Season Stats: 68 GP, 0 G, 11 A, 11 Pt Even
Minutes: 1,439 (3rd among D), EV 16:44, PP 0:13, PK 4:13, ATOI 21:10
<!--more-->
Splits:
1st Half: 41 GP, 0 G, 4 A, +5 33 Shots
2nd Half: 27 GP, 0 G, 7 A, -5 32 Shots
Linemates: Clark (62 games), Klee (5), Liles (1)
Career:
Set the Ironman streak for defensemen, with 495 consecutive games played before a knee injury this spring.
Report:
An inconsistent season for Karlis…One of the best shot blockers in the league, Skrastins was 7th in the league in blocked shots (190) despite missing 14 games…Also terrific at going to the ice to poke the puck away or block a pass…Extremely prone to taking himself out of position to chase down a puck carrier…Because of that, often made his partner (usually Clark) look bad trying to compensate…Only credited with 37 hits - just 6 more than John-Michael Liles...Has seen a few too many of his own replays – often will get beat trying to make a cute play, when a simpler play would have been more effective…Like many Colorado defensemen, has little in the way of offensive abilities…Cut his penalty minutes from 65 in ’05-’06 to 30 this season.
Fast Fact: In 7 NHL season, Skrastins has had a positive plus/minus just once (+18 in 2003-2004).
Midseason Grade: B-
Final Grade: C
2007-2007 Salary: $2,400,000
2007-2008 Status: $2,400,000
Outlook:
Skrastins will be back with the team, hopefully with some better work habits in his own end. He’s currently the highest paid Avalanche defenseman (by about $900,000), and needs to start earning that salary.