Caught In the Avalanche

4th Year – Defense  
Height: 6’ 1” Weight: 200 lbs.
GP: 15 G: 2 A: 3 P: 5 
ATOI: 19:47  PIM: 14  +/-: -4
2006 – 2007 Salary: $1,250,000

 
Unfortunately, this was not Jordan Leopold’s season. He was traded to the Avs in exchange for Alex Tanguay and soon had to undergo hernia surgery. He missed a big chunk of the season recovering from that surgery and then returned for a handful of games. Just when Leopold was starting to get back into the swing of things, he was sidelined with a groin injury. As if that was not enough, Leopold returned for a while and was starting to create some chemistry with his teammates and then suffered a broken wrist.

There’s not much else to say about Leopold, except that maybe this year he had some of the worst luck. His contract expires with the end of the season, but he is a restricted free agent. The Avs may or may not re-sign him as he was barely able to play this season. Obviously they saw something they liked in his game as they traded away a good offensive forward to get him so I imagine they would give him another shot to play healthy.

Rookie-Defense
Height: 6’1”  Weight: 194
GP: 22 G: 1 A: 4 P: 5 
ATOI: 13:47  PIM: 11  +/-: +10
2006–2007 Salary: $450,000

 
In a season where the Avs defense was plagued by injuries, Jeff Finger was brought in to fill in for the battered defensive corps. Finger could have only put in a half-hearted effort, knowing as soon as someone was healthy, he’d probably end up back in the minors, but instead he took at as his chance to shine and prove he could play in the NHL. Finger took a couple games to get used to the pace and flow of an NHL game, but he soon ended up looking like he belonged there.

While the Avs were missing Karlis Skrastins to injury, Finger stepped up and helped the Avs along their March winning streak. Over his fairly short time with the Avs, he managed to stay out of the penalty box most of the time, while becoming one of the team leaders in plus/minus ratings. He was tied with Milan Hejduk for second on the team in this category, second only to Ken Klee. Next season could be the year we see Finger earn a spot on the roster after training camp, as long as the Avs offer him a contract as he becomes a restricted free agent this summer.

8^th year-Left Wing
Height: 6’ 0” Weight: 180 lbs.
GP: 41  G: 3  A: 1  P: 4 
ATOI: 10:40  PIM: 16  +/-: -3
2006-2007 Salary: $684,000

Antti Laaksonen was not having a very good season and only lasted about halfway through with the Avs. He was placed on waivers after being a healthy scratch game after game. Unfortunately, after a decent season last year, Laaksonen was a huge flop for the Avs this year. In 41 games, he managed to only rack up 4 points compared to 34 points in 81 games last year.

On the ice, Laaksonen was flat and not making much of an impact when he was playing. It’s hard to say what caused his struggles, but the Avs had no choice to but to waive him. They had to try to get someone else on the roster that would help out a team which struggled much of the season. When you are not making an impact on a team that is not winning, unfortunately, sometimes you have to go. Antti Laaksonen is an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season and will probably end up getting signed by another team.

7^th year-Left Wing
Height: 6’ 5” Weight: 225 lbs.
GP: 21 G: 1  A: 1  P: 2 
ATOI: 5:18  PIM: 28  +/-: 0
2006-2007 Salary: $575,000

At the trading deadline, Avs fans were nervous about how much the face of this team would change. Fortunately, the only difference was that the Avs sent Brad May packing and brought a familiar face in with Scott Parker. Parker spent the first four years of his career as an Av, so they knew what they were getting when they brought him in. Parker is definitely a scorer, but he makes his points with his fists. He has the nickname “the Sheriff” for a reason after all.

Parker only played in about 10 games for the Avs this season and he didn’t too much of an impact. He didn’t get into any fights, but he made his point by dealing out some bone-jarring checks at times. He only got 6 penalty minutes in his games with the Avs, but he did contribute one goal in the season finale against Calgary. The goal marked his first since December of 2005. He becomes a free agent at the end of the season and the Avs may or may not keep him around. Fighting has been down in the NHL and it all depends on whether or not Giguere feels he really needs an enforcer. Parker is well-liked among the fans, so it wouldn’t hurt to see him come back.

*The stats include his numbers from both San Jose and the Avs this season.

2^nd Year-Goaltender
Height: 6’ 1” Weight: 200 lbs.
GP: 57  W: 31  L: 16  OT: 6
GAA: 2.68 SV%: 0.905  SO: 3
PIM: 0  G: 0  A: 2  P: 2
2006-2007 Salary: $600,000

Peter Budaj was outstanding for the Avalanche this season. Budaj stepped up and played hard, earning himself the well-deserved spot as the starting goaltender. When the Avs went on their run to try and earn a playoff spot in March, Budaj was outstanding and earned himself NHL 1^st star of the month without a single regulation loss for the month. Budaj even surpassed Patrick Roy’s record of 9 wins in one month when Budaj recorded 10 victories during March.

There was a brief period in late January and February where Budaj struggled for a while. With Budaj you have to keep in mind that this is only his second NHL season and he’s not used to playing a full season. Budaj is always humble and modest about his play, but he really stepped up and helped to carry this team late in the season. He even developed some fun personality quirks when several times this year a puck would bounce off the goalpost and he’d later turn and thank the goalpost before leaving the ice. His confidence grew this year and he has cemented his position as a starting goaltender in the NHL. His contract with the Avs extends for another two seasons and his salary is not slated to increase too much (no one could blame him if his contract is restructured to give him a bigger pay raise because he would deserve it).

9^th year-Goaltender
Height: 5’ 11” Weight: 182 lbs.
GP: 33 W: 13  L: 15 OT: 1 
GAA: 3.26  SV%: 0.891 SO: 0
PIM: 6  G: 0 A: 1 P: 1
2006-2007 Salary: $5,500,000

I’m sorry to say it, but Jose Theodore this season was pretty much a waste of money. Only Joe Sakic makes more money than Theo, but at least we can clearly see that Joe Sakic deserves it. Jose Theodore was mediocre at best in net and ended up playing backup to Peter Budaj. Theodore had moments of brilliance, but quite a few times he was pulled for Budaj. Theodore ended up with a sub-.500 record and the most action he saw later in the season was at practice. Granted, Theodore was put into a tough situation with playing backup to a second year goaltender in Peter Budaj.

The biggest issue for the Avs on this one is Theodore’s salary which is slated to increase for the next season. Theodore would be okay as a backup if he made a fraction of his current salary. Theo’s still relatively young, but it would seem he hit his peak a while ago. Over his 9 year NHL career, he has only had two seasons with 30 or more wins. Last season we gave him the benefit of the doubt since he only played a handful of games after returning from injury and was very good as the Avs knocked Dallas out of the playoffs, but since then he hasn’t made a very good impression. The Avs will have to do something to get rid of his salary during the off-season.