Final Grade: B
Midseason Grade: N/A
Season Stats: 39 GP, 3 G, 8 A, 11 Pt, -4, 62 shots
Minutes: 484 total (12th of 18 F), EV 9:43, PP 0:09, PK 2:35, ATOI 12:25
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Splits:
1st Half: 1 GP, 0 G, 0 A, 0 Pt, E, 1 shot
2nd Half: 38 GP, 3 G, 8 A, 11 Pt, -4, 62 shots
Positions:
Lines: 4th (35 GP), 3rd (4 GP)
Linemates:
LW: Rycroft (21 GP), Richardson (11), Svatos (3), Turgeon (3), May (1)
RW: Svatos (13 GP), Parker (10), Rycroft (7), Klee (5), Laperriere (2)
Career: After over 400 games in the AHL, Guite finally got his chance this year.
Report: One of a few pleasant surprises for the Avs this year...Was recalled on January 3rd when Richardson was sent down...Played well, was shuffled between Albany and Colorado for a few weeks before staying in Colorado for good in late January...Played in 36 of the final 37 games of the season...Immediately improved the team in two key areas – faceoffs and penalty kills...His 49.5% faceoff percentage isn't the greatest, but on this lousy faceoff team it was good enough for 3rd best (behind Sakic and McLean)...His 5.36 goals allowed per game on the kill was best among Colorado forwards...Overall, the team allowed 25% less powerplay goals in the 2nd half...Did the little things...Had as many blocked shots as Rycroft and Laaksonen combined...Also physical...His 57 hits were 6th best on the team...Didn't shy away from confrontation...My favorite moment had him chasing down Derek Boogaard after a questionable hit from the goon...I thought he showed some nice offensive flair at times, and could put up some decent numbers under the right circumstances.
Fast Fact: Guite has played 40 games in his NHL career. His 3 goals have come against goalies with a combined 1,861 NHL regular season games and 43 NHL seasons under their belts (Dominik Hasek, Curtis Joseph and Jamie McLennan).
2007-2007 Salary: $450,000
2007-2008 Status: UFA
Outlook: The Avalanche don't have much in the way of high-profile free agents this summer. Guite is probably the guy I most want to see re-signed. He was a better fit for the checking line than Brad Richardson, and helped out the PK tremendously. With the right linemates, Gite could form the nucleus for a line that could face the opposing team's top line each night, something the team has not really had in recent years.