One Hell Of A Week
by David Driscoll-Carignan on Jul 5, 2009 9:37 AM MDT
in NHL News
Email
Print
Well, that was...something.
Just one week ago, Avalanche fans were riding high over the fine performance by the team brass at the NHL Draft. 88% of those who voted in our little poll felt that Greg Sherman and the boys' draft was either good or excellent. Since then? Well, I don't believe there's a delicate way to put this, so I'm just going to blurt it out: this week has sucked ass.
On Monday, we found out that not only were the Avalanche too cheap to retain Ian Laperriere, but that they were also letting Ben Guite walk away in free agency without a token offer. Two of our favorite players, gutsy guys who have worked their asses off for us...gone. We also found out that the Avalanche were not going to spend $575,000 to retain the rights to Cody McCormick.
On Tuesday, we found out just how expensive it would have been to re-sign Lappy: $3.5 million over 3 years. That's right, for less than half of what we're paying Darcy Tucker, we could have had Lappy. Hell, for the amount we're paying Tucker, we could have kept Lappy, Guite AND Cody McCormick. Just sayin...
There was some bit of good news on Tuesday, as the Avalanche signed Florida Panthers' backup Craig Anderson. Anderson appears to be capable young goalie with the potential to maybe be a starter. That's not a sure thing, of course, and the more we see from Greg Sherman the clearer it becomes that Anderson's most attractive attribute to the club was his low asking price.
On Wednesday, we discovered - belatedly - that Cody McCormick was not the only restricted free agent that the Avalanche had allowed to walk away. Although the team failed to make any such announcement (thanks, guys!), the Avs did not tender qualifying offers to goalie Jason Bacashihua and defenseman Michael Vernace. I understand the goalie thing, with Trevor Cann heading to Lake Erie after signing this summer. I don't understand the Vernace move at all. He seemed like a guy capable of providing low-cost depth. Oh well.
On Thursday, we discovered that the Avalanche weren't exactly throwing money at free agents. By then, Anderson and enforcer David Koci were the only two signings by the Avalanche. There are rumors that Darren Haydar and Brian Willsie are negotiating deals with the club, but those are not big names.
Finally, on Friday, we discovered that the Avalanche will do just about anything to cut costs, including taking on a ridiculous contract to do so. That night, the Avalanche traded the team's best player (Ryan Smyth) to the Kings for a promsing defenseman (Kyle Quincey) and a severely overpaid one (Tom Preissing). The Avalanche save a few million bucks, and we're left wondering what hit us.
In summary, this week we gain:
- Craig Anderson
- David Koci
- Kyle Quincey
- Tom Preissing
- a 5th round pick
and lose
- Ryan Smyth
- Ian Laperriere
- Cody McCormick
- Ben Guite
- Michael Vernace
- Jason Bacashihua
Yes, we lost Tyler Arnason and Andrew Raycroft as well, and you certainly can't complain about that. On the whole, however, this has been yet another poor week in what has been one dreadful offseason.
I can't wait to see what Dwight has in store for us next week.
72 comments
|
0 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
I realize he might not even make the big team but I really like the idea of signing Darren Haydar. I may have to get the Fox Sports network package just so I can watch him tear up the AHL. Has anybody heard of any weaknesses he might have, other than being short? He’s the same size as Svatos so I don’t see why they wouldn’t give him a shot on the Avs roster. We need wingers.
I'm gonna miss all the raycroft/stoner jokes.
the topic was a good source of laughter/entertainment during the GDTs, epecially when the avs were terrible.
I also have to note that Tyler Weiman was a Group VI unrestricted free agent. I haven’t heard any of news of the Avs re-signing him. But, they still also have Billy Sauer to sign to an entry level deal before mid August.
by c0nquistad0rian on Jul 5, 2009 11:05 AM MDT reply actions
Peter McNab
Is going to have a tough time spinning this team next year.
Get rid of the loser point
08-09 Avs- can we decline the penalty?
rainbows and sunshine
will be harder to find without rayzer’s bong around
by Pookie on Jul 5, 2009 12:36 PM MDT up reply actions 1 recs
Preissing
Tom Preissing is NOT that bad. Am I the only one who’s seen him play? Apparently. His poor stats are a result of feuding with his coach last year. He’s a puck mover, and will pretty much be an upgrade over any of our defenders not named Hannan, Liles, and Quincey.
He is also a very nice guy.
Just watch his kindness pour out in this video.
