Final Grade: Ryan O'Byrne

This report card is a joint effort by Beachie, Sandie, Paul, SlamDunktheFunk and DDC. Stats courtesy of hockey-reference.com and NHL.com

Final Grade: B

Midseason Grade: B+

Position: D

Vitals: 6'5" / 234 / Age 26 / Shoots R

Drafted by Montreal, 3^rd round (79^th) of the 2003 Draft

Joined Team: November 11^th, 2010 (acquired from Montreal for Michael Bournival) 

MHH Nicknames: Snatch, ROB, OB Wan

Linemates:

• Liles: 51 GP 0G 7A 7Pts -5
• Belle: 2 GP 0G 0A 0Pts -2
• Holos: 2 GP 0G 0A 0Pts Even
• Johnson: 2 GP 0G 2A 2Pts -1
• Hunwick: 1 GP 0G 1A 1Pts +1

Avs with O'Byrne in the lineup: 23-35-6 (.406 Point%) 2.70 GF 3.50 GA

Ice Time:

• 20:24 Total (3^rd)
• 17:33 EV (3^rd)
• 2:44 PK (4^th)
• 0:06 PP (13^th)

Career Highlights: O'Byrne set career highs in games played (67), assists (10), points (10), penalty minutes (75) and ATOI (20:09)

Report: We may have scratched our head a bit when O'Byrne was acquired in November, joining an already crowded Avalanche blueline. It made a little more sense a few weeks later when Scott Hannan was traded and when Avalanche defensemen started dropping faster than f-bombs in an Eddie Murphy standup routine (hope that reference isn't too bleeding edge). Oh, and it turns out that O'Byrne is pretty good. He doesn't offer much offensively (just 26 points in 192 career NHL games), but he's a classic stay-at-home, big body banger (team leading 168 hits in just 64 games) that the Avalanche have lacked for years. He was an excellent anchor for John-Michael Liles, allowing JML to roam freely without needing to watch his backside (wink wink). While he's not exactly a shutdown guy, his quiet, physical consistency is a great fit for the team's second pairing. Our biggest beef would be his penalties - specifically his occasional habit of taking multiple penalties. 6 times in 64 games he took 2 or more minor penalties (such as the game where he had two delay of game penalties in the 3^rd period).

Fun Fact: In his last year at Cornell, he won the team's Ironman Award given to the player who is the best at playing through injuries

The Ryan O'Byrne Drinking Game: Drink whenever someone mentions his stitches, that he finished his shift or that he is used to the full cage because he played college hockey  Drunk potential: Extreme

What We Said Last Year: Seriously, though, stealing a purse? I know the CBA after the Lockout was supposed to crack down on inflated player salaries, but it can't be that bad. Can it? Seriously guys, get new agents if you're that hard up for cash. (Editor: Okay, that wasn't us and wasn't last year)

2010 Cap Hit: $941,667

2011 Status: RFA

Outlook for Next Season: Already, the Avalanche 3 defensemen under contract (Liles, Johnson and Quincey), 4 RFAs (O'Byrne, Hunwick, Wilson and Cumiskey) and several prospects on the horizon (Gaunce, Elliott, Barrie). It's a crowded field with the potential for a lot of changes between now and next October. But we think O'Byrne will be one of the cornerstones next year no matter what happens this offseason.

Next Up: John-Michael Liles