Final Grade: Adam Foote

Midseason Grade: B-

Final Grade: C-

Joined Team: (Re-) Acquired February 26, 2008 for the Avs 2008 1st-rounder and 2009 4th-rounder

MHH Nicknames: Footer

Linemates:

• Clark (16)
• Hannan (12)
• Salei (8)
• Liles (6)

Ice Time:*

• TOT 19:40 (5th)
• EV 15:54 (5th)
• PK 3:37 (3rd)
• PP :08 (9th)

*Rank is based on total minutes, not average per game.

Best Month: December (3 points in 9 games)

Career Highlights: Adam Foote played in his 1,000th NHL game on October 12th.

Report: It's a bit ironic that Adam Foote's grade is sandwiched between the two Cup anniversaries (2001was  yesterday and 1996 is tomorrow). Foote, of course, was a big part of both Cup teams and is an Avalanche icon, trailing only Joe Sakic and Milan Hejduk in games played for the franchise (post-relocation).

With that out of the way, this last season was a disappointing one. The Adam Foote we saw in the playoffs in 2008 was not the Adam Foote we saw on the ice (when healthy) in 2009. Foote is always going to be subject to injuries, and he was able to play in just 42 games last year. But even when was healthy enough to get in the lineup, he was, in a word, underwhelming.

I've never met Foote, and I likely never will. That's good news for me considering what I'm about to say: I think he mailed it in. Perhaps I'm way off here, but from my vantage point (ass firmly planted on my sofa) that's what I saw. Maybe after all the years of doing the dirty work he had nothing left to give. Or maybe the sad state of the team demoralized him. Whatever, the fire just didn't seem to be there...as might be evidenced by his .71 PiM/GP rate - less than half his career rate going into the year.

The problem isn't just that Foote's effort was suspect; you can say that about every veteran defenseman who wore the ugly uniprons last year. The problem is that Foote is supposed to be the leader, the pace-setter. If he's not interested in working, so goes the rest of the squad. And that issue needs to get resolved. Pronto.

Fun Fact: Foote's 7 assists were on goals by 7 different goal scorers.

The Adam Foote Drinking Game: Drink when Foote misses a game due to injury  Drunk potential: Substantial

What I Said Last Year: "One thing to keep in mind with Foote - if he does re-sign with Colorado, it's good that the Avs have good depth on the blueline. He's never played 82 games in a season. He's averaged just 66 games a season since the lockout and he's only hit the 70-game mark 3 times in the last 8 seasons."

2008 Salary (and Cap Number): $2.75M ($3.0M)

2009-2010 Status: Foote is under contract for one more season at the $3M cap hit. He has a NTC.

Outlook for 2009: The good news is that Foote's contract isn't as bad as it could be. $3 million isn't great for what he gave us - or rather didn't give us - last year, but it's not like the 2-and-a-quarter we're wasting on Darcy Tucker. If Foote can find a way to rekindle his inner fire, he could still turn in a good season; it's not like he relies on blistering speed to be sucessful. A revitalized Foote could provide the nasty competitor the Avs paid so dearly for last year as well as some terrific leadership for all the young kids coming through the ranks. I'm not quite sure we'll return to the glory years, but I do think Foote has enough pride to avoid a repeat of last season's disaster.

Next Up: Matt Hendricks