Hockey... The most favoritest sport of Jesus.
by Pinchy The Lobster on Jul 5, 2009 2:00 PM MDT up reply actions
Great
All of the passion of Tyler Arnason plus an even more bloated contract. That is just what we need on the blueline. Peace, love and understanding.
MHH: Shagging Dater one contributor at a time.
by Bob in Boulder on Jul 5, 2009 2:21 PM MDT up reply actions
How does that seem like
The-name-I-shall-not-speak?
2008-2009 Avalanche: It's like watching a car crash.
I haven’t seen him play other than NCAA but I have to agree. I think he’ll be much better than most are giving him credit for. While his last two season’s weren’t that great, they were better than most on our team:
07/08: 77 games 8g 24 pts – That’s good for second best defensemen on the Avs this year.
08/09: 22 games 3g 4 pts – That’s on pace for 12g 28 pts in the season. Only Liles would have more points on the blue line and they would be tied for goals.
This will help you feel better.
Click here to feel better.
Hockey... The most favoritest sport of Jesus.
by Pinchy The Lobster on Jul 5, 2009 2:09 PM MDT up reply actions
defensemen should not be measured in points. Preissing may have been ok offensively, but his 5v5 GA/60 while on ice was the highest of any defenseman on the Kings. He’s a worse version of Clark — he’s like Clark skills + Arnason’s attitude.
Points don’t hurt when measuring offensive defensivemen. Also, he was a plus 40 with Ottawa. Compare that to anyone on our team. I know what you mean about attitude but, correct me if I’m wrong, none of us have been in the locker room with him. So how can we really measure that? A lot of great players have been in the coaches dog house. Does that mean that they suck? Maybe the coach sucks.
you’re completely missing me: he’s a terrible defender making 2.75m per year for the next 2 years. he is widely considered one of the worst contracts in the league, despite him not exactly making that much.
i understand that you’re trying to be positive, but there’s nothing to be positive about here. Preissing is terrible. This deal is terrible value player wise. Quincey is a decent player, but is coming off of back surgery at 23. He’s not bad, but the sort of player that’s a dime a dozen afaik.
The only positives here are the improved cap situation, management at last conceding we are rebuilding, and the fact that the youngsters will play. But the fact that we didn’t come away with Teubert or Bernier in this deal is a freaking crime. It’s pure incompetence and reeks of panic, most likely brought on by ownership pressure to dump salary. Thanks Stan, you can go back to following the Nuggets closely now.
I guess we are arguing about different things then. I didn’t say anything about the trade or his contract. I would agree that he’s overpaid and I’m not saying that the trade was awesome. I would disagree that Quincy is a dime-a-dozen player but I wasn’t talking about that either. What bothers me is that the Avs fans on this site do nothing but talk shit about the Avs. I hope you all spend the same amount of time and energy ripping on other teams. I can understand that people rip on Tucker and Arnason because we’ve seen them suck for a while now. However, we haven’t seen Preissing and he’s an Avalanche player now, so if you’re a fan of the Avs, give him a chance to play before you rip on him.
apparently his play on other teams doesn’t matter to you? Donning another uniform doesn’t alter the player. and how can you evaluate a player apart from his contract in this era?
look, I hope Preissing is awesome. I’m a realist though, and reality is that his history is awful. I’m perfectly willing to give Preissing a chance, but I am furious at the team for pulling off such a horribly one sided move for money reasons. since you’re not even worrying about the cap, hows this: this team is worse than it was before the deal — or do you disagree with that statement?
No, it does matter to me, however, only his play in L.A. is questionable. If that was the only team that he ever played on in the NHL, then yes, I wouldn’t think he could do anything here either. That’s not the case, he played very well to earn his heavy contract before L.A. but hasn’t lived up to it yet. He may never live up to his contract but he has the potential to be a decent player on our team.
Are we better or worse after the trade? That’s a tough question and it all depends on the team that we currently have. If we were in the great position to compete for a cup next year then I would say we are in worse shape. However, we aren’t in good Stanley Cup contention this year so we need to focus on 1-2 years out. We need to be young and fiscally responsible. When we have a good core of young players in 1-2 years and we are well under the cap, that’s when we go find the missing peices to the puzzle and spend. So, if we continue to move a couple high priced veterans, I think we’ll be in better shape for the long term. Now that we have an extra forward spot open, we need to push out our youngsters to find out which ones will be NHL material and which ones will not. As we find out, we’ll have our new core.
well
we both hope he returns to form. you seem to believe he will for no apparent reason, and are mad at others for not sharing your faith. don’t be like the MHR people. fandom isn’t blind.
it’s not the philosophy I take issue with — it’s how it was done. this trade is desperate and didn’t net proper value.
