Caught In the Avalanche

For questions/comments/concerns, feel free to e-mail me at: Drury18@comcast.net

Key: GP=Games Played   G=Goals   A=Assists  P=Total Points  ATOI=Average Time On Ice  PIM=Penalties in Minutes
Note: For years played I excluded seasons where players only played in a handful of games and had few or no points.
Note 2: I decided to only include players that played at least 10 games (which basically leaves out Kyle Cumiskey and Cody McCormick).

18^th year-Center
Height: 5’ 11” Weight: 180 lbs.
GP: 82 G: 36 A: 64 P: 100   
ATOI: 20:11  PIM: 46  +/-: +2
2006-2007 Salary: $5,750,000

Just in case anyone thought Joe Sakic was slowing down or getting “too old” to be playing hockey, he actually bested his points total from last year. Sakic wears the captain’s C for a reason. He is a leader on the ice and in the locker room. He finished the season with 100 points; the 6^th time in his career his points total has reached triple digits. Sakic once again climbed up the ranks of the all-time scoring list. Avs fans need not worry either as Sakic inked another one year deal after the season ended.

With his 9^th season of scoring 30 goals or more, Joe Sakic set a new franchise record, previously held by Peter Stastny and Michel Goulet who both scored 30 goals 8 times. Sakic started the season 11^th all time in points and finished at 9^th; he started out 17^th in goals scored and finished at 14^th all time; and started out 15^th in assists to finish up 11^th place. Sakic became the second player in NHL history to score 100 points at age 37 or older. As he set new marks all season long, he helped lead the Avs with 25 points during their 15-2-2 end of season run. Next season, Avs fans can look forward to seeing where Sakic will go in his 19^th season.

11^th year-Left Wing
Height: 6’ 1” Weight: 212 lbs.
GP: 82 G: 27  A: 56  P: 83 
ATOI: 17:30  PIM: 36  +/-: -8
2006-2007 Salary: $800,000

In his second year with the Avalanche, Andrew Brunette has had a career best season in goals, assists and obviously points. Brunette has really clicked well with Joe Sakic and the pair went on a scoring tear late in the season when the Avs needed it most. Brunette was often a key part of the power play, netting 9 power play goals. Brunette was also about the only player would consistently put his body down low and try to screen the other team’s goaltender. Even Joe Sakic has said that people underrate Andrew Brunette and his ability to make great passes down low.

Once again Brunette appeared in all 82 games for the Avs and provided an important presence on the ice. He has proven that he is worth the raise in pay that he will receive for the next season. This year, considering his numbers and veteran presence, he was actually a bargain. The only disappointing number for Brunette is that his plus/minus rating was -8, tied for the worst on the team. This number is a bit odd as Brunette is not usually someone that you would expect to see when the other team is scoring because he will physically go after the puck down low and in the corners.

Rookie-Center
Height: 6’0”  Weight: 205
GP: 82 G: 28 A: 50 P: 78 
ATOI: 18:10  PIM: 42
2006–2007 Salary: $535,000

It’s hard to even decide where to start with Paul. Talk about a fantastic rookie season for the former DU Pioneer. Some might not have thought he was wise to leave college after his sophomore year, but he cleared up any doubts as to whether he’d made the right decision. He finished first in rookie scoring in the Western Conference and second in overall rookie scoring behind Evegeni Malkin of the Penguins. In just his first season of NHL play, Stastny broke some rookie records for not only the franchise, but the entire league. As far as franchise rookie scoring goes, Stastny is in 4^th place behind his dad and two uncles. Hockey clearly runs in his family and he took a while to adjust to the NHL’s style, but Stastny could have a huge career ahead of him.

The Avs should count themselves lucky to have the young forward while he comes cheap (because undoubtedly one day he will earn a salary like Joe Sakic). Stastny is playing on the same team as Joe Sakic who also played with Peter Stastny when he was younger. Stastny can gain leadership skills and develop into a key player for this team. He left Alex Tanguay’s rookie mark of 55 points in dust and played on a line with Milan Hejduk for much of the season. Stastny contributed 11 of his goals on the power play and 6 of his goals were game winners. At his young age, he has a bright future ahead of him and could one day be an NHL superstar just like his dad.

