Everyone is talking about Forsberg these days, but I'm wondering if going after another ex-Av might make more sense. Peter at this stage of his career comes with so many ifs, and he didn't exactly light up the recent tournament he played in. Tanguay hasn't started well in Tampa either, but he's at least healthy and playing in the NHL. This is a completely hypothetical scenario that has nothing to back it up whatsoever, but I just want to know what other people think.

I believe, and I think a few people agree with me on this, that the Avs need scoring depth on 2nd line, especially a winger who can help Duchene. Right now, the 2nd line is rather, uh, chaotic for a lack of a better word. Svatos has got it going recently, but he has no chemistry with Duchene at all. Both players kinda do their own things instead of trying to find each other. McLeod, despite his occasional nose for the goal, is not an offensive player; he is much more effective on the third line, where he has done great things with O'Reilly. We are all anxious about the lack of goals for Duchene, and that's because linemates like Svatos and McLeod (or Tucker when he comes back) aren't going to give him opportunities to score. Tanguay, on the other hand, can both create and score. He is somebody who can feed Duchene the puck and take pressure away from him offensively. Right now, other teams' defense can focus their attention on Duchene; with Tanguay on the same line, they'll either have to abandon that strategy or give room to a more gifted offensive player. Duchene himself, with a proven scorer in the NHL who has won a Cup on his wing, won't feel like he has to do everything by himself and will be able to relax more. Of course, many skilled forwards in the league can do that, but Tangs has experience with the club, and you know how our top brass love bringing back ex-employees. Tangs may not bring the star power of Forsberg, but I hope some fans will still remember who scored 2 goals in a certain Game 7 of a Stanley Cup Finals (and has stellar playoff in general that year). His contract can be easily absorbed (1 year, 2.5m), and unlikely to cost more than Forsberg.

Now, I don't profess to know a lot about what's going on in Tampa. I do know that they are one of those bubble teams in the East who are not sure whether they are contenders or not. They have Stamkos, who is tearing things up offensively for them. But their defense, from what I have heard, is rather shoddy. We have a surfeit of defensemen, and a couple of them could interest the Lightning. Brett Clark's name here seems to be not that much above dirt these days, but that appears to be only apparent to those of us who follow the Avs every game. His stats are quite decent so far, especially his block shots. Tampa's goalies are not the most reliable. Nittymaki has been great so far, but he has never proven that he could keep doing it consistently (and he had plenty of chances in Philly to prove himself). Mike Smith has been rather shambolic so far, especially on the road. A player who could block lots of shots and take pressure off the goalie would have value to them. Preissing is a decent puck-moving D, another attribute that's missing from the Tampa D-corp (especially with Hedman out). Hensick could also be tacked on; he has been in the dog house all year, but Bolts have shown willingness to give young players who have lost their way a second chance (Meszaros, Carle, Wishart, Jokinen, etc.). Package two of these players together, and it might a deal that both sides would agree on.

So what do people think about bringing back Tanguay? Am I out of my mind?