
The Avalanche have their fair share of smaller, finesse style players. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins would just give them more of what they already have.
What the Avalanche need is a power forward who is big, strong, will get into the dirty areas and bang home the ugly goals.
Since the Avalanche traded Chris Stewart, they have been lacking in that area and Ryan Stoa definitely did not fill this role.
There is another player that has been on Avalanche fan's radar for quite a while because he fills the power forward role perfectly, and has been described as the most NHL ready player in this draft.
Gabriel Landeskog.
If the Avalanche are given a choice between the two, and there is a definite possibility that they could be, I believe that Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is not the guy for the Colorado Avalanche.
There is a lot of debate amongst the Avalanche faithful as to who the Avalanche should draft with the second overall pick.
A lot, of course, depends on who Edmonton takes with the first overall pick.
At the moment, the general consensus seems to be that Ryan Nugent-Hopkins will go to the Oilers first overall.
Some on Bleacher Report see this as a very bad idea for the Oilers to do this.
Supposing that the Oilers follow this particular advice and pass up on Nugent-Hopkins, I firmly believe that the Avalanche should follow suit, and allow him to slide by.
First of all, allow me to say that I have absolutely nothing against RNH, it's clear that he's going to be a star in the NHL and has an incredibly bright future in front of him, it just shouldn't be with the Avalanche.
Why? There are two simple reasons.
First off, the Avalanche are already incredibly center heavy on their team.
By the end of the year, the Avalanche had five centers on the active roster. Paul Stastny, Matt Duchene, Jay McClement, Phillippe Dupuis and Ryan O'Reilly who will all make strong pushes to stay on the roster.
There are some who think that the Avalanche will trade Paul Stastny away this summer, but I just can't see that happening, as he is a marquee player on the Avalanche and has a huge contract that not too many teams would want to take on.
Add in the fact that the Avalanche signed top draft pick of a year ago, Joey Hishon, to an entry level contract towards the end of the season, and will expect that he will make a serious push to make the roster for next season.
The last thing that the Avalanche are in need of is another center.
Second, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins would just add to another one of the greatest weaknesses on the Avalanche from this past season.
Nugent-Hopkins is about 6'0" tall, 165 pounds. This is how he compares to the Avalanche centers that I mentioned earlier.
Paul Stastny: 6 feet, 205 pounds.
Matt Duchene: 5 feet 11 inches, 200 pounds.
Jay McClement: 6 feet 1 inch, 201 pounds.
Phillippe Dupuis: 6 feet, 196 pounds.
Ryan O'Reilly: 6 feet, 200 pounds.
Joey Hishon: 5 feet 10 inches, 170 pounds.
The Avalanche have their fair share of smaller, finesse style players. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins would just give them more of what they already have.
What the Avalanche need is a power forward who is big, strong, will get into the dirty areas and bang home the ugly goals.
Since the Avalanche traded Chris Stewart, they have been lacking in that area and Ryan Stoa definitely did not fill this role.
There is another player that has been on Avalanche fan's radar for quite a while because he fills the power forward role perfectly, and has been described as the most NHL ready player in this draft.
Gabriel Landeskog.
If the Avalanche are given a choice between the two, and there is a definite possibility that they could be, I believe that Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is not the guy for the Colorado Avalanche.
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