Denver Post sports writers Terry Frei and Mike Chambers post the Avs Mailbag every other Thursday during the regular season.
Pose an Avalanche- or NHL-related question for the Avs Mailbag.
The NHL trade deadline has come and gone and the Avs made a few moves. Do you like what Joe Sakic did this year to improve the team? Are the Avs really a playoff team?
— Tom, Aurora
Tom: I like the additions of Shawn Matthias and Mikkel Boedker, but the Avs might pay a hefty price because both might sign elsewhere as UFAs this summer. Combined, the Avs gave up their top two picks in the 2014 draft (Connor Bleackley, Kyle Wood), minor-league forward Colin Smith and a 2016 fourth-round pick. That’s a lot for two rentals. Colorado made two other deals but those will take at least a year to adequately judge.
I have been a big Calvin Pickard supporter for few seasons now. Do you see him just being a backup for now or do you see him being the starter for the Avs in the near future? Thanks.
— Ben, Centennial
Ben: I’m a big fan of “Picks” too. I take that back, I’m not a fan — but I admire the professional athlete that he is. Extremely likable young man, very confident and mature. Despite his lack of size — he’s listed at 6-foot-1, which I doubt — I believe he has a brighter future in Colorado than any goalie in the organization, including Semyon Varlamov.
Mark Kiszla said the Avalanche needs to make the playoffs right now and the franchise has been allowed to skate along its past glory. Is there really that much of an urgency to win now for the Avs?
— Blake, Littleton
Blake: Yes. The Sakic/Roy era is coming up on its three-year anniversary. They made the playoffs as the No. 2 Western Conference seed in their first year. Last season was their mulligan year. I see and feel the urgency every time I’m around this team.
My question is regarding Patrick Roy’s coaching when we are down — whether it be when we are down by three early or down by one late. Why doesn’t Roy put Nathan MacKinnon, Matt Duchene and Gabe Landeskog back together on the same line?
They were dominating teams when they were playing together (It got Dutchy out of his slump). I recall a game against the Blackhawks that they just controlled the play in the offensive zone. I know it takes away from the other lines, but when you are down why not stack one line and try to tie it or get back into it?
— Lorne, Victoria, British Columbia
Lorne: Roy does sometimes put MacKinnon, Duchene and Landeskog together when in desperate need of a goal. But Roy has a lot of confidence in Soderberg and Comeau (and Iginla on the power play) and you can’t just played one line for more than a minute. In tight games, you’re usually going with your top six forwards and throw in the third line at times. For the top six, any combination can be effective. MacKinnon-Duchene-Landeskog is flashy but they don’t have to be together for the team to climb back late in the game.
Why is it that the fans are always questioning Roy’s coaching? At what point do we start to question the players and their ability to perform like we were led to believe at the drafts. The core guys such as Landeskog, Duchene, Erik Johnson, Tyson Barrie and Varlamov were all coached under Joe Sacco. He was fired for lack of results, so why is Roy being questioned when he had such great success in the juniors? Shouldn’t we begin to question the core players?
— Jared, Denver
Jared: When you’re being outshot 40-20 most nights with elite talent, coaching is questioned, Jared. Lately, that hasn’t been the case. The Avs have outshot their opponents and lost. Many people question Roy as a coach because he was a goalie, never played forward or defense in the NHL. And sometimes he doesn’t explain himself well. Bottom line, the NHL is a business about wins. If you don’t win enough, your capacity to do that is questioned, and it doesn’t matter what you did in the past.
Hi, I have always been a Patrick Roy fan, but I was a little skeptical when the Avs hired him as coach because of the failures of Tony Granato and Sacco. I wanted the Avs to get an experienced NHL coach. Do you think the Avs organization is hampered by hiring coaches with zero experience in the NHL or by only hiring people who were in the organization before? It just seems like Patrick doesn’t want to get away from the rushing type offense that requires other teams to make mistakes rather then trying to control the play.
— Mike, Banff, Canada
WATCH: Can Colorado resign Mikkel Boedker for next year?
Mike: Here in Colorado we bring back our former legends to run the team. John Elway with the Broncos and the Rockies hired former shortstop Walt Weiss from a local high school team to be their manager. You’re just skeptical of Roy because you’re from Canada and not familiar with the good ‘ol boy network. Kidding aside, if I’m an NHL GM, I’m hiring a coach with NHL experience. I wouldn’t want my coach to learn the ropes on my time, because I’m as likely to get fired as him.
Hey Mike, I wanted to get your opinion on how the Stadium Series went at Coors Field. What were the good as well as bad things you noticed with the outdoor hockey?
— Tayler, Englewood
Tayler: I’m not too fond of parking at Coors Field — especially for a 5 p.m. alumni game in Friday rush hour — but I thought it was a tremendous event and a excellent showing by Colorado hockey fans. It was better than I expected.
Which free agents do you think the Avalanche will target this summer?
— Derrick, Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada
Avs Mailbag: Pose a question for Terry Frei, Mike Chambers
Derrick: The Avs need to sign an unrestricted free agent defensemen like Jason Demers of the Stars or Kris Russell, who joined the Stars this week after being traded from Calgary. This year’s UFA defensemen crop is unspectacular, but Colorado must sign a steady top-four guy and allow Chris Bigras, Nikita Zadorov and Mason Geertsen, among others, develop in the system.
How much would you predict MacKinnon and Barrie getting in their restricted free agent contracts/extensions?
— Mike, Colorado Springs
Mike: All depends on their term, if they do a bridge deal or not. I’m really undecided on this issue.
Denver Post sports writers Terry Frei and Mike Chambers post the Avs Mailbag every other Thursday during the regular season.
Pose an Avalanche- or NHL-related question for the Avs Mailbag.