I woudn’t say that I think he can return to form for no reason, I just understand the hockey teams and players go through cycles. They all have bad years. When it comes to trading players, you need to buy low and sell high. We sold Ryan Smyth when he had a decent year and didn’t get hurt much. If we would have tried this last year, we wouldn’t have received much in return. The reason we are able to get Preissing thrown into this deal is because he had an off year and he’s not living up to his contract (the low). If he rebounds, the Avs will look brilliant. If not, it doesn’t matter that much because we still relieved some salary, got Quincy and a 5th rounder in return.
so you’re sure Preissing is in a cycle? how do you know? don’t they just as often (if not more often) regress and never return to form? Fact is, you don’t know, you’re just hoping. That’s something I “just understand.”
you’re really attempting to tell us we wanted Preissing? that’s flat wrong. LA only wanted Smyth if we took Preissing off their hands. how do I know? this is the same guy we could have had for free last March when he was waived and sent to the AHL. and no one in the league wanted him. I “just understand” that means he has negative value when considered with his salary.
Quincy and a 5th would have been a better return. Pure salary dump, with a young cheap serviceable guy with upside coming the other way. Fact is, we dealt so poorly we couldn’t even get a proper salary dump done — we had to take a lesser bad contract the other way for a larger yet not as bad contract.
I agree with what you said about buying low and selling high.we bought high, then sold high…for a low price. how are you telling us everything is ok then when we ignored the very ideas you’re lecturing me on (and I already know)?
Good conversation doc. If you don’t agree with me, at least I kept you busy for a while.
True, I don’t know if he’ll return to form, either do the Avs and either does anybody else. Anytime you trade it’s a gamble. We won’t truly know if it’s a good trade for another 2-3 years.
It doesn’t help us to take on more salary but do you think the Avs would do that for any player? If so, what do you think they intend to do with him, throw him down to the minors and pay him his full salary? They must think he can rebound. Also, L.A. is taking on Smyth’s salary so there is a compromise with the entire trade.
yep, this is probably an agree to disagree kind of thing. Clearly, I’m furious about the whole thing, I find it pretty insulting to us fans. Sorry for taking that out on you a bit.
We’ll have to see in 2 years, yep. Getting rid of Smyth isn’t something that I really disagree with — we’re probably not going to be seriously in contention for 3 years at least, and then he’s gone. Why pay him that money for that time? At the same time, I’m still in awe of how badly timed the whole thing was. Last year’s deadline we’d have gotten so much more.
But I must say, the more I research Quincy the more I like getting him. He’s got a little nasty streak and a nice first pass, from the highlights I’m seeing, plus a decent shot. If he’s truly healed from that back thing, he could be a very solid pickup for a long long time.
Wings fans were pretty bummed at losing him. If he helps the Avs win something meaningful, it’ll really be worth it.
by Jibblescribbits on Jul 5, 2009 9:32 PM MDT up reply actions
No worries, I’ve enjoyed the coversation.
Yeah, it seems Quincy could be really good. I hope the back isn’t an issue. I think I read somewhere that the physical isn’t supposed to happen until Tuesday or Wednesday.
THERE
is still plenty of free agents to make up for the new found cap space to fill in smiths contract, not to mention Sakic could be returning and we still have to sign Duchene
Pujols takes out "I" in BIG and "A" in MAC, previously considered to be an unyielding, consonant threat
CAPS
your usage of them fascinates me. :)
and I do think we’re going to see some free agents signed yet, I agree. doubt they’re top 6 types though.
wouldn't shock me....
to see Hannan or Salei go to Philly in exchange for Briere. Not sure I’d be a fan of that, but Philly likes Def. types like Hannan/Salei. Not sure if their Cap issues would allow for that, but I’m sure Briere’s cap hit is much higher than either of those 2 Def.
BRIERE
is fragile, and the caps is because im at work and the system we use only rec’s caps so i usually dont realize it til I start typing. I would hope the Avs are smart enough not to trade for Briere…
Pujols takes out "I" in BIG and "A" in MAC, previously considered to be an unyielding, consonant threat
Because we signed Smyth as a Free agent, aren’t we getting Quincy, Preissing and a 3rd rounder for almost nothing?
I think that would be a good argument to sign somebody like Tanguay or similar if we could get them for a decent price. Sign, play for a while and trade.