8^th year-Right Wing
Height: 6’ 0” Weight: 190 lbs.
GP: 80 G: 35 A: 35 P: 70  
ATOI: 17:52  PIM: 44  +/-: +10
2006-2007 Salary: $3,800,000

 
Milan Hejduk benefited this year from playing on a line with superb rookie scorer Paul Stastny. The two went on a scoring tear late in the season. Hejduk had an average year offensively, but contributed heavily in critical times. He netted 12 of his goals on the power play, one shorthanded and one in overtime, while six of his goals were game winners.  He was dependable as he only missed a couple games this season to the flu and to an unfortunate incident in which he had a chunk of skin removed from his nose in Los Angeles. He had to get fourteen stitches and it seems this incident sparked Hejduk to come alive offensively.

On a team that didn’t exactly lack firepower (the Avs were tied for the most goals scored in the west), Hejduk provided more veteran experience and worked with Paul Stastny. Hejduk was in the right place at the right time a lot and was second on the team in the plus/minus category. The good news for Hejduk is that he already has a long future ahead of him with this organization as his contract extends through the 2009-2010 season. He could be another rare player like Joe Sakic who finishes out his career with one team unless the Avs feel the need to trade him in the future.

Rookie-Left Wing
Height: 6’ 3” Weight: 200 lbs.
GP: 76 G: 22 A: 28 P: 50 
ATOI: 15:31 PIM: 14  +/-: +2
2006-2007 Salary: $984,200

 
Wojtek Wolski certainly did not have a bad rookie season, but given his numbers in the minors last year, his numbers were a bit of a disappointment. Of course the NHL is not the same as the minor leagues, so the pressure and playing style is different. Wolski was the fourth leading scorer among rookies with his 50 points. One impressive part of Wolski’s game is that he does not take many penalties. In fact, it was not until late December that he recorded his first minor penalty.

In a rather nasty play in Calgary, Wolski took a hit to the head and suffered a concussion. His offensive production had been slowing down prior to that, but after returning from his injury he was quiet for a long time. As the season neared its end, he woke up again and added a few goals to bring his total past 20. He played a big role on the Avs power play, netting 7 goals when the Avs were up a man. He often played on a line with Joe Sakic and Andrew Brunette as the Avs top line. He is under contract for the next season and could have a better season as he is more used to the NHL style of play and length of the season.

5^th Year - Center
Height: 5’ 11” Weight: 204 lbs.
GP: 82 G: 16 A: 33 P: 49 
ATOI: 14:20  PIM: 26  +/-: -8
2006 – 2007 Salary: $950,000

Tyler Arnason was an interesting player as he was 6^th in scoring for the Avs this season. The interesting part was that he could really contribute points when he felt like it. It just seemed like about half the time, he didn’t feel like playing up to par. When Arnason was on, he was really on and often had multiple point nights. There were the other nights (a few too many) where he had little to no impact on the game. Three of his sixteen goals came at crucial times as game winners.

Evidence of the nights when Arnason was off his game is his -8 rating which is tied with Brunette for the lowest on the team. Arnason was a pretty disciplined player as he didn’t take too many penalties over the course of the year and logged a fair amount of ice time each night. He didn’t miss a single game and when he was really on his game had a big impact. His contract runs out this off season and he will become an unrestricted free agent if the Avs choose not to offer him a new contract.

3rd year-Defenseman
Height: 5’ 10” Weight: 185 lbs.
GP: 71 G: 14 A: 30 P: 44 
ATOI: 17:45  PIM: 24 +/-: 0
2006-2007 Salary: $1,250,000

 
In his third NHL season, John-Michael Liles was left without his defensive power play counterpart as Rob Blake returned to Los Angeles. Liles proved how much of a class act he was when he asked Blake if it was okay to wear number 4, so that rookie Paul Stastny could wear the number 26 that his dad used to wear. Liles had some pretty big shoes to fill, and stepped up to play a key part on the Avs power play. He suffered a broken foot that knocked him out for about a month and after his return, he was fairly quiet offensively. Liles was still an important part of our team and lead the defense in scoring.

Liles matched his goal total from last year and had 5 fewer assists. Had he not suffered the broken foot and played the whole season, he probably would’ve surpassed his point totals from last year. He is still young, but in his 3 years in the NHL he has stepped up and shown lots of improvement. Now that he is without a mentor in Rob Blake, he has performed well on his own. He’s gotten a little more into the physical play this year, despite his relatively small stature. The good news is he has another year remaining in his contract with the Avs and the next year he will become an unrestricted free agent.

