Every group of friends has that one person who is always around, but nobody really knows why. It's not that he's a bad guy, but it's not like he's a great guy. He's kinda just there, and he feels like all he is really doing is taking up space. You get in the car to go to a movie, and you're like whoa, when the hell did you get in the back seat?! You are having a party and he is drinking all of your beer. You see him everywhere. Where's waldo? Which of these is not like the other? Ugly duckling. You are the weakest link. You know who I'm talking about, and if you don't, well....

This may be one of the odder intros to any fanshot ever posted on this site, but it has a point. It has to do with the Avs and how they are building this team. Now i'm no Andy Sutton, but the more I think about it the more I like the trade to bring in Semyon "Voldemort" Varlamov. Why? Because he is the right goalie for this team (and he was scared of the local basketball team in his old city... the true reason he wanted out). He fits in with the age demographic of our core. He isn't an awkward friend. Thomas Vokoun woulda been taking up space. Instead we have a guy who is now just as much a part of the future plans as Duchene, Johnson, and O'Reilly. One of the guys. Part of the family. If you don't think hockey teams are families go watch "Miracle." Who knows what's in store for our current core, but I like that we are building a team that can stay together. Play together. No stopgap goalie and no waiting around for prospects. A draft pick next year makes little to no impact on this team in the near future. Trading 1st round picks isn't a good habit, but in this case it's worth it. We now have OUR team. OUR Avalanche. All these guys will enter their prime in the same window of opportunity. This is a fact that i think everybody is undervaluing, and is not an easy thing to do in professional sports. Having a helluva hockey team, with all of it's core players entering the prime of their careers at the same time. Well shit, I wouldn't trade a first round pick for that opportunity either...