Of course there is some risk involved. What if they go through a down-cycle and we have to wait it out longer than expected. Or when the cap goes down, they may become un-tradable. That could be why we aren’t looking at that. It seems that some teams could be setting themselves up for major headaches if that cap drops enough.
While I’m excited about Quincy, I agree that the Avs didn’t get a good enough return for Smyth.
I’ve really enjoyed this dicsussion thus far. But, I’m really curious about this:
you’re completely missing me: he’s a terrible defender making 2.75m per year for the next 2 years. he is widely considered one of the worst contracts in the league, despite him not exactly making that much.
i understand that you’re trying to be positive, but there’s nothing to be positive about here. Preissing is terrible.
Fact of the matter is that Preissing had a solid rookie season (enough to give Sharks fans some hope), followed by two pretty good seasons with the Sharks and the eastern conference champion Sens, respectively. He was given his market value salary at the time for what he had already done – argue that you may, but market value is what someone is willing to pay and that’s what the Kings paid. And it’s not far off from what other team were paying for similar defensemen.
Since then, he has obviously not lived upto those contract expectations while playing on some very bad Kings teams. But, he’s basically only had one bad year and one injury plagued year. He is not Matt Carle who hasn’t done anything after his 42 point rookie season and subsequent $3,437,500 per season contract.
When I read what Jibbles said about the difference between Budaj and Raycroft, I thought, “Couldn’t the samething be said for Preissing?”
The other difference is that this isBudaj’sPreissing’s first truly bad season. There’s every reason to believe he’ll bounce back and play like he did before last season (a little regression to the mean). This wasRaycroft’sCarle’s best season since hisCalder campaign 5+Rookie season 3+ years ago. There’s a lot more room for skeptacism there.
Before reading these comments, I haven’t ever heard of Preissing’s contract being “widely considered” one of the worst in the league like I have about Carle’s. It’s obvious that the Kings wanted to trade him both because of his contract and because of their defensive depth. But, I can see where carson’s optimism comes from.
It doesn’t sound like there’s no apparent reason for it.
Personally, I would say that mine is a little bit more of a cautious optimism as in, “well, it can’t get any worse than that.” But at its worst, he’s a big body and a right handed shot.
I’m also hoping that the Avs can turn this defensive depth into another trade where they get rid of either Clark’s or Salei’s contracts. I don’t exactly think that there would be (m)any buyers for Hannan, since he makes more and has another year left on his contract after this season. And trading Liles, as Mike said, would be ridiculously short sighted.
by c0nquistad0rian on Jul 7, 2009 8:16 AM MDT up reply actions
I’m not as optimistic on the recovery of guys with Vertigo.
by Jibblescribbits on Jul 7, 2009 8:45 AM MDT up reply actions
Do you have any solid information about his vertigo symtoms? The most solid information I’ve been able to find is this in a day-by-day fantasy news site:
“Preissing will not be available to play on Tuesday due to possible case of vertigo.”
After that, there’s no more mention of it. I’m not trying to say he doesn’t have it but I would like to see more information about his case.
I may have that....
I’ve been known to spin around on the ice and fall down for no apparent reason.
Well
NHL teams are often very forthcoming with their injuries, so it should be easy to find out
/sarcasm off
But seriously, all I saw was the Kings coach talking about a "possible"case of vertigo. Then that was changed and he had the mysterious “upper-body injury” and was put on IR. That’s about as clear a sign as you’ll get from a hockey team.
by Jibblescribbits on Jul 7, 2009 9:07 AM MDT up reply actions
That’s very true. And one thing that I forgot to mention: I am not very optimistic on his recovery from vertigo as opposed to his bouncing back from a bad year (provided that he is able to recover).
His last five games played were on December 1, 2, 23, 24 and January 15. That doesn’t sound very promising.
The Avs’ former goalie coach, Jeff Hackett, actually had to retire because of vertigo.
Both Preissing and Quincy, with his recovery from herniated disc surgery, had to pass team physicals with the Avs’ doctors before the trade could be finalized. And, we haven’t heard any news about the trade being overturned. But, that doesn’t mean that Preissing’s fully recovered.
by c0nquistad0rian on Jul 7, 2009 9:04 AM MDT up reply actions
today or tomorrow
I don’t think the physicals were scheduled until tues or wed this week.
