The Road Not Taken - A Colorado Avalanche Story

[DrGravyBoat]

"Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference."
-Robert Frost

My love affair with the Colorado Avalanche began at a young age. I discovered the unusual purple colour combo when I was 5 years old. That Christmas, I got an Avs Jersey, the old alternates with "Colorado" spelled out in their savage font, diagonally down. I went to my first Avs game (and NHL game), with that jersey. My dad swears that I cheered louder for the visitors than anyone else in the building. That year, when I began grade 1, I tried to convince my grade one teacher my parents had changed my name to Joe, after Joe Sakic of course, with his electric wrist shot. As I grew up however, the love burned out. I stopped watching NHL hockey for a while, focused more on other things. When I finally did get back into the NHL again, I naturally supported my hometown team, the Calgary Flames. When beloved captain Jarome Iginla left for Denver, so did my support, and the love affair continued.

That being said, I'm trying to fix the mess we've gotten into these last few years. Near the salary cap's ceiling with nothing going for us, the Avs need a reboot. The wall needs to be torn down before it can be rebuilt. However, it needs to be different. It needs to be built to last. A dynasty reminiscent of the Canadiens of the 50s, with the rivalries of the 90's (Cough Detroit Cough). We need to take a Road less traveled.

I've played a tad bit into the season, made a few moves, and had a little success. Allow me to share the journey with you. Please let me have 1 reserve before posting.

So please, sit back and enjoy.

[DrGravyBoat]

Reserve Number 1

Good to Post

[onlybygrace]

NICE!!! I'm following.

[DrGravyBoat]

As a new season begins in Colorado, questions continue to persist for new GM James Dupree. The Avalanche, are stuck in a state of mediocracy. Between aging veterans and good players that are about to reach their prime, the Avs are in danger of not cashing in on opportunity. A full rebuild seems unfair to the fans who stuck around during the tough years to see this product. A playoff mentality, win-at-all-costs attitude won't do the team any favours for the future. And everyone knows that a reload on the fly only works for teams with championships and money to spend.

The Avalanche have none of that. They've only got the guys in the locker room that can hope to change their fortunes. Depth at Right Wing is atrocious. Their cap situation leaves much to be desired. Scoring is at an all-time low. Goaltending is stable, but not spectacular. The prospect pipeline is lacklustre. They need to do things as best they can, with innovation. They need to create a new way to build teams, quick and solidly. That being said, here's 3 things they can do to improve their luck.

1. Get more Cap Space.

An easy, first step can be taken in getting rid of excess cap space from aging veterans to bring in more young adept players. If they can bring their expenses to levels where the Arizona Coyotes hover, that'll be optimal.

In clearing cap space, you allow to take cap back from teams near the ceiling. In turn, you take their prospects and make use of the overpaid players as best you can. Whether that be moving players to the AHL, in order to cut their cap hit, or flip those players for later draft picks. Many more options opening up cap space for the Avs, and options is what they need.

2. Get NHL-Ready Prospects

With NHL-ready prospects, you put a product on the ice for years to come. By letting their players develop in the NHL, the top flight competition forces prospects to hone their craft quickly and well. Furthermore, with the players being there for the long-term, it creates something to build around and draw free agents to.

In order to get these prospects, the price will be steep. Good deals must be made, and the trigger must be pulled at the right time. Similar to stocks, as tone-deaf as it sounds, players must be bought for low value and sold high.

3. Win from Within

In order to gain capital to make the deals necessary, the Avs need to win with their current squad to gain access to the owner's piggy bank. That requires everyone to work.

Goal tending needs to be phenomenal, defense needs to be impeccable, and offense needs to be available. All great teams build from the front, however the Avalanche's defense first mentality may allow them to win games in a high-scoring central divison. That being said, the goals need to be timely. If the Avs can score, they'll be alright.

[seb170455]

Great analysis. It probably won't be that easy. Good luck and I am following.