2008 Final Grade: A-
2007 Grade: N/A
Links:
{{foote}} (hockey-reference page)
2008 ITCS (aka highly unofficial) Foote game log
Season Stats: 12gp 0g 1a 1pt -1
Minutes: 240.2 (10th); EV 16:45, PP :34, PK 2:42, ATOI 20:01
1st Half: N/A (was with Columbus)
2nd Half: 12gp 0g 1a 1pt -1
Playoffs: 10gp 0g 0a 0pt -6
Best Month: March (8gp 0g 1a 1pt E)
Linemates: Sauer (11), Cumiskey (1)
Season: Foote has never been about offensive numbers, so it's not really all that important that Foote's 16-point season was about the middle of the pack for his NHL career.
Report: Footer was re-acquired at the deadline and one of the highlights of the season is seeing him step onto the bench late in the first period in Calgary. He missed 7 of 19 games with a hip injury, and appeared to struggle in some games. However, the Avs were 9-2-1 in games he played in and averaged just 2.17 goals against. And, of course, his performance against Marion Gaborik and Pavol Demitra in the playoffs was a masterpiece. Overall, I thought he was more of a B/B+, but that series pushed him up to A-. He looked terrible against Detroit, but I could say that about pretty much everyone on the Avs. At the risk of having you all show up at my house with shovels and pitchforks, I have to admit that I've never been the biggest fan of Foote and wasn't all that upset to see him leave after the lockout. But seeing how he made everyone on the team better defensively made me realize just how much we've missed him in the last few years.
Fast Fact: Foote was on the ice for 4 PP goals in 32:21 of shorthanded ice time. That average of 7.42 goals per 60 minutes was the worst among Avalanche defensemen.
2007-2008 Salary (and Cap Number): $4,600,000 ($4,600,000)
2008-2009 Status: UFA
Outlook: The consensus seems to be that Foote will be re-signing with the Avalanche this summer, but with less than a week to go until the start of free agency there is still no deal in place and really not even a lot of chatter about it. I do think Foote will be back with the Avs at something close to $5 million a year, but I do find the delay to be a bit odd. I can't picture it's tough for either side to come up with acceptable terms, so why isn't the deal done yet?
One thing to keep in mind with Foote - if he does re-sign with Colorado, it's good that the Avs have good depth on the blueline. He's never played 82 games in a season. He's averaged just 66 games a season since the lockout and he's only hit the 70-game mark 3 times in the last 8 seasons.