All players have to pass in any trade. I’m sure that Smyth will be meeting with the Kings’ doctors for a similar test.
by c0nquistad0rian on Jul 7, 2009 9:30 AM MDT up reply actions
Yeah
Maybe we can take Preissing to 6-flags before his physical.
by Jibblescribbits on Jul 7, 2009 9:35 AM MDT up reply actions 1 recs
Or maybe we could just introduce him to Andrew Raycroft.
by c0nquistad0rian on Jul 7, 2009 2:08 PM MDT up reply actions
That’s what I don’t get. If he truly has vertigo, his career should be done. If his career is over, then we erase his contract from our books, right? If he doesn’t have it, it’s a non issue as far as his play is concerned.
Not necessarily.
Vertigo is tricky, it goes in and out. Some people lose it and it never returns, some people it comes back a lot.
I think he tries for another year, and if he can’t make it he retires (and yes, his contract would be off the books). If he recovers he might be back to form. In this way it’s win-win
by Jibblescribbits on Jul 7, 2009 9:26 AM MDT up reply actions
But we were bad last year
So his stats really can’t compare considering we had an off year. We should be on the assumption that we shouldn’t be this bad ever again.
Reading this post...
and the repartee between carson and doc is interesting dialogue. Maybe a fan poll could be set up along the lines of their discussion. I tend to agree more with Doc’s perspective and not quite the company line from carson…but hey, that is just me.
In seeing carson’s comments over the last few weeks he does make some decent half full, “let’s not get too negative, maybe this will work out” type comments that provide some balance…but a request please. Playing the “you never played, nor are you in the locker room” cards are unnecessary, clint hurdle like, add little to a discussion and are a last straw debate technique. Of course most, if not all of us on this blog, have never played at that level or been in the room. All those statements accomplish is to raise hackles and end discussion. If the criteria for discussing our passions and conjecturing about our hockey team depend on those kinds of qualifications then let’s just all shut up and shut it down, wait for the Avs to eventually feed us their whitewashed blah and put all our attention back to playing our own sports and getting to the mountains at every opportunity, at least for the next three years. Wait maybe I am on to something…
by Digit on Jul 6, 2009 10:55 AM MDT up reply actions 7 recs
Smyth trade
So if all the Avs get for Smyth (a guy who played well but is somewhat overpaid) is a 5th, a young D with a bad back, and a D with a bloated contract, then what in the world is it going to cost to trade the Avs’ surplus defensemen?
by Inebriated Simian Miscreants on Jul 6, 2009 10:52 AM MDT reply actions
judging by they type of defensemen the avs got, it will be a “You want liles? Then you have to take Clark too.” Type of deal. Hannan is completely untradible right now and they didn’t pick up anyone who could take his space.
I'm Mr. Positive
by An Unmitigated Disaster on Jul 6, 2009 2:44 PM MDT up reply actions
I actually wouldn't complain too loudly...
if we traded Hejduk. His defensive game has improved tremendously over the years, and to me thats the only reason to keep him. His offense dissapears for long stretches at a time, he’s just not consistent enough.
Ok, nice of the avs to pull this crap off on get away friday right before the 4th so there would be no one around to notice it right away. I’m slightly pissed that I now have a useless 49 T-shirt but I understood Smyth needed to go, mostly for the contract but he was slowing down some, now that’s someone else’s problem. For his first trade, it’s not a complete cluster fu…..bomb. I would have made the pick a condidtional one and have it upgrade as smyth scores. I’m more concerned with what the next trade will be, since teams know the avs need to dump off at least two D-men. That could be a trade that could really bad. Anyone know a team with too many forwards and not enought D-Men?
I'm Mr. Positive
by An Unmitigated Disaster on Jul 6, 2009 3:00 PM MDT reply actions
for your enjoyment, take a look at this depth chart, particularly the second line LW.
http://tsf.waymoresports.thestar.com/thestar/hockey/depthchart.cgi?Col&
Short answer: No way in hell
I'm Mr. Positive
by An Unmitigated Disaster on Jul 6, 2009 3:01 PM MDT up reply actions
my guess is...
that the trade was ready to go for a while there, but they were waiting on Smyth’s approval after discussions with his wife.
Finally, Altitude weighs in on the latest Av developments.
Our 2009-2010 Avs: The towel has been thrown into the rink.
by Bob in Boulder on Jul 6, 2009 6:27 PM MDT reply actions 1 recs
laughing at old ball team off the bat
Hyphens cause writers more trouble than any other form of punctuation, except perhaps commas.
by David Driscoll-Carignan on Jul 6, 2009 8:06 PM MDT up reply actions
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Certain photos copyright © 2012 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
