Final Grade: Ryan Smyth

Smyth had 9 goals at home and 17 on the road

With the loss of Lappy, we’ll need someone to step up into a leadership role – and I think Smyth will do fine. He obviously can’t replace Lappy in the fighting category – but he’ll be serviceable.

Smyth-Staz-Hejduk
Wolski-Duchene-Svats/Hensick?

I think we might actually be able to roll at least two quality scoring lines next year. That gives me at least a little reason to hope.

I think if the Avs were ever to get:

1) A decent point shot on the power play
2) A coach who actually weants his player to shoot from the point on a PP
3) JML stops being hesitant on his point shot…

I think you see where I am going here…

THEN and only then would Ryan Smyth live up to his potential here in Colorado. The guy is not a finesse guy, but both Q and TG treated him like one.

He is one of the hardest workers on the ice, but let’s face it, he is a great “garbage goaler”…and maybe one day a competent coach would realize that, and adjust play as such.

I love Smitty…hoping he has another good season

goes to Smitty. When he broke his hand at the end of the season, I remember thinking, “well there goes the scoring.” He brought it every night.

Doc, I am curious: I know you going to do grades over at Jibbles’ site and factor in salaries in your analysis. Would you give Smyth an “A” when considering his salary?

No votes for McLeod??

Next Up: Per Ledin

I think that pretty much sums up his season right there.

Don’t regret the signing in the least.

Smyth is producing while essentially in a crippled role. Can you imagine his production with Lidstrom at the point? All he needs is for the blue line to start shooting pucks on net. Production from the blue line will clear up so much room for this team. I cannot emphasize this enough.

I sat at the last game next to Shane from Avalanche Talk and we are watching one of the rare shifts where the Avs have possession in the offensive zone against the Blues where they are down 1-0 and playing for absolutely nothing of course. In this shift they were cycling the puck below the net and had held the zone for a bit. The Blues center was down helping out on defense like he’s supposed to. However, the crazy thing was the two Blues wingers had turned their back to their own blue line and coasted all the way down below the faceoff dots! Liles and Mercier were glued to the blue line the whole time. Neither of them slipped down in to the slot and the Blues weren’t even concerned that they would. They weren’t turning their heads to check their positions AT ALL! As I told Shane at the time, “There’s no way in hell Liles and Mercier are standing their by instinct. They are being told to do that. There’s no way on God’s green Earth that offensive minded defensemen are going to sit on their own blue line down by a goal when the forwards are selling out to help on defense. That has to be a behavior that’s taught.” It’s basically 3 on 5 (six if you count a poke checking goalie) at that point, no wonder the Avs sucked to high Hell on offense. Smyth may have done well behind the net but there’s no room in front of the net because the Avs were so easy to defend.

And another thing… how many times did you see Smyth carry the puck in to the zone totally all alone in a break away situation? Well, like all the time actually. Why? Because the Avalanche shifted like the fricken UAW. At this same Blues game I HEARD Vernance getting called to the bench for a line change when he tried to jump the play to create an odd man rush because the Blues were shifting when Avs had possession through the neutral zone with some speed. This is a game that means NOTHING. It’s a game you are behind 1-0! This is last fricken game of the season and this coaching staff has the balls to yell at Vernance to take a shift and kill an odd man rush! For what? So you could break out the shift charts and show that you matched lines or some other BS? It’s one reason fans like myself point to Cloutier despite his long, accomplished resume with the Avalanche.

Man I needed to get that off my chest. This post was brought to you by iphone 3.0 Copy and Paste function. Woo hoo!

everyone in this organ-I-zation is the most brilliant hockey mind ever to grace the planet.

Or didn’t you get the memo?

for no real reason. I have no idea who it’s going to be.

Also, for as awesome as Smyth was this year, I’ll never forget him flying down the left side and firing a slapshot into the chest of the goalie approximately 34059873493 times. Still, great year from him. Do not trade him, plz.

Great player, bad cap #, they should move him for 2 players and a pick if they can, if not I’ll be happy he’s on the roster. I do feel sorry for him, by the time this team is really ready to compete he’ll be way old or traded away for the last piece.