Why the Colorado Avalanche will be the next big team

The Colorado Avalanche again have had yet another disappointing season in the NHL. With their last playoff berth in 2009-10, the Avalanche continue to disappoint fans by placing near the bottom of the league two years in a row. With newly added Patrick Roy as head coach and young Nathan Mackinnon, the Av's look to change their future. This years entry draft General Manager Joe Sakic made a very shocking decision. Instead of drafting No. 1 overall defence man Seth Jones, he took Nathan Mackinnon. In their current place as 27th in the NHL for goals against allowing 150 goals in 42 games this past season, drafting a defender seemed to be the obvious choice. Yes Nathan is speedy centre and has the potential to be a point per game NHL star, but offence is not what the Avalanche organization needs. Personally I'm puzzled why Joe Sakic did not draft Seth Jones. Playing in the WHL for the Portland Winter-hawks, Jones put up an impressive 56 points in 61 games. Not only is he a 6'4'' 205 pound shut down defence man, he can put up the offensive numbers on the blue line. On the power play this year the Av's placed 24th in the NHL. With Seth Jones and Erik Johnson at the point, the power play conversion rate could have improved dramatically. While their number one net minder Semyon Varlamov had some solid games and is an NHL starting goaltender, he can't preform well with the defence he has in front of him. As we have seen the negative of not drafting Seth Jones, here's the positive of having Nathan Mackinnon on your roster. In the 2012-13 QMJHL season, Mackinnon put up 78 points in 58 games. The following year Nathan hit an impressive 75 points in just 44 games. This amazing skater and fantastic puck handler has a natural talent for goal scoring. Along with his quick hands, Mackinnon is surprisingly physical and is not afraid to battle for the puck along the boards or in front of the net. He is the full package for a starter at centre.

Here is the current Colorado Avalanche roster Gabriel Landeskog Alex Tanguay Cody Mcleod Matt Duchene Paul Statsny Ryan O'Reilly P.A. Parenteau Jamie Mcginn Steve Downie

Tyson Barrie Jan Hejda Erik Johnson Semyon Varlamov

Matt Hunwick Stefan Elliott Cory Sarich Jean-Sebastien Giguere

Now down to their forwards. First off when you look at this team, you immediately notice their strength down the middle. Matt Duchene, as their number 1 centre, put up 43 points in 47 games. Duchene has a natural feel for the puck and can put up solid numbers making him one of the most feared players for any goaltender. Playing second line centre is silver medalist in the 2010 olympics Paul Stastny. Stastny has not lived up to expectations over the past few years. After signing a 6 year deal in 2009-10 for 33 million, Stastny's point total has declined from 79 points in the 2009-10 season. This past season Stastny put up only 24 points in 40 games. While he was rumoured to be on the trading market throughout this past year and offseason, the Av's have decided to keep him. If Stastny can find chemistry with his line mates and be the 70 point player a year he is, the Avalanche will have a much better shot at the playoffs. The 3rd line introduces young centre Ryan O'Reilly. After all that commotion with the offer sheet earlier this year, O'Reilly preformed very well hitting 20 points in 29 games. He is every teams dream 3rd line centre. Not only is he a high skilled playmaker, but he can be a reliable point producer for this streaky team. Playing the wing along side Duchene is P.A. Parenteau. Pierre Alexandre had a breakout season with the Islanders in the 2010-11season reaching 53 points. He returned the following year and put up a solid 67 points tallying 49 assists. This season with the Av's he hit 43 points in just 48 games. P.A. Parenteau is one of the most underrated play makers in the NHL. He has a deep understanding of the game and can make unbelievable plays with his passing ability.

Then there's the famous Gabriel Landeskog, the youngest captain in NHL history at only 19 years of age. Many believed the pressure would shake the young Swede, and it did. After reaching 52 points in 2011-2012, Gabriel scored only 17 points in 36 games this past season. The pressure built on his shoulders and he collapsed. But this isnt the end of him, he has an amazing skating ability and can dangle his way out of trouble. We have only seen the beginning of this remarkable swede. Recently the Avalanche traded for forward Alex Tanguay. Many people look down at this trade and criticized Colorado for picking him up but I think that he will benefit the 9th youngest team in the NHL with his expertize and experience. That meaning don't expect him to put up the numbers he used to. Tanguay can also chip in a little on the power play as he has the ability to control the play and can pass the puck very well. He will be good for 30, maybe 40, points depending if he can pick up chemistry with Paul Stastny. As the Avalanche have built their forwards and have a very talented group of goal scorers and playmakers, their defence could be much better. Having Matt Hunwick and Tyson Barrie as their top two isn't the greatest. I'm not saying they're bad players per say, but they are definitely not ready to be a top two defensive pair on an NHL team. First off what the Av's need is a fully developed NHL ready defence man who can tally 30-40 points a year and can be the shut down D-men that they desperately need. That player was to be supposed Erik Johnson. Drafted number one overall in the 2006 entry draft by the St.Louis Blues, Johnson ended up with the Avalanche. In his rookie year he tallied 39 points in 79 games with the Blues. This past year, he hit only four points in 31 games. Expectations were and are very high on 25 year old Erik Johnson. Johnson definitely has some making up to do. One thing that Johnson and the team can benefit from is an experienced Dman that could be mentors to these players. Could former Avalanche pick in the 2002 entry draft Tom Gilbert be the answer. As of now Gilbert seems to be KHL bound but I think he could be a good addition to a struggling defensive teams like the Av's. Since hitting 45 points with the Oilers in the 08-09 seasons, the 6'3'' 206 pound defence man point total has dropped tremendously over the years. This doesnt mean he is completely useless, as he can reach 20 points and be an effective go to defence man and help out on the penalty kill. With 10 million in cap space, Joe Sakic should definitely take a look at Gilbert. Another viable option is the aging Filip Kuba. This Czech defender has a powerful slap shot at the point

and back in the day, he was a consistent 30 point player. Yes Kuba is not the player he was back with the Senators and Wild, but his contributions would be more off the ice than on. Kuba can provide playoff experience and leadership in the locker room. He can be a mentor to the younger players. Another benefit is that he is relatively healthy playing 44 out of 48 games last season with the panthers. Once the Colorado Avalanche pick up at least two more defenders and Erik Johnson and Paul Stastny have a rebound year, this team will be on the right track to a playoff berth.