8^th year-Defenseman
Height: 6’ 0” Weight: 190 lbs.
GP: 82 G: 10 A: 29 P: 39 
ATOI: 23:40  PIM: 50  +/-: +5
2006-2007 Salary: $1,500,000

 
Last year was Brett Clark’s breakout NHL season as he had his first successful NHL season appearing in all but two Avs regular season games. This year Clark has been an important solid presence on the blue line. For the majority of the season, he played with Karlis Skrastins as the Avs’ top defensive pair. Clark led the team in ice time and was a key player on the special teams and throughout the game. He was the second leading scorer for the Avs blue-liners.

Clark for the second year in a row has bested his previous career best in total points. His numbers are slightly better than last year, making him a pretty consistent and reliable contributor offensively. Clark blocks a lot of shots and is not afraid to pay the price physically for doing so. Even though this is really only Clark’s second full NHL season (prior to last year for the Avs, he played at most half a season in the NHL at a time), he is a clear veteran presence on the blue line. His salary was increased greatly from last season, but he clearly earns his salary night in and night out. His salary will stay constant for next season and we should expect another great performance from him.

3rd year-Center
Height: 5’ 11” Weight: 185 lbs.
GP: 78 G: 15 A: 20 P: 35 
ATOI: 13:37  PIM: 36 +/-: +8
2006-2007 Salary: $750,000

Brett McLean was a very versatile player for the Avs this year as well. While he started out playing on the lower lines as more of a grinder, he ended up on the Avs second line. McLean may have initially sounded like he didn’t belong on a line with offensive stars Milan Hejduk and Paul Stastny, but he fit right in and contributed to scoring along with them.

Brett McLean was another one of those players who set a career best this season. With his 15 goals, he beat his previous mark of 11 goals in one season with Chicago. Three of those 15 goals were game winners, making his goals pretty important. While playing with Stastny, he was a winger and fit right into the role. He will become an unrestricted free agent during the off-season, but you would expect the Avs to offer him a contract. McLean is not crucial to the team’s success, but he does provide some offense and physicality as well while playing with very offensive-minded players.

2^nd Year-Right Wing
Height: 5'11" Weight: 175 lbs.
GP: 66  G: 15  A: 15  P: 30 
ATOI: 12:29  PIM: 46  +/-: +1
2006-2007 Salary: $1,050,000

Marek Svatos did not have the greatest year as his numbers were not nearly as impressive as his rookie season. Perhaps it’s the old curse of the sophomore slump and next year he’ll be back at it again. There’s no telling until next year, but this was one quiet season for the winger. Again Svatos had some games that he sat out due to injury, but he also got benched when he was in a horrible cold streak. For a while, things were not going well offensively and the young winger was taking a lot of badly timed penalties.

Hopefully next season will we see the return of the rookie Svatos. We know he has the scoring touch, so maybe it was a confidence issue this season. With the end of this season, the Avs will have to decide whether or not they want to bring Svatos back. Either way, it’s a gamble and as he becomes a restricted free agent, it wouldn’t be a total shock to see him go elsewhere. The Avs could offer him a contract, but they wouldn’t be sure if they were getting the rookie Svatos or the one we saw this year.

12^th year-Right Wing
Height: 6’ 1” Weight: 200 lbs.
GP: 81 G: 8 A: 21  P: 29
ATOI: 13:50  PIM: 133 +/-: +5
2006-2007 Salary: $1,064,000

 
Last season, Ian Laperriere had his career best year in points with the Avalanche. This year, he had a more average season points wise, but he scored his 100^th goal. Just because Laperriere has an average points season does not mean he is just an average presence on the ice either. Opponents are always aware of Lappy’s presence on the ice because he is a very vocal and active player. His job is to pester the opponents and fight when the team needs energy and he is excellent at this job.

In his second season as an Av, Lappy has cemented his position as a fan favorite for his play on the ice and his attitude off the ice. Laperriere has a great attitude on and off the ice and is involved in the community. He once again lead the team in penalty minutes and for much of the year was the only Avalanche player with any fighting majors. Lappy can be counted on to stand up for teammates and mix it up with opponents who need a couple punches to the head (such as Dion Phaneuf who put a nasty hit on Tyler Arnason in a game that was meaningless for both teams). Lappy has the option to extend his contract with the Avs for one more year, and there’s no foreseeable reason why he would chose not to stay.