Evans: After an early playoff exit, what’s next for the Avalanche?
Apr 23, 2018, 2:58 PM
The glow of a resurgent season for the Colorado Avalanche will linger for a good chunk of the summer, but all this did was whet my appetite.
I want more. I want this season to be a stepping stone to something bigger.
Making the playoffs as a huge underdog, eighth seed is fine … for this year. Now I want more.
How do the Avs get there?
They’re in great shape as they have an undisputed No. 1 line
Nathan MacKinnon, Gabriel Landeskog, and Mikko Rantanen, leave them alone. Let them do their thing. Nothing to change here.
They easily could be one of the NHL’s top three most dominant lines next year.
The kids need to make ‘the leap’
Alexander Kerfoot (19 goals), Tyson Jost (12), and J.T. Compher (13) all showed flashes. Next, their games need to go to the next level.
At least two of those three need to become 20 to 25 goals per year scorers.
The Avs need more depth
It’s easy to fall in love with grit guys during the playoffs. But for the long haul of the regular season — in order to finish with a better seed and home-ice advantage — the Avs need more scoring depth.
Gabriel Bourque scored 5 goals this season. Colin Wilson (6), Sven Andrighetto (8), Blake Comeau (13), Matt Nieto (15), and Carl Soderberg (16) round out a cast of hardworking, but marginally skilled, forwards.
Colorado needs more pop.
Defensively, the Avalanche aren’t that far off
Tyson Barrie is who teams look for in an offensive defenseman. Samuel Girard looks like he’ll be the real deal. I love the upside of Nikita Zadorov, and Anton Lindholm showed potential.
All of the young guys will have to take that next jump as well.
The Avs biggest issue is they don’t have men back there on the blue line. Its Stanley Cup winning teams had them. The Nashville team that just knocked them out has them.
Colorado doesn’t have a true No. 1 defenseman. They have a lot of threes, fours, and fives. Erik Johnson is its best defenseman, but he’s a No. 2.
Can you really build your blue line around someone like Johnson, who during his Avalanche career has played 22, 73, 31, 80, 47, 73, 46, and 62 regular season games?
They need to figure out what to do at goaltender
Jonathan Bernier and Andrew Hammond are both free agents to be. They are the definition of backup goalies.
Semyon Varlamov is the biggest question mark on this team. When right, when healthy, he’s a legitimate franchise goalie.
But can you depend on him? He’s been injury prone the last few years. Where are the alternatives?
Like it or not, the Avs will likely have to roll the dice on Varly.
There are some intriguing free agents on the radar
The Avalanche are among the top 10 in terms cap space. Guys like John Tavares, James Van Riemsdyk, Evander Kane, and Josh Bailey would present a huge, immediate impact.
Colorado has a loaded minor league system
But what are the odds all of these prospects pan out? And can the Avs, and their fans, fresh off getting a taste of what it’s like to be back in the playoffs, afford to sit and wait for these prospects to arrive and go through their inevitable growing pains?
I believe Colorado ould be better off looking to package some of these prospects for young veterans — players who are set to get paid and their current team can’t afford to fit them into their salary structure.
Lets summarize this …
The Avs made a huge step forward from a historically bad season in 2016-‘17. This was an awesome first step. But in many respects, it was an easy step forward.
Now comes the hard part. How do they become a top-four seed that has home-ice advantage and is set up to go deep in the playoffs?
If the Nashville series showed anything, Colorado’s still too young and its depth is too thin. They need upgrades among the defensive corps, more scoring pop among its second and third lines, and more stability in goal.
I don’t believe general manager Joe Sakic can afford to stand pat and trust this same team will come back next year and make a big jump. Sakic can’t wait for another two or three young players to come up and make the kind of impact this team will need.
I do believe this team could come back next season and be good enough to get a seventh or eighth seed again and probably get bounced again in the playoffs. But is that OK with Avs fans, who continue to wait for the big potential payoff of all these prospects that could be three years away?
And that’s a big maybe.
Or should Colorado strike while the iron is hot, the momentum is in play, and the Avs have the assets to improve and improve quickly?
I say let’s go for it.
Don’t be foolish. Don’t go after players past their prime, but be bold.
