Denver Post sports writer Bennett Durando opens up the Avs Mailbag periodically throughout the season. Pose an Avalanche- or NHL-related question for the Avs Mailbag.
Last year at this time the Avs were running away with the Central Division, the Western Conference and the entire National League. This season, it appears they may be fortunate to eke out a low seed. What teams do you see finishing ahead of the Avs in the Central?
— Jack, Hooper
January is really when the Avalanche started to run away with the division last season. They went 15-0-1 in the month. Still, they aren’t anywhere near as cozy right now, trying to battle their way back into the top three.
The Avs are behind Dallas, Winnipeg and Minnesota in the Central. The next-closest team behind them is St. Louis, but I think if anyone were to catch them, Nashville is more likely. The Blues might go into sell-mode with Ryan O’Reilly and Vladimir Tarasenko placed on injury reserve this week.
I’m convinced the Stars will hold on and win the division. They’re just the most complete team right now: potent top line, elite special teams on both sides and great goaltending. Defensive depth is the only question.
That leaves Winnipeg or Minnesota for the Avalanche to pass. My inclination is the Wild are more vulnerable, but not if their goaltending is as lights-out as it has been recently. Not only is Marc-Andre Fleury heating up with a .945 save percentage in his last five outings; backup Filip Gustavsson has a .947 in his last six. Not bad for a goalie situation that seemed in shambles early in the season. With Kirill Kaprizov and Mats Zuccarello driving the Wild’s offense, I’ll go bold and say Colorado catches the second-place Jets but not Minnesota.
Love the Winter Classic games. Any chance Colorado gets another in the next few seasons? Where would you like to see one played?
— Rip, Aurora
Fun fact: When I was a teenager in St. Louis, I worked as a stadium usher at Busch Stadium, so I thought it was the coolest thing ever when I got paid to be at the Winter Classic between the Blues and Blackhawks.
Fenway looked amazing on television this week. That will always be the best stadium for this event or anything else.
The bummer about Colorado hosting is it generally requires an evening puck drop. As much as the Avs love to show off their sunshine-inspired state flag in uniforms, this team knows better than anyone what too much sun exposure does to an outdoor rink.
That said, I think a golden hour puck drop at Mile High or another game at Coors Field would rule. The Avalanche have never played in a Winter Classic, and considering the city’s recent PR crusade to become known as Hockey Capital U.S.A., I wouldn’t rule out Denver this decade. Just don’t play it at Air Force.
Tried thinking outside the box for other venues to pitch to the NHL: Lambeau Field, Churchill Downs, Central Park, Augusta National (just ignore the temperature), Lake Placid (closest equivalent to a Field of Dreams game?), or honestly just in the shadow of some mountain. Heck, if we’re planning one for Colorado, might as well build a rink in the Rockies.
Will the Avs have a moms’ or dads’ trip this year?
— Michelle, Littleton
Dads’ trip is next Thursday for the game in Chicago. To my knowledge, a moms’ trip has not been arranged.
Why did Bo Byram skate for several days and then stop? Did he have a setback? Is his injury still the same lower body issue from November or did something else happen? Is he continuing to make progress or is he out long term now? After his personal leave of absence last year the silence is concerning.
— Mar, Lakewood
Yes, Byram has a history of concussions, but this is completely unrelated. It’s the same lower-body injury from November. He has been around the team still. He wasn’t responding to treatment at first, which effectively doubled his timeline, but now he is. At this point, Byram is expected back this season.
“I can’t give you an exact timeline because I don’t know,” coach Jared Bednar said. “But now things are starting to come together for him.”
Happy New Year, wanted to see what resolutions the Avs should make in 2023. I would say stay healthy and make the injury train stop.
— Blake, LoDo
Correct. In terms of on-ice resolutions, I would say blocking the opposing goaltender’s vision more. The Avs rank last in the NHL in 5-on-5 shooting percentage by a wide margin (5.6%, half a percentage point behind the closest team and 2.5% below league average). Bednar was asked about this the other day, and he said there’s more to it than shooting. Other factors dictate how a scoring chance is graded.
“If no one’s standing in front of the goalie, he’s top of the crease, he’s seeing it the whole way: It’s a B (chance), sometimes even a C,” Bednar said. “You get someone breaking the goalie’s eyesight, it’s an A. Some of them are almost automatic goals, I’m thinking. … I go cruising past the goalie’s eyesight at the right time and you’re shooting the puck from a grade-A scoring chance: I’m not on the scoresheet, but your shooting percentage just went up, you know? So there’s things we can do.”
For a team that’s bottom-seven in goals per game despite averaging 33 shots, finding ways to get the puck in the net more often is the resolution.
Please rank the best leagues in the world after, of course, the NHL.
— Paul, Denver
Lot of toss-ups in here, so take with a grain of salt. But here goes nothing.
- NHL (U.S./Canada)
- AHL (U.S./Canada)
- KHL (Russia)
- SHL (Sweden)
- Liiga (Finland)
- ECHL (East Coast)
- Czech Extraliga (Czech Republic)
- NCAA (U.S.)
- CHL (Ontario, Western and Quebec Major Junior leagues)
This isn’t a league, but your prompt reminded me of the ongoing World Juniors tournament in Halifax, Nova Scotia. I would be remiss to get through the week without mentioning Connor Bedard’s overtime goal for Canada vs. Slovakia. May the NHL tanking sweepstakes accelerate!
Which member of the Avalanche would survive a real avalanche?
— Connor, Easton
Kurtis MacDermid would drop the gloves and charge the avalanche. I would feel sorry